So basically, Duke would cost me 40k a year, where as UMD’s giving me a free ride. I’m probably majoring in Bioengineering or something similar. I live in MD too, so I’d be close to home if I went to UMD. I’m kinda leaning towards Duke, but I don’t want to make a stupid mistake I’ll regret later.
Will you have to take out loans for Duke or can your family afford it outright? If not, how much can you afford? Do you plan on going to grad school?
My family can afford it, but they have 3 other kids. I don’t want to be a burden on my parents 
And I plan on going to med school after I get my bachelor’s.
Duke is clearly the better undergraduate school, both overall and in BME. However, the vital question is how much money is that ~$120K actually is to your family: to some, it would be prohibitive; to others, it would be affordable with sacrifice; to a few, it would be easily affordable and not even financially challenging. Only you and you family can make this key judgement. Once you determine this, your UMD or Duke decision should be far easier.
Oh no. UMD is clearly the better school for engineering including BME. You will have unparalleled networking and intership opportunities at NIH and the plethora of biological companies in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area. Plus engineering is very competitive at UMD so don’t underestimate how hard you will have to work. UMD is the easy answer here unless you just couldn’t fit in the campus environment.
Now graduate school would be a completely different answers where Duke outshines in BME.
From everything I’ve read, if you are planning on medical school, it really doesn’t matter which undergrad you go to as long as you get good grades. I recommend the full ride, and having your parents help out with your medical degree.
I really hope that is sarcasm, @frugaldoctor, since the quality of students one can meet at Duke is much higher than that of UMD. UMD is a solid state school but it does not compare to Duke, especially in BME (a major area in which Duke is consistently ranked #1 or #2 in the nation.)
If money is an issue, that would really be unfortunate. You would miss out on the incredible opportunities that Duke provides its engineers. Choosing UMD is a decision you could regret forever. I know Duke is expensive, even with the aid you are receiving, but the quality of a Duke education, the quality of life at Duke, and a Duke degree is more than worth the ~$100k difference from my vantage point.
I’d like to add that there are an incredible number of internship opportunities in the Research Triangle, where Duke is located. At Duke there are so many research opportunities, and if you wish, you can apply to intern at a private company in the area. The statement that there are more research opportunities at UMD than at Duke is absolutely ludicrous and should not be taken seriously.
FrugalDoctor’s half-hearted concession about Duke’s superiority at the graduate level does not give his prior statements anymore credibility. He is not to be taken seriously.
Well, UMD does have dc and baltimore, so lots of research and internship oppurtunities, but Duke… is Duke. Would it really matter though, if I took advantage of all I could at UMD and then applied to med school?
If you are headed to Med School, save your money and attend UMD. That admissions is based on your GPA and your MCAT - not on where you went to college. Duke is not going to make it easier for you to get into Med School.
For pre-med, take UMD and the money.
No brainer…UMD free ride IF you are going on to Med school.
Are you guys sure medical schools won’t differentiate between a UMD degree and a Duke degree? Like what if I’m competing for a rare merit scholarship from one of the few that offer merit aid?
This isn’t a no brainer at all. Duke sets students up with incredible opportunities that look GREAT on a med school app. I know GPA is king, but Duke offers a much more enjoyable experience than UMD, IMO.
My niece just finished Med school at Vanderbilt. She went to an average college out west but did great with grades and a great MCAT score is all it took. That’s what looks great on a Med school app. Stan…what would you be basing your opinion on? Did you attend both?
Med Schools will not differentiate between UMD and Duke. The name of the university on your diploma won’t be what gets you a scholarship. The grades in your transcript will be what matter.
Take the free ride, go to UMD. Medical schools don’t care where you did your undergrad from, as long as you have a great GPA+MCAT score.
@safireonfire: Please consider this, however. MANY – and I do mean many – pre-meds change to other tracks and majors during their undergraduate years. Now, there is no question that individuals can – and will – matriculate at the best Medical Schools, following undergraduate education at UMD (I’ve already stated my considered and substantiated opinion that Duke is clearly superior, but one clearly can attend Hopkins, Harvard or even Duke Med
Another vote for UMD. I know, Duke is Duke. But you don’t want to be saddled with that if you want to go on to grad school. No big-name school that carries more weight than Uncle Vernon and Hagrid combined is worth all that debt.
This post replaces #17, which was half deleted by CC’s app on my iPhone 6+
@safireonfire: Please consider this, however. MANY – and I do mean many – pre-meds change to other tracks and majors during their undergraduate years. Now, there is no question that individuals can – and will – matriculate at the best Medical Schools, following undergraduate education at UMD (I’ve already stated my considered and substantiated opinion that Duke is the clearly superior institution, but one clearly can attend Hopkins, Harvard or even Duke Med 
from Maryland).
But what happens if you’re “one of the many” who alter course during undergraduate school? Would you be better served at Duke or at Maryland? I cannot answer such questions, only you can, however I believe this issue is worthy of your serious consideration.