<p>Duke Admissions just called me this morning to inform me that I've been admitted into their School of Engineering.</p>
<p>From what I remember reading, CMU ranks top 10 in the nation for engineering overall, and 11th in Civil Engineering. Duke, on the other hand, ranks around 30 or so.</p>
<p>I know that ranking shouldn't be the deciding factor. Even though North Carolina is much farther than Pittsburgh from NYC, but from what others tell me, the weather in NC is absolutely beautiful...which is the complete opposite of Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>I'm leaning towards Carnegie Mellon since I have made a deposit, even though I'm not guaranteed a dorm :(</p>
<p>Can anyone give me any additional information about either one of these engineering schools that can help me solidify my decision?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Also, I have not yet received my financial aid package from Duke yet.</p>
<p>In general, my sense is that CMU’s engineering programs are generally more respected/well-known than Duke’s. I think Duke really excels in BME, but since that’s not your area of interest, that’s not really relevant. I don’t think you could go wrong either way, though, and as you said, ranking isn’t the most important part of your decision. Yes, the weather will definitely be better in NC Although (not having been there), I can’t help but wonder think that Pittsburgh would be a more interesting city than Durham. I also think that (in general) CMU might feel as though it has more of a focus on engineering/science/technology, as where Duke might not necessarily feel the same way.
Personally, I didn’t end up applying to Duke, and obviously I’m biased since I’ll be attending CMU for engineering, but good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore who declared Civil Engineering as my major a few months ago. I have only taken one class within the department (the intro course) and I actually didn’t love it because I thought the teacher, while he was certainly a nice guy, just wasn’t really meant to teach. He just read off the slides and it was all available online, so he wasn’t giving us a great reason to even show up to class. This discouraged me and made me consider MechE, but after talking to upperclassmen in the CEE department they all gave much better reviews of the other teachers. They said my intro teacher was the exception to the norm in what is typically a very warm department. It’s very small for a CMU engineering department; only 30-50 freshmen declare every year. I view this as a positive because it means smaller class sizes and closer relationships with faculty (although, I should reiterate that I haven’t taken any CivE classes past intro yet). My CEE advisor, who taught the intro course in the semester I didn’t take the class :(, is a really helpful and nice guy and I’m also in one of his classes next semester.</p>
<p>Hey guys, thanks a whole lot for your input.</p>
<p>I received my financial aid package from Duke a couple of days ago, and it pretty much made the decision for me. They offered me $38,800 scholarship, as opposed to CMU’s $18,000. Duke is much, much more affordable for me and my family, especially since my EFC is only about 10k.</p>
<p>I think that Carnegie Mellon is a slightly better fit for me, but if it means saving $60,000 over the course of 3 years, I think Duke is the right decision for me.</p>
<p>I think that, unless you can get CMU to match the offer, you completely made the right decision. CMU is a great school, but so is Duke, and the differences in the FA packages make choosing Duke a no-brainer.</p>
<p>Hey Fantasy Spirit - did you end up going to Duke engineering and was it a good decision? Also, you were accepted at some amazing institutions - what sort of stats did you have and what do you think it was about your app that made you such a strong candidate?</p>
<p>I am facing the same situation with my son. I look at it from an investment point of view. You have to ask yourself, whether the cost difference, $60,000, will give you a leg up on your future plans, either going directly to the work-force and going to grad school.</p>
<p>CMU is clearly a much much better engineering school that Duke (except being BME). If grad school is on your horizon coming from CMU will you a leg up on being accepted into one of the top notch grad school. I include CMU in this list</p>
<p>@Skullinggreen Hey sorry for the incredibly late response. I decided to attend Duke, and I had a wonderful first year. I’ve never learned so much in such a short period of time before. The campus and weather are beautiful, and I was initially mindblown by how impressive the other students are. There’s a lot of school pride on campus too!</p>
<p>I strongly believe that I made the right financial decision by enrolling at Duke too. My family is paying half of what they would pay if I went to CMU.</p>
<p>Duke also had a Transfer Orientation. I think that was a great experience for all the transfer kids because it allowed us to easily transition into a new school. CMU did not have an orientation, and they didn’t even have a dorm to offer me! I would’ve been so lonely haha </p>
<p>I did not have stellar grades when applying to schools. I think my honest essays, strong recommendations from my professors and dean, and ECs that interested Duke and CMU.</p>
<p>I have a paid internship at NYCDEP in the Bureau of Engineering, Design & Construction this summer. Even if CMU gave its students a leg up on job opportunities, Duke doesn’t do a bad job!</p>
<p>I am an international student and have been admitted to CMU and Duke for fall 2013. CMU says in the admit letter that I cannot join computer science and Duke is for engineering where in the second year I have to decide my major . I think my major would be electrical engineering though right now I applied to CMU for material engineering. Would CMU let me switch later and which is better to find jobs. After working for 2 years I would like to pursue and MBA so which school CMU or Duke would be looked at more favorably when I apply for MBA? The fees are a stretch for my family and I would need to work after graduation.</p>
<p>I am an international student and have been admitted to CMU and Duke for fall 2013. CMU says in the admit letter that I cannot join computer science and Duke is for engineering where in the second year I have to decide my major . I think my major would be electrical engineering though right now I applied to CMU for material engineering. Would CMU let me switch later and which is better to find jobs. After working for 2 years I would like to pursue and MBA so which school CMU or Duke would be looked at more favorably when I apply for MBA? The fees are a stretch for my family and I would need to work after graduation.</p>
<p>With your financial aid package, Duke is a no brainer. Also, Pratt is a very underrated engineering school (because of its small size). You will have access to some absolutely phenomenal professors at Pratt. Enjoy your time at Duke!</p>
<p>Edit: just noticed that the OP’s post is over a year old!</p>
<p>With the aid package, I think the answer is obvious. But frankly, I would have picked Duke anyways for the same $ amount despite the difference in rankings. The atmosphere between the schools is very different and I’m more the Duke type. How the OP would have felt about it, I don’t know.</p>
Although (not having been there), I can’t help but wonder think that Pittsburgh would be a more interesting city than Durham. I also think that (in general) CMU might feel as though it has more of a focus on engineering/science/technology, as where Duke might not necessarily feel the same way.