2020-2021 Duke

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
treesarefrends said:
I'm also wondering if people could speak to life in Durham - things to do, quality of life, etc. Thanks!!
Click to expand...
I think this really depends on what you're used to. If you're expecting Durham to be a city like New York or something, you'll be disappointed. The South as a whole is just a lot more spread out. A lot more driving than in the big cities in the Northeast. That being said, I do like living in Durham. We have some really good food here, and it's pretty diverse. There are quite a few local businesses that bring a very unique vibe to Durham. The farmer's market is nice, and everyone here is super friendly. If you're an active person, Durham has a lot going for it. Really good walking/running trails, decent hiking within driving distance, pretty sweet climbing gyms if you're in to that. We also have a pretty good bar scene, for when COVID is over. Mostly chill local breweries. Club type bars are super lacking. Really just one, and it's pretty gross. Raleigh is close-ish, and they have better night-life, but public transportation is not good enough, and ubers get expensive, so it's not something that you can do all the time.

Let me know if you have anything more specific that you'd like to know! I went to Duke for grad school, and have been here since 2016, so I have a decent amount of experience when it comes to Duke and Durham, outside of med school specific things!
Members don't see this ad.
 
SoccerKeeper00 said:
I think this really depends on what you're used to. If you're expecting Durham to be a city like New York or something, you'll be disappointed. The South as a whole is just a lot more spread out. A lot more driving than in the big cities in the Northeast. That being said, I do like living in Durham. We have some really good food here, and it's pretty diverse. There are quite a few local businesses that bring a very unique vibe to Durham. The farmer's market is nice, and everyone here is super friendly. If you're an active person, Durham has a lot going for it. Really good walking/running trails, decent hiking within driving distance, pretty sweet climbing gyms if you're in to that. We also have a pretty good bar scene, for when COVID is over. Mostly chill local breweries. Club type bars are super lacking. Really just one, and it's pretty gross. Raleigh is close-ish, and they have better night-life, but public transportation is not good enough, and ubers get expensive, so it's not something that you can do all the time.

Let me know if you have anything more specific that you'd like to know! I went to Duke for grad school, and have been here since 2016, so I have a decent amount of experience when it comes to Duke and Durham, outside of med school specific things!
Click to expand...
Can confirm. Shooters is not the move, unless you want to be around a lot of undergrads LOL. Raleigh is the place to go if you want to venture to find more expansive venues, but would also be difficult to do every weekend! I enjoyed living in Durham one summer. Not too too much to do, so at least you'll be forced to study :)
 
SoccerKeeper00 said:
I think this really depends on what you're used to. If you're expecting Durham to be a city like New York or something, you'll be disappointed. The South as a whole is just a lot more spread out. A lot more driving than in the big cities in the Northeast. That being said, I do like living in Durham. We have some really good food here, and it's pretty diverse. There are quite a few local businesses that bring a very unique vibe to Durham. The farmer's market is nice, and everyone here is super friendly. If you're an active person, Durham has a lot going for it. Really good walking/running trails, decent hiking within driving distance, pretty sweet climbing gyms if you're in to that. We also have a pretty good bar scene, for when COVID is over. Mostly chill local breweries. Club type bars are super lacking. Really just one, and it's pretty gross. Raleigh is close-ish, and they have better night-life, but public transportation is not good enough, and ubers get expensive, so it's not something that you can do all the time.

Let me know if you have anything more specific that you'd like to know! I went to Duke for grad school, and have been here since 2016, so I have a decent amount of experience when it comes to Duke and Durham, outside of med school specific things!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! Could you expand more about hiking? I'm super into hiking and access to quality trails is honestly kinda important to me lol. Where are the best places, in your opinion?

Also if any current Duke Med students are around - do you find that you even have time to go and take advantage of the outdoors scene in Durham or North Carolina in general? Is it feasible to drive out to the mountains every few weeks for quality hikes or is the schedule a bit more restrictive?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
EagerEagle said:
Can confirm. Shooters is not the move, unless you want to be around a lot of undergrads LOL. Raleigh is the place to go if you want to venture to find more expansive venues, but would also be difficult to do every weekend! I enjoyed living in Durham one summer. Not too too much to do, so at least you'll be forced to study :)
Click to expand...
Haha, I think everyone in Durham should experience Shooters at least once, but you better be drunk when you go. And definitely go in the cage. Hahaha
confuzzledpenguin said:
Thanks for the info! Could you expand more about hiking? I'm super into hiking and access to quality trails is honestly kinda important to me lol. Where are the best places, in your opinion?

