Duke Statistics vs. Northwestern MMSS

<p>Hi, I was recently accepted to both NU, more specifically the MMSS program at NU and Duke. I'm not completely sure what I want to do yet in the future, but am thinking about Applied Math or Statistics or possibly econ, but I am definitely leaning more towards a quantitative/scientific perspective. I know that the MMSS program at NU is very quantitative and can help fulfill the Kellogg certificate requirement that is very useful in the finance/consulting/business field. However, I'm not completely sure whether or not I want to go into business yet. But I really like how NU is close to Chicago/downtown in contrast to Duke in Durham. However, I love both schools, and cannot decide on which school to pick. If anyone could also expand more on what MMSS is like (how big are class sizes usually, and how are classes structured/conducted? for example, are there large lecture classes that then split into smaller groups for discussion, like that kind of a style for classes?), also I'd like to know more about post-MMSS life. What other fields do people go into other than business or grad school? Same with post-Duke life, especially for Math and Statistics majors? Also if possible, if anyone is majoring in statistics at Duke, could they explain that program more? Is it very research oriented? Any advice is appreciated! (:</p>

<p>artsykern - No school can really promise you any type of future but both Duke and NU are highly respected schools so with some effort on your part you will likely succeed after graduation. Duke and NU do have different personalities however, and while you could like them both, at which school would you rather live for four years? One is southern and one is midwestern and while they are both national/international universities, a good portion of their students do come from those respective areas. I would think more about the school’s personality and where they are located if all else is equal to you.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>how big are class sizes usually, and how are classes structured/conducted?</p>

<p>I believe that MMSS classes are somewhere between 20-30 students per section. None of the math courses here go over 40 students, and that’s for the standard calculus sections. They have a discussion which is about 20 students, and which is TA-led. Dunno if MMSS is structured similarly.</p>

<p>I do know that it’s curved (surprise), and I believe that someone who gets below a C (or C-, can’t remember) gets dropped from the program.</p>

<p>[Job</a> Opportunities, Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences – Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/students/job-opportunities.html]Job”>http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/students/job-opportunities.html)</p>

<p>The loop is a half hour to an hour away, depending on what you use to get there, and what time it is.</p>

<p>Duke’s Statistics Program is far superior to that of Northwestern. There is far more focus on mathematics research at Duke than at Northwestern. Typically, most MMSS kids major in econ, looking for a job in the financial sector. In addition, if you don’t want to focus on economics, the 2 courses per quarter for 2 years can severely limit what classes you can choose.</p>

<p>^You are wrong. Northwestern’s math department is ranked higher than Duke. Northwestern also has a highly ranked applied math department though it’s in the engineering school.</p>

<p>You are confusing statistics with math and applied math.</p>

<p>“There is far more focus on mathematics research at Duke than at Northwestern.”</p>

<p>This is just a really crass statement.</p>

<p>“Typically, most MMSS kids major in econ, looking for a job in the financial sector.”</p>

<p>Okay…even if that’s true, so what? What applicable implication does that even have for OP gaining a quantitative/scientific education?</p>

<p>Whether OP wants to go into business or not, Duke and NU will provide almost equivalent quality of education (NU ranked higher in economics and math; Duke ranked higher in stats).</p>

<p>

Although USNWR shows NU to be a bit stronger than Duke in Math (#16 vs. #24), the newly released NRC Rankings show Duke to be far better than NU in the field of Mathematics. I personally believe that the UNSWR Graduate Edition is flawed since its only based on Peer Assessment and doesn’t really employ a rigorous method of evaluating doctoral programs which would include incoming GRE scores of PhD candidates, qualifications of faculty, time to completion of degree, job/academia placement, etc.</p>

<p>[NRC</a> Rankings Overview: Mathematics - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/NRC-Rankings-Overview-/124743/]NRC”>http://chronicle.com/article/NRC-Rankings-Overview-/124743/)</p>

<p>R-Ranking
Duke: 14-47
Northwestern: 29-57</p>

<p>S-Ranking
Duke: 13-38
Northwestern: 39-74</p>

<p>I agree that NU has a better Economics department but according to the National Research Council, the difference is pretty small.</p>

<p>^Well, the same ranking for applied math:</p>

<p><a href=“NRC Rankings Overview: Applied Mathematics”>http://chronicle.com/article/NRC-Rankings-Overview-Applied/124704/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>R-Ranking
Duke: NR
Northwestern: 4-12</p>

<p>S-Ranking
Duke: NR
Northwestern: 4-16</p>

<p>Yeah, I don’t think Duke offers Applied Mathematics. Not sure how specialized that field is…</p>