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If the curriculum fits . . .
"Our curriculum forces students to select Duke based on whether they really think this is going to work for them. They could get a comparable education at any of the top medical schools. It just depends on whether they feel good about the way it's done. I think the kind of people who would fit well with Duke would be people who are really sure of themselves and their capabilities, people who would like to have more control over how their education is put together."

--Jeff Dawson, PhD
Associate Dean, Basic Science Medical Curriculum
What we're looking for in prospective students
"We're interested in people who are well-rounded, who have taken time to venture outside their own comfort zones to see sides of life very different from what they're used to-people with a strong sense of humanism and service to others. We're interested in the smartest students, who are going to make the most of the resources Duke has to offer, who will be leaders in medicine, research and clinical care."

--Brenda Armstrong, MD
Director of Medical School Admissions
Year One is definitely doable



"During the first few weeks, the Duke curriculum can seem very intimidating to first-year students. But it helps to remember that they're not really learning all of the basic sciences in just one year; they're continuing to learn them during the second, clinical year, too. Our faculty members are highly accessible, and our basic science faculty give students excellent tools and resources so that they can continue to learn as they go along. As a graduate of Duke, I enjoy sharing my own experiences with students, letting them know that the curriculum does work-that there is light at the end of the tunnel."

--Robert Drucker, MD'79
Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Year Three is a definite should-do
"Our third year is an attempt to get students to understand that one aspect of medicine is having a critical scientific approach to analyzing data and evidence, and there is just absolutely no way to learn that other than to do it. So, a year in the laboratory really gives students an opportunity to learn, to watch up close and be part of the process of critically analyzing data day in and day out . . . . So what our students acquire is an ability to read literature critically and to analyze data critically, and I can't think of two more important skills for a physician to have throughout their lifetime than those. In most schools you don't get the same thing, because you don't have the year in the laboratory."

--Robert Lefkowitz, MD
James B. Duke Professor of Medicine


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