Also if any current Duke Med students are around - do you find that you even have time to go and take advantage of the outdoors scene in Durham or North Carolina in general? Is it feasible to drive out to the mountains every few weeks for quality hikes or is the schedule a bit more restrictive?
Click to expand...
There are quite a few trails in and around Durham itself, both paved and unpaved that are super accessible. These aren't mountain hikes by any means, but if walking through the forest in some good scenery does it for you, Durham and the surrounding area has you covered. There's the Eno River Park, the Neuse River has lots of trails, there's Jordan Lake and Falls Lake close by that have some trails around them. If you want to go to the mountains, is a bit more of a trip, but definitely doable in a weekend trip, if you ever have a weekend to spare. There's Pilot mountain a little over an hour away that's decent (also has some decent rock climbing), and then if you drive ~3 or so hours, you can get to Grandfather Mountain, which has some great hikes. A little further and you can get out to Asheville and Mt. Mitchell area. The Blue Ridge mountains are honestly really pretty. Nowhere near as tall as the mountains out west, but there's hiking galore. Harder to do a day trip, but you can definitely spend the night in Asheville and hike over the weekend. Asheville is a really cool little city with tons to do too. My fiance and I are planning to get married in the mountains in Asheville.
 
SoccerKeeper00 said:
Haha, I think everyone in Durham should experience Shooters at least once, but you better be drunk when you go. And definitely go in the cage. Hahaha

There are quite a few trails in and around Durham itself, both paved and unpaved that are super accessible. These aren't mountain hikes by any means, but if walking through the forest in some good scenery does it for you, Durham and the surrounding area has you covered. There's the Eno River Park, the Neuse River has lots of trails, there's Jordan Lake and Falls Lake close by that have some trails around them. If you want to go to the mountains, is a bit more of a trip, but definitely doable in a weekend trip, if you ever have a weekend to spare. There's Pilot mountain a little over an hour away that's decent (also has some decent rock climbing), and then if you drive ~3 or so hours, you can get to Grandfather Mountain, which has some great hikes. A little further and you can get out to Asheville and Mt. Mitchell area. The Blue Ridge mountains are honestly really pretty. Nowhere near as tall as the mountains out west, but there's hiking galore. Harder to do a day trip, but you can definitely spend the night in Asheville and hike over the weekend. Asheville is a really cool little city with tons to do too. My fiance and I are planning to get married in the mountains in Asheville.
Click to expand...
shoot does this mean no mountain biking near durham? @confuzzledpenguin I guess you may be able to count me in on your trips to the mtns then haha
 
sr4b said:
shoot does this mean no mountain biking near durham? @confuzzledpenguin I guess you may be able to count me in on your trips to the mtns then haha
Click to expand...
Haha, there are people who ride bikes on the trails in and around Durham, but they're definitely not mountains. Definitely have to make a trip to get any elevation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
When do you guys think is the ideal time to send in a letter of intent if we are waitlisted?
 
SoccerKeeper00 said:
I think this really depends on what you're used to. If you're expecting Durham to be a city like New York or something, you'll be disappointed. The South as a whole is just a lot more spread out. A lot more driving than in the big cities in the Northeast. That being said, I do like living in Durham. We have some really good food here, and it's pretty diverse. There are quite a few local businesses that bring a very unique vibe to Durham. The farmer's market is nice, and everyone here is super friendly. If you're an active person, Durham has a lot going for it. Really good walking/running trails, decent hiking within driving distance, pretty sweet climbing gyms if you're in to that. We also have a pretty good bar scene, for when COVID is over. Mostly chill local breweries. Club type bars are super lacking. Really just one, and it's pretty gross. Raleigh is close-ish, and they have better night-life, but public transportation is not good enough, and ubers get expensive, so it's not something that you can do all the time.

