<p>Alright, so Duke is my dream school. But I don't know if it's worth the extra money for an undergraduate degree. I plan on going to medical school, hopefully at Duke or Johns Hopkins. But that's still a while away. I'm fairly certain I could get a full ride with a very nice fellowship in The University of Arkansas's Honors College. But I'd rather go to Duke. I'm trying to decide if I should apply Early Decision to Duke or not. I've wanted to go there for a long time, I've visited the campus and I love it, I'm a huge Blue Devils sports fan, and I love the area. But it's pretty far away from friends and family. I wanted to move away, but I don't know if I want to move that far. Most of my friends will be at The University of Arkansas or within a few hours driving distance. I would be the only one halfway across the country. Also, the girl of my dreams is a year younger than me and while I know it's stupid to base a decision on that, it is at least a factor. I have a 33 on the ACT, and I'm retaking it in September. My GPA is 4.2 and will most likely be almost 4.4 by the time I graduate. I'm in many extracurricular activities, including Quiz Bowl, Science Bowl, student government, volunteer organizations, and five years of band. Our Quiz Bowl team has won the state championship twice and will most likely do so again this year, and I will most likely be captain. I feel like I have a pretty decent resume, but I don't know. Any advice would be great! Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>You can apply Duke ED and at the University of Arkansas. Duke ED does not preclude application to State universities. Even though you appear to have “Duke worthy” stats, because of how selective it is you don’t know whether you will get in. So you don’t have much to lose and much to gain in going this route.</p>
<p>If Duke is your #1 choice (and you can afford it), then apply there ED. In addition to the general statistics, 25% or so sions ED ersus 10% or so RD, I have a personal anecdote. Each of my twins applied to Duke this past year, with very similar credentials except son had done 110 points better on the SAT (1540 v 1430 on CR plus M, with both getting 750 on W). Daughter appplied ED and was accepted. Son applied RD and was wait listed (did not get in off wait list)</p>
<p>If you need FI as we did (have three in college at once), to apply ED you will need to look more closely at the financial trade off and have faith in Duke’s aid process. FI worked out for daughter pretty well, and I have no reason to think she was disadvantaged by her ED status.</p>
<p>The University of Arkansas is simply not in the same league as Duke. You won’t have the same research opportunities and ability to interact with the smartest math/science students in the country like you would at Duke.</p>
<p>What is the cost difference? When the difference in academic reputation is so great, sometimes it is worth paying a premium to attend.</p>
<p>Goldenboy, the price difference is pretty significant. With zero financial aid/scholarships, a bacherlor’s degree at UofA is about the same price of one year at Duke. I could most likely get a full ride to UofA. But I think my family’s need is great enough that Duke’s FA system would give me what I need. Obviously Duke is in an entirely different tier than UofA, that’s why I want to go there. But I don’t know if I can justify it, if I don’t get the FA I need, when my undergraduate degree won’t really matter once I’m in medical school. Some more stats I left out by the way, my PSAT score is 208, which means I’m 95% sure I’ll qualify for National Merit in Arkansas. I’ll have taken 9 AP’s by the time I graduate, with 4’s or 5’s in them all (I hope). I’ll have three years of French, which I plan on continuing in college. I’m ranked 14 out of 543 in my class. I would be higher but I didn’t take one class seriously in 9th grade and that bit me in the butt. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. I feel like I have a respectable r</p>
<p>You can renege on ED if Duke doesn’t meet your FA requirements, though I’m not sure how that process works entirely (so this is definitely worth researching). Definitely apply to Duke though - like goldenboy said, Duke and UoA are worlds apart, and who knows, your finances may work out…</p>
<p>Going to Duke over U of A will give you a leg up for medical school. Duke’s top 10 medical school takes many from undergrad each year (typically more than any school). Also, Duke has a terrific med school placement rate and advising (plus many research opportunities). While some on CC insist that where you go to undergrad plays little role in med school admissions, a frequent CC poster (forget his name) who serves on the Hopkins med school admissions committee, regularly debunks this and says where you went to undergrad plays a big role in admissions at Hopkins med.</p>
<p>Another way to think of it is one of your best options for med school is typically your in-state school, here U of A. I suspect almost every pre-med at U of A applies to U of A for med school and so you have to really stand out among your peers to make it. How many Duke undergrad applications do you think U of A gets. My guess not many and that just by going to Duke you will stand out to U of A assuming a decent undergrad record.</p>
<p>Here is a huge consideration: Duke is EXTREMELY generous with financial aid. They meet 100% of need after EFC. And they cap loan amounts every year by giving grants. Here is a page for you to look at:
[Duke</a> Financial Aid: Building Your Award](<a href=“http://www.finaid.duke.edu/undergraduate/prospectives/howitworks/awarding.html]Duke”>http://www.finaid.duke.edu/undergraduate/prospectives/howitworks/awarding.html)
Students often make the mistake of thinking they cannot afford a private college with a huge pricetag, but often these schools are the most generous. For example, my daughter goes to Vanderbilt and receives $52K in aid. We are not rich, but not poor either, just about average working class (I’m a teacher and my husband is a catering chef). My daughter was heavily recruited by our local state school but would have had to take out much more in loans. We split the amount of loans every year; she will graduate with less than $20k in debt, which is probably comparable to the $10K I graduated with in 1983. The Duke name will open certain doors and provide you with a lifetime connection with other alumni. The research opportunities there are amazing. I think if you get in ED, then you should seriously consider going.</p>
<p>Keep the UG debt down to a minimum. Best of luck!</p>