Cal vs Duke

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I'm a Cali resident accepted at both, which are my top two choices as of now. I have an interest in business, maybe finance and i-banking in particular but im really not completely sure. Any help in chosing between these two great schools would be appreciated.</p>

<p>Berkeley:
highly ranked undergrad business school, duke doesn't have one (any comments on econ undergrad vs business undergrad?)
better area for job seeking and such right next to silicon valley and san francisco, I've heard of Duke's research triangle but it just doesn't compare
economics is ranked higher than duke
many programs in top 10, which is appealing since I might change my mind in college</p>

<p>Duke:
higher prestige and rankings (both are debateable)
more personal attention from professors which i'm assuming equals better networking, alumni network, and internship and job placement
anecdotally and without evidence or numbers, I've heard many people say that duke is great for recruiting in business, finance and such fields, on on par or slightly inferior to dartmouth, HYP, chicago, and such (if anyone has hard numbers for duke recruiting that'd be awesome)</p>

<p>Please feel free to correct or qualify anything I said or bring something new that is relevant. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Duke definitely has the connections in East Coast based banking biz. It’s sort of a good old boys club complete with lacrosse teams. If your goal is to eventually sell your soul and become a bond trader or investment banker, Duke is better than Cal.</p>

<p>As you can tell, I prefer Berkeley…but what kind of cost differences are we looking at?</p>

3

<p>I’m instate with no financial aid so Cal would be 120k and duke would be 200 k, berkeley has academics and cost behind it, from what you say and everything else i gather yes duke has the connections</p>

4

<p>^ Not to mention that $100k gift your parents would provide if you go to Berkeley, right? :wink: If that offer is still on the table and I was in your shoes, it’d be tough for me to turn down.</p>

5

<p>If a career in Investment Banking is your main motivation, then Haas is slightly superior to Duke. Don’t believe that it’s otherwise. Almost all the top banks (even those whose headquarters are in NY) recruit talents at Haas. There are data that would support this claim. And, Haas grads make more than Duke Graduates do.</p>