Let me know if you have anything more specific that you'd like to know! I went to Duke for grad school, and have been here since 2016, so I have a decent amount of experience when it comes to Duke and Durham, outside of med school specific things!
Click to expand...
+1 on the awesome climbing gyms. TRC is the goat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
MediocreClimber said:
Well now I have to go
Click to expand...
Three locations to try. TRC Morrisville has some great top-rope and lead walls, something like 60 foot. It also has a few different bouldering areas that cater to lots of different styles. Definitely the best of the three. TRC North Raleigh has a pretty big bouldering area and is a nice mix-up here and there. Has some limited top rope, but nothing to write home about. TRC Durham just opened right before COVID, and it is the closest gym to Duke. They have plans for a top-rope area, but for now, it's just a bouldering gym. It's got some good problems, and a couple crazy big caves if that's what you're into. A membership gets you access to all three.
 
  • Love
Reactions: 1 user
nino4132 said:
When do you guys think is the ideal time to send in a letter of intent if we are waitlisted?
Click to expand...
are we even able to send an LOI for duke? the portal doesn't allow any files to be uploaded after 1 wk has passed since your interview
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Does anyone know how receptive Duke is to Letters of Intent? Like, how much they value it?
 
Does anyone know the importance of attending second look weekend? Could attending be used for merit award decisions? Wondering if I should cancel prior commitments
 
If we'd love to go to Duke but really have to base it on finances... does it makes sense to reach out to Duke now and let them know about other scholarship offers/start that process? Or ride it out until disbursement then see what happens? This is so crazy and I don't even wanna do it.. but I really want to go to Duke!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
spikebee said:
Does anyone know the importance of attending second look weekend? Could attending be used for merit award decisions? Wondering if I should cancel prior commitments
Click to expand...
Lmao there's no way they would give you less money just because you didn't go to SLW
 
sr4b said:
If we'd love to go to Duke but really have to base it on finances... does it makes sense to reach out to Duke now and let them know about other scholarship offers/start that process? Or ride it out until disbursement then see what happens? This is so crazy and I don't even wanna do it.. but I really want to go to Duke!!
Click to expand...
I'd wait until you have a fin aid package before you start to try negotiating. Otherwise, what are you even going to negotiate?
 
Yikes... I totally forgot to register for SLW but was planning on going. Think they'll let me register this late?
 
rainbowpremed said:
I'd wait until you have a fin aid package before you start to try negotiating. Otherwise, what are you even going to negotiate?
Click to expand...
I see what you’re saying- I’ve just also read that sometimes once they assign it it’s sort of too late- and that maybe they will give more consideration during that “scholarship meeting” if you let them know first. But I’m pretty uncomfortable with how to do that anyway so I’ll probably just ride it out
 
Just received my financial aid award. Does anyone know if merit aid is awarded later or with the initial award?
 
MediocreClimber said:
Just received my financial aid award. Does anyone know if merit aid is awarded later or with the initial award?
Click to expand...
I think I read that the financial aid award is rolling based on when your FAFSA and CSS were submitted and is solely need-based, and that merit-based scholarships are awarded separately. Based on this thread I don't think any merit has gone out yet! I also read on last year's thread that they apparently told them they would send out merit aid after second look, so hopefully that means soon for us (but who knows bc this year is so different and delayed)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Am I the only one surprised by Duke’s rise to #3 in the rankings? Seemed like an insane jump!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
premedguy12 said:
Am I the only one surprised by Duke’s rise to #3 in the rankings? Seemed like an insane jump!
Click to expand...
Ugh, I wonder how much more unlikely this is going to make any waitlist movement to happen 😕
 
Do we have any indication on if merit aid will come out before April 15? Honestly so frustrating to adhere to all these deadlines when schools do whatever they please 🙄
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
sr4b said:
Do we have any indication on if merit aid will come out before April 15? Honestly so frustrating to adhere to all these deadlines when schools do whatever they please 🙄
Click to expand...
A friend of mine recently received their merit aid offer from Duke. Not sure if they're done giving it out or still going, but they have definitely started.
 
KomodoHype said:
A friend of mine recently received their merit aid offer from Duke. Not sure if they're done giving it out or still going, but they have definitely started.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing! This is the first I’ve heard of any merit going out- do you know how recent?
 
