<p>I have to make the most important decision of my life thus far in a few days, and I want to make sure all my bases are covered so I can decide and never look back.</p>
<p>My options: Duke University, with the AB Duke Scholarship, or Harvard.</p>
<p>Pros/cons of both? Disregard money for tuition, but consider the money that I'd receive for research as an AB Duke. For those of you who don't know, the AB Duke is a scholarship given to about 15 students each year at Duke and includes full tuition, funding and grants for research, one or two semesters of Study Abroad, and a six-week summer experience at Oxford the summer after my freshman year.</p>
<p>Some things to consider:
1. I haven't decided on a major yet, but I'm interested in medicine, especially with a global health/humanitarian angle.
2. I'm from Charleston, SC. Harvard would be an entirely new region of the country for me, which could either not matter or be a good thing, depending on how you look at it. I'm already at home at Duke. My sister graduated from there a few years ago, and I'm been on campus during the summers and such. I know people there, and I know the campus. Again, it could be something that either works for or against Duke.
3. This isn't a significant factor, but I need to at least acknowledge it -- name/prestige. Yes, Harvard is certainly more prestigious than Duke, but would the benefits of being an AB Duke outweigh the benefits of being a normal, undistinguished undergraduate at Harvard? Keep in mind that I'd be looking to attend medical school, potentially.</p>
<p>Any advice would greatly be appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>P.S. I've posted this in other sections too, so I can hopefully get as much advice as possible. Hope that's okay.</p>
<p>Congratulations. IMO you're asking all the right questions. I was a Harvard grad and am biased that without the AB Duke, this would be more of a no-brainer (for H). But the scholarship makes it a totally different issue. In terms of the pure academic issues:</p>
<p>People with AB Duke are treated extremely well -- tremendous resources and opportunities. They are very "over-represented" in receiving major awards (e.g. Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Truman, etc), which suggests that they are either "much better" than typical students at other top schools (not likely IMO) or that they are exceptional students who are given major opportunities and cultivation by the university (more likely IMO).</p>
<p>In terms of graduate school, they'll all know about AB Duke -- and this puts you in a completely different category from regular students.</p>
<p>The geographical issues may be important, and of course I'd weigh that. Good luck.</p>
<p>go duke - the scholarship offers you so much exciting and impressive stuff that it'd far outweigh a normal harvard degree. and since ur gonna be given more than average opportunities to flourish as snack said, you'll be in a much better position for med school with a better resume. and of course, the grade inflation at duke does help a little with the rigorous GPA requirements for med school. :)</p>
<p>If money is not an issue -- and it appears it is not -- I would lean toward Harvard. You'd get to experience a whole new area of the country, Boston is a great college town and you can't beat that name.</p>
<p>Haha, I'm glad to hear that. I've been leaning towards Duke and have loved the school since I was 10 years old, but I just needed verification that it's OKAY for me to turn down Harvard for the AB Duke. Insecurity is no good... I need to go into this decision believing one hundred percent that I'm making the right choice.</p>
<p>One of my closest friends in the world often tells me she wishes she'd taken the AB over Harvard. Harvard's been great for her, don't get me wrong -- but Duke is already so much better at giving its undergraduates the attention that students deserve that the difference between an AB and Harvard is light-years.</p>
<p>She often tells me that she wishes she had had the support structure that Duke could have provided her. The outlets for her own creativity in research. The time and devotion of the faculty. The academic freedom to form her hypotheses as the data lead her. The sense that students come first. That our education matters. That we're still here to learn, not just to accomplish. That professors care about us as students and as people, not just as an obligation.</p>
<p>I know a couple kids who turned down the AB for Harvard and don't live with any regret about it -- but she's not one of them. She tells me this explicitly every once in a while, but you can hear it in her voice every time she talks about school.</p>
<p>If you love Harvard, if you love Boston, if you have close friends there -- hey, go there. It's obviously a good school and you'll be surrounded by brilliant people.</p>
<p>But if Duke has been placed in and on your heart, then I can tell you that I think there are good reasons for that. I know my friend would tell you the same -- after all, she tells me that pretty often.</p>
<p>Although you may think the Harvard name carries more prestige, think about whether it would make any difference whatsoever in your chosen field. In medicine, I wouldn't think it would make any difference in your medical career later--it's not like Duke's reputation is shabby or anything :) Then consider the fact that you will save say $180,000 in tuition (or more), plus get all the extra perks and recognition that comes with the AB Scholarship, plus the fact that you will probably stand out more as a scholar at Duke than as just a normal student at Harvard, plus the fact that you've already said you like Duke. There you have it--I would think it would be a no-brainer. Then, like others have said, use the money you save on tuition for grad school/medical school of your choice. At the graduate level is where the university's reputation usually carries more weight anyway. Good luck!</p>
<p>Everyone, thanks so much for your input... you guys helped me organize my thoughts and keep my mind clear.</p>
<p>I'm going to Duke, and I officially sent in my letter to them today accepting the AB. Apparently, this wasn't news to anybody at my school except myself though, haha. I honestly couldn't be any happier right now. :)</p>
<p>YAY! Hahaa... you made the right decision. The rep. difference was really negligible (wow, thats spelled awkwardly...), and the scholar status helps you a LOT.</p>