<p>Any thoughts on majoring and/or minoring in math/applied math/finance/economics? and potentially entering Wall Street after graduation?</p>
<p>I love all the campuses, students, and misc. info about the schools...social scene and individual qualities. impossible decision.</p>
<p>duke basketball does rock though.</p>
<p>any thoughts?</p>
<p>Conventional wisdom would indicate that you should choose between Duke and Dartmouth for the simple reason that they have more alumni on wallstreet and better reputations with recruiters. They are both great schools but Dartmouth’s drinking culture is rather pervasive, and Duke unarguably has better weather and more rah rah school spirit. From what friends at Dartmouth tell me, the location is rather isolated. Durham is no NY but we have tons of quaint restaurants and some undiscovered gems that few students frequent. Chapel Hill which is often called the quintessential college town is only 8 miles away, and the student body is friendly and welcoming for the most part. I am admittedly biased in Duke’s favor, but I have had to make this decision in the past and chose Duke without too much hesitation for the afore mentioned reasons. The new horror stories that are surfacing about Dartmouth’s drinking culture have only strengthened my belief that Duke is a more well rounded and welcoming institution.
Obviously you should decide based on fit, which I define as an intangible affinity for a particular institution. It goes without saying that these are all stellar institutions, and that a degree from either of them would hold you in good stead for the remainder of your career.</p>
<p>thanks alot. why rule out brown so early in that post?</p>
<p>Duke if you want a basically Ivy League education, however aren’t into study-study-study-study-eat-study-study-exam-study-study-sleep idea</p>
<p>Flyingtomato, I have no bias against Brown, I ruled them out early because from what I’ve heard they tend to send a lower proportion of students to wall street than the other too. Of course if you were to excel at Brown, nothing could stop you from pursuing your wall street ambitions, however, I can’t help but think that Duke or Dartmouth would make it marginally easier for you to do so. Ultimately, you will do well at a school that you are comfortable at, so use that as your primary criteria for selecting between these wonderful institutions. I encourage you to attend Blue Devil Days if at all possible so that you can get a feel for Duke and an understanding of what a Duke education is all about.</p>
<p>I feel like its easier to excel at Brown because of less stress on grades an classes that you truly want to take, compared to Duke’s pretty extensive Curriculum. Are the Curriculum requirements broad enough that you can still choose classes in the categories that could suit to your liking? Im a math guy, so the possibility of never having to take a history class at Brown really appeals to me. I feel like Id dread going through it at Duke if i knew I could have gotten out of it if i was at Brown…any suggestions on classes at duke?</p>
<p>It’s not too difficult to find interesting courses at Duke that fulfill particular curriculum requirements - but, yes, it’s no Brown with its flexibility (no school is) as Brown basically has no requirements and let’s you drop courses right before finals if you’re doing badly, etc. Honestly, there’s not much difference in terms of prestige and job opportunities coming out of these three fine institutions. I would choose based on fit and just go with your gut (assuming cost isn’t a factor). Duke has the nice weather and sports going for it. And Dartmouth and Brown certainly have qualities that Duke doesn’t have. At some point, you just have to make a decision and not look back. The academic quality and opportunities at all three are top notch. Good luck!</p>
<p>While all schools are fantastic and I have amazing stories to tell of each different campus, if you are looking to enter Wall Street post-graduation, Duke is head-and-shoulders above Dartmouth and Brown. Duke annually is one of the top universities in the country to send their students to Wall Street, being rivaled only by big business schools such as Notre Dame, UVa, and UPenn. Having been involved in the Duke Investment Club, I can personally attest to the number of big-time firms (JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, UBS, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, etc.) that specifically visit Duke. Most of the firms mentioned above also hold a tally of alumni that are well into double figures, approaching even triple digits at some banks. </p>
<p>If you truly are interested in finance, economics, math, and going onto Wall Street, then call me bias, but Duke is resoundingly the best institution for you. Keep the questions coming!</p>
<p>I do hope you understand that this is just the opinion of one person even if that one person…</p>
<p>}—The Blue Devil—{</p>
<p>Wow…Thanks!</p>