Hey everyone! I'm a current MS2 at Duke and would like to make myself available for any questions that haven't yet been answered! I'm not connected to admissions and likely won't be able to answer any questions regarding admissions/finaid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Dr_Yankee said:
Hey everyone! I'm a current MS2 at Duke and would like to make myself available for any questions that haven't yet been answered! I'm not connected to admissions and likely won't be able to answer any questions regarding admissions/finaid.
Click to expand...
Hey, I have a sort of specific question. I'm looking at apartments and wondering if I should get an 11 month or 12 month lease. Duke's academic calendar says that First Year LDOC is July 1 and Second Year FDOC is August 2. With that in mind:

1. Is July 1st a "true" end date, or are there things like exams, events, etc. in the days following? If I got an 11 month lease it would suck to have to move out in the middle of exams, lol.

2. Is the month between Y1 and Y2 a real vacation (i.e., many students leave campus), or do people tend to hang around Duke to do research/shadowing/prep/whatever? If I'm going to be doing stuff at Duke in that month I might as well just get a longer lease.

Thanks for your help!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Dr_Yankee said:
Hey everyone! I'm a current MS2 at Duke and would like to make myself available for any questions that haven't yet been answered! I'm not connected to admissions and likely won't be able to answer any questions regarding admissions/finaid.
Click to expand...
If you're willing to share, I'd really appreciate if you could give an honest take on some of the negatives/places where there is room for improvement about Duke. I'm really trying to get this info from as many students as possible, because I haven't had those opportunities to have those candid conversations or see things for myself this year. I understand Duke is a wonderful institution, but I'm sure it's not perfect, and I'd be interested to hear what you've experienced!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Has anyone still not received a financial aid package?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
sr4b said:
If you're willing to share, I'd really appreciate if you could give an honest take on some of the negatives/places where there is room for improvement about Duke. I'm really trying to get this info from as many students as possible, because I haven't had those opportunities to have those candid conversations or see things for myself this year. I understand Duke is a wonderful institution, but I'm sure it's not perfect, and I'd be interested to hear what you've experienced!
Click to expand...
Of course, I definitely understand that. IMO the "negatives" of each institution is going to mostly depend on the individual and what they personally vibe with. But I will share some of my personal "negatives."
If I'm being completely honest, I struggled with the one year curriculum. I'm not the most efficient learner and struggled with the pace. I also feel that some info is left out of the curriculum and I may have to re-teach/teach myself some info when it comes to Step. However, I have many classmates who are thriving! Also, Duke has done an incredible job when it comes to listening to feedback and incorporating it immediately. Just look at how the curriculum has changed over the past couple of years - I say most of that is thanks to our student body advocating for themselves and also the faculty who is incredibly supportive.
Something I think Duke can improve on: To be honest, many of the things I would say here are currently happening. Abolishing AOA, making clinical year pass/fail, increasing diversity in the faculty and student body. I will say, I haven't always been a fan of the DUKE's presence in the Durham community. Though, that's not super related to the med school and more about the institution as a whole. I just feel that a powerful institution that basically owns the community should be doing more to give back to said community...
 
KomodoHype said:
Hey, I have a sort of specific question. I'm looking at apartments and wondering if I should get an 11 month or 12 month lease. Duke's academic calendar says that First Year LDOC is July 1 and Second Year FDOC is August 2. With that in mind:

1. Is July 1st a "true" end date, or are there things like exams, events, etc. in the days following? If I got an 11 month lease it would suck to have to move out in the middle of exams, lol.

2. Is the month between Y1 and Y2 a real vacation (i.e., many students leave campus), or do people tend to hang around Duke to do research/shadowing/prep/whatever? If I'm going to be doing stuff at Duke in that month I might as well just get a longer lease.

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
1. It’s a true end date! I will say that you should think carefully about when you want your lease to end. I personally struggled with trying to pack during our last couple weeks of MS1.

2. I say it’s a mix! I personally vacationed. I think it depends on the particular student. I truly, truly, truly believe that Duke gives us plenty of time to do things. There’s no point in squeezing in a one month project when we have a literal year to do research. But that’s just my opinion. I know many people who decided to do dual degrees took that time to study for entrance exams. I don’t think I personally know of anyone who did an internship or program of some kind.
 
