<p>Could someone elaborate on the mechanical engineering major and is it easy to also receive a certificate in econ? How does the Duke MEMS program compare to UPENN? What is the job recruitement like?</p>
<p>There is no certificate in econ at Duke. There is a “Markets and Management” certificate, which is structured as an easier curriculum/subject matter than econ at Duke. However, there is also the opportunity to minor in finance or major in economics as a mech engineering major if you prefer. It is quite common to double major, actually, and firms recruit the double engineering/econ majors like CRAZY. Pursuing those majors in tandem will open up a lot of opportunities (assuming you do decently well; it’s not an easy combination admittedly). </p>
<p>Last statistics I saw showed nearly 1/2 of Mech Eng Duke grads going into management consulting/banking/finance. It’s a rigorous curriculum that will offer you a lot of opportunities for hands on learning and more than 90% of undergrads participate in research. About 30% of engineering undergrads study abroad as well (Trinity is about 50%). I also considered Penn’s engineering program and it seems similar to Duke’s in many regards, having perhaps more of a business leaning student body than other institutions and a smaller, tight-knit engineering community. I think the two schools would offer pretty similar exit ops, although at Penn you are competing against all the Wharton undergrads who are considered cream of the crop by many firms, while at Duke, the double engineering/econ majors are basically the cream of the crop. So, the competitiveness within the institution may be slightly more in your favor at Duke, but I’m sure Penn would offer good opportunities as well. There are still a sizable number of Duke mech eng grads that go directly into engineering (or grad school) as well, so that is of course an option and tech/engineering firms recruit on campus in droves.</p>
<p>I’d encourage you to visit both and choose based on fit. Duke’s school spirit, beautiful campus, and outstanding academics and social atmosphere tipped the scale for me, but I think I would have been plenty happy at Penn as well. After having experienced college, I also think living in a city like Durham during college is great (more affordable/accessible, can get into bars/clubs under 21, mountains/ocean not far away, focused on campus life) rather than a large urban city like Philly (which would be great post-graduation, in my mind). Just pointing out one of the items that some people say is in Penn’s favor - the city - although others find West Philly not so nice. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Great responses from both of you. Very informative and helpful.</p>