<p>Hi so I'm stuck. I applied Ed to duke, got deferred and finally got in. However, during that time I got a liberal arts scholarship, along with a Methodist scholarship from emory. I don't know which to do? Is going to duke worth the extra 100k I'll be shelling out over the next for yeArs? Is a duke diploma worth that much more than one from Emory ( keepig in mind I can throw a scholarship on the resume of the Emory one)? I know in the end it's gonna be about how hard I work and what I make of the experience, but is there really a significant difference in the two? If I go Emory I'll have all that money saved that would be a nice cushion for grad school and just living in general but will my opportunities be greater coming out of duke? I have 6 days to figure all this out... Arghjjh PLEASE HELP!</p>
<p>My opinion only from feed back of 10 years worth of college kids is that Emory is a great school. Some kids pick it over Emory. With money involved, more would. And yes, the award would up the resume. Emory is a top 25 university out of thousands. What does that say in terms of how much better a few spaces up is on such scale?</p>
<p>I guess my main question is would I be limiting myself (in terms of opportunities for jobs/grad school) if I were to go to Emory? I guess part of the problem is that I don’t know too much about Emory, (I’m from the north east) and I know a lot more about Duke… When it comes to placing kids into the top law/med schools and landing them positions on Wall Street, Duke does a pretty good job. Does Emory give its kids the same benefit? Or maybe a better question is do you think the extra 100k that Emory is throwing me is worth the difference in the schools?</p>
<p>you will receive a great education at Emory. Duke is a better school but not enough to offset the 100k. There are many kids who turned down HYPS for the Emory Scholar. If you work hard, you will get into top grad schools. I would take the money without a doubt</p>
<p>I kind of think of Emory and Duke as peer schools. So I don’t think Duke is worth the extra money.</p>
<p>Emory is a fine school. You should be honored to get $$ from them. Turn your baack to Duke and walk away. 100K is a LOT of money. IF you were comparing Duke to som tier 2 school the advice might be different, but with Emory-- jump at it and have a blast!</p>
<p>I think of Duke and Emory as peer schools as well. I can’t imagine what opportunities you’d be missing out on by attending Emory.</p>
<p>Duke is a bit better known but they are both excellent private universities and neither is worth an extra $100K …Congrats on your scholarships. Emory all the way!</p>
<p>I love Duke but not 100K more than Emory…that’s insane…</p>
<p>I was an Oxford Scholar (Oxford College of Emory), and I very seriously considered taking Emory’s offer (it was way higher up on my list than Duke, where I would have been paying ~$20,000 a year). It’s a fantastic opportunity, really, and Emory is a wonderful school. If Duke will be $100,000 more, then Emory is a clear better choice. 100K is a LOT of money, and a Duke degree will not be worth that much more. After all, it’s less about the school’s name and prestige, and more about what <em>you</em> do at the school. Besides, being an Emory Scholar opens doors within the Emory system. Emory <em>wants</em> you there, whereas you’ll just be another run-of-the-mill student at Duke.</p>
<p>As for opportunities, I’d be more concerned at Duke. Emory is in Atlanta, which is the largest city in the South. That would, I’d think, lead to many more internship and networking opportunities than Durham can.</p>
<p>(Wow, just re-read my post, and I want to clarify: I’m not trying to slam Duke by any means. It’s obviously also a great school, and many of my friends who go there have been successful. If not for money reasons, Duke would also have been a top choice for me.)</p>
<p>maybe I should clarify a bit here. Either school I go to, I’ll graduate debt free. Its funny, I have a brother in Emory (not really a positive or negative) and his advice was to come to Emory because basically the reasons you all listed. My dad is actually pushing for Duke, because he knows I liked it more (reason I ED’d), and aside from the fact that Emory is giving me a lot of money, because I don’t necessarily need that money to graduate without debt I should try and make the decision without factoring in the money. </p>
<p>Maybe you guys won’t agree with me on this, but here’s how I honestly felt, and maybe you can tell me what I’m thinking…</p>
<p>When I went to Duke, I felt a little more intimidated. Not in a bad way, but because a lot of the students around me were looking at Penn, Columbia, or Duke, or somehting along those lines. The class I sat in on (it was a Biomedical Lab for Seniors and Grad students) was amazing, like I don’t think I can describe it but the professor was great. I guess the one reason I’m worried about going to Duke is that I think I won’t be able to stand apart for Grad Schools among kids like this… I’ve head that at Duke the average grade is a B- and to get a B+ you have to be a standard deviation out from the mean. Scary stuff. But on the other hand, I loved the spirit of Duke, the passion. I guess what intimidated me kinda is what I liked about Duke, I felt like the students there had a lot more drive.</p>
<p>Now at Emory, I stayed with my brother. I guess I felt safer at Emory. Not because the students were worse, but because everything seemed more laidback. (although a lot of kids were comparing U of T and UMich as their other options, while those are great schools, I see a distinction between those and UPenn and Columbia…) Also the fact that there is money and a scholarship title is pretty appealing. But I actually took another look at the numbers the money is a little less than that, because the 3-2 program I’m looking at with GA Tech doesn’t have the same discount, but its till around 70k that I’d have in the bank. I guess at Emory I felt that I’d have an easier time distinguishing myself, especially because a scholarship title kinda does that for you from the get go… </p>
<p>I tried thinking about it in terms of the schools by themselves. If I were paying full price for both, there is no doubt I’d go to Duke. But thats not the case. I’m in the fortunate (financially) and unfortunate (personally) position of trying to choose between the two…</p>
<p>I’m planning on studying engineering, and I’ve heard engineers can make a starting salary of around 90k, so I guess I’m trying to convince myself, that even if I went to Duke I could in the grand scheme of things make that money back. </p>
<p>And most students don’t start off with that much money in the bank, so going to Duke and Graduating with debt free but kinda broke wouldn’t be terrible… then again, thats another reason to go with Emory, not many people are so fortunate…</p>
<p>Endowments are about equal in my mind, I’ve heard the Duke’s Alumni network is better (correct me if I’m wrong?) and I know Duke does better when it comes to placing kids in top Grad Programs… </p>
<p>But I still am torn, Emory is still an amazing school… I’m sorry you guys have given me great advice, but I’m still not 100% convinced I should go Emory. I just feel like either way I’m gonna be kicking myself later… for either having passed up all that money, or later feeling like that money, in the grand scheme of things, wasn’t worth it, and I shouldve gone to Duke…</p>
<p>Anyone have something really convincing hit me with? I may end up flipping a coin in the end…</p>