Dr_Yankee said:
Of course, I definitely understand that. IMO the "negatives" of each institution is going to mostly depend on the individual and what they personally vibe with. But I will share some of my personal "negatives."
If I'm being completely honest, I struggled with the one year curriculum. I'm not the most efficient learner and struggled with the pace. I also feel that some info is left out of the curriculum and I may have to re-teach/teach myself some info when it comes to Step. However, I have many classmates who are thriving! Also, Duke has done an incredible job when it comes to listening to feedback and incorporating it immediately. Just look at how the curriculum has changed over the past couple of years - I say most of that is thanks to our student body advocating for themselves and also the faculty who is incredibly supportive.
Something I think Duke can improve on: To be honest, many of the things I would say here are currently happening. Abolishing AOA, making clinical year pass/fail, increasing diversity in the faculty and student body. I will say, I haven't always been a fan of the DUKE's presence in the Durham community. Though, that's not super related to the med school and more about the institution as a whole. I just feel that a powerful institution that basically owns the community should be doing more to give back to said community...
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the response! So is the clinical year going to be P/F now? I didn't hear that but that'd be huge. The community presence thing is interesting- would you say that there are at least individual students and faculty who are trying to support the surrounding community? I care about social medicine so as written that's a bit of a red flag!
 
Hi everyone, I just finished writing my letter of intent and was wondering if I should be sending it in ASAP or if I should wait until later this month?

Does anyone have any insight on the optimum time to send in a LOI?
 
sr4b said:
Thanks so much for the response! So is the clinical year going to be P/F now? I didn't hear that but that'd be huge. The community presence thing is interesting- would you say that there are at least individual students and faculty who are trying to support the surrounding community? I care about social medicine so as written that's a bit of a red flag!
Click to expand...
Sorry, I probably should have put some more clarifiers in there. Duke went P/F for this current second year. They switched to P/F when COVID hit. They are maintaining P/F for this next clinical year. I'm unsure if it will remain permanent.

As for Duke's presence, that was not a judgement on the SoM at all. I truly feel that we have faculty and students dedicated to social justice and who volunteer regularly in the community. I meant that Duke as an institution pretty much owns the city they live in. This is true for most top academic institutions. Lots of history involving these big old hospitals and the communities they were "placed" in. I hope in the future that top schools like Duke, Columbia, JHU, etc., that have a high proportion of low-income neighborhoods - that they did more in terms of offering higher paid jobs, offered more outreach programs, involved the community when it comes to purchasing large areas of land.
 
Dr_Yankee said:
Sorry, I probably should have put some more clarifiers in there. Duke went P/F for this current second year. They switched to P/F when COVID hit. They are maintaining P/F for this next clinical year. I'm unsure if it will remain permanent.

As for Duke's presence, that was not a judgement on the SoM at all. I truly feel that we have faculty and students dedicated to social justice and who volunteer regularly in the community. I meant that Duke as an institution pretty much owns the city they live in. This is true for most top academic institutions. Lots of history involving these big old hospitals and the communities they were "placed" in. I hope in the future that top schools like Duke, Columbia, JHU, etc., that have a high proportion of low-income neighborhoods - that they did more in terms of offering higher paid jobs, offered more outreach programs, involved the community when it comes to purchasing large areas of land.
Click to expand...
I see- thank you for clarifying!!
 
nino4132 said:
Hi everyone, I just finished writing my letter of intent and was wondering if I should be sending it in ASAP or if I should wait until later this month?

Does anyone have any insight on the optimum time to send in a LOI?
Click to expand...
I just went ahead and sent it in early this morning, and got a response that my email/updates were added to my file.

There was an automated message that said waitlist movement could occur mid to late April... I thought movement wouldn't start until after the April 30th deadline!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
catwithnoclaws17 said:
Does anybody know how WL movement went last year?
Click to expand...
I spoke with several M1s who said it was substantial (~40+ students off WL), but they said that could have been influenced by the beginning of the pandemic/uncertainty of it all.
 
  • Hmm
Reactions: 1 user
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

wysdoc
2021-2022 Duke
13 14 15 16 17
Replies
838
Views
265K
allseasons
allseasons
chilly_md
2022-2023 Duke
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
510
Views
183K
ok-patient
O
koffeekween
2021-2022 Ponce-STL
2 3 4
Replies
184
Views
24K
amazinmedicine
A
TheDataKing
2020-2021 Vanderbilt
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
857
Views
300K
srstudent
S
TheDataKing
2020-2021 Harvard
11 12 13 14 15
Replies
736
Views
436K
chickenturkeyboi
C
Top