<p>jkterrapin: PM me and I'll be glad to talk to you about social issues at Duke.</p>
<p>randombetch - you are using misleading math</p>
<p>1) Is that the mean fin aid offered to all Duke students or to all Duke students who get aid? That is, does it average in the % of students who don't get aid? (And I am assuming it's a mean, not a median)</p>
<p>2) Is that the mean fin aid for OOS UNC students or all UNC students? If it's all, then keep in mind that the IS cost is lower so the need will be lower and thus the aid given to IS students lower. You'd need to look at the mean financial aid for OOS UNC students and subtract that from the total cost OOS.</p>
<p>Duke is an incredible school and has many things going for it, including its generous financial aid program. Still, for many people, Chapel Hill is more affordable. It was just ranked the #1 value in public higher education "based on outstanding academic quality plus an affordable price tag" by Kiplinger's Personal Finance - for the 7th straight year.</p>
<p>Our son got into Duke and UNC (he's in state). Thanks to Duke's incredibly generous scholarship/financial aid package, it is costing us a little less to send him to Duke than UNC. I think huge generalizations about aid are not helpful. Each case is individual and you won't know until you try.</p>
<p>My son loves Duke and he got to choose the smaller, more geographically diverse campus he wanted. All that being said, I think he would have done fine at Carolina if that's how things had worked out. Both schools provide you with a tremendous education. Both places have enormous school spirit and an engaged and involved student body. I find the Duke campus more beautiful, but Carolina is charming as well.</p>
<p>BTW, all this obsession about wealth, self-segregation, etc...I think is largely the obsession of outside "experts" who know nothing about life at Duke. My son has a wide variety of friends, some rich, some not. The only thing any of them are flaunting is their smarts--and they are doing that in a good way. My son's friends come in all colors, faiths, and gender.</p>
<p>As one poster above noted, you can find pretentious jerks on any campus. The simple solution? Don't hang with them. Choose your friends well, and you can be happy at Duke, UNC, or wherever you choose to go.</p>
<p>We should just ignore these experts.</p>
<p>To be honest, I enjoy being disliked (to an extent). Dislike is just a mask for envy.</p>
<p>I am a student at duke, and I haven't met a person who flaunts money. My suitemate's dad is worth over 100 million dollars, but guess what? I didn't know this until after the first semester, and I found out from another friend who had seen it on the internet. To this day, my suitemate does not know that I am aware of his dad's wealth. Also, I received an unbelievable financial aid package from duke. I think my parents may be paying $8000 a year.</p>
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I think is largely the obsession of outside "experts" who know nothing about life at Duke.
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Probably true, but how the outside world perceives a school means something to many students. They want to stand for something when they graduate, and at Duke that means self-segregation/wealth more than perhaps any other school in the nation. Of course, it also means "stellar academics" as well as any other school in the nation.</p>
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My suitemate's dad is worth over 100 million dollars
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Jesus Christ, on this thread alone one guy's roommate was worth a billion dollars, and yours was worth over 100 M. Duke is frickin rich!</p>
<p>You can't go wrong wherever you go. I applied to UNC (but will not be attending), but I wish I had applied to Duke as well. It's an awesome school with incredible spirit and opportunities. The experiences are unique but different, but both are prestigious and fulfilling in their own right.</p>
<p>I love being a Duke student more than anything else in my world, but it's a stretch to say it's worth $46,000 a year (in reality, closer to $50). The experience may be "priceless" to me but it certainly is not to those who pay my bills. There's a lot of talk about financial aid at Duke, but at the end of the day my family receives no aid whatsoever and we're taking out every single penny of that $46,000 in loans. If I knew my family would have had to do that (or even borrow half of that amount) to bankroll my education here, I would have gladly attended UNC instead. It's a good school, with quality academics and a fun lifestyle. I'd have missed out on the small community feel of Duke, the tradition, the unique social life, and the diversity of the student body, but for $120,000 less (possibly even more with UNC's generous merit scholarship money) UNC is definitely the smarter value for someone who doesn't have money overflowing in his bank account or in financial aid. Duke is a better school than UNC, I don't hesitate to say it with pride, but it isn't a good fit for you if $200,000 causes stress in your family.</p>
<p>New</a> Financial Aid Support</p>
<p>Even if your income's $115k you're paying only $15k a year at Duke. </p>
<p>How much income do you need to not get any financial aid if you only pay 1/3 the cost at 115k income? Like $250k? </p>
<p>Okay, then I guess if your income's so high that you can afford to drive a Maserati you should go to UNC because Duke's just way too expensive for your wallet (sarcasm).</p>
<p>For me personally, I qualify for a full need-based ride at Duke (0 parent contribution, 0 loans), so Duke VS UNC is not even close.</p>
<p>One of my friends will probably recieve no financial aid but her dad probably makes 2/3 of what mine does (and I guess I won't be getting aid either, so he says). Thing is, her dad has a lot of investments and assets, which go a long way in calculating EFC but can't necessarily be liquidated to pay for college.</p>
<p>
Duke is a better school than UNC
I have to disagree with you here. Duke is a different school from UNC, and one that has a different set of parameters under which it operates. But "better"? I don't think that's a well defined binary...</p>
<p>aznnincompoop - it's such a difficult and...bizarre...world of determining who can actually afford something - I'm not entirely sure how the actuaries and the FinAid administrators do it, but it tends to work out about right most of the time. I think the debate will and should continue about who has to pay what for school, and what it means for different people to pay different amounts for an education at the same school when, only rarely in life will such considerations come into play for "acquisitions" (car dealerships do not have a FAFSA-esque form to determine car loan prices...in fact, it's probably reversed where people who can afford less pay more in mortgage rates...)...</p>
<p>(shameless plug) 'course you can get out of that game entirely by joining Navy ROTC ;)</p>
<p>You're right, Duke Egr, I should have said Duke fits me better than UNC.</p>
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Even if your income's $115k you're paying only $15k a year at Duke.
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</p>
<p>Yeah, you wish. Ask your friends, if you feel comfortable discussing finances, and you'll see that VERY few Duke students in that income bracket are getting $30K+ per year in aid. It's because "income" does NOT equal parent's combined salaries. The term "income" in financial aid includes many other things separate from parents' salaries. So in the example on the website, Sarah's parents probably make less than 100K together, but with their assets (e.g., income-producing property; cars) their total annual income comes to 115K.</p>
<p>
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How much income do you need to not get any financial aid if you only pay 1/3 the cost at 115k income? Like $250k?</p>
<p>Okay, then I guess if your income's so high that you can afford to drive a Maserati you should go to UNC because Duke's just way too expensive for your wallet (sarcasm).
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</p>
<p>Be nice! You don't know my family's exact financial situation. Even I don't! What I do know is that there are lots of things besides parental income that determine a family's ability to pay for college. Siblings and the cost of their living and education, assets separate from income like houses and cars, amount of money actually saved in the bank, etc. I agree with you that it would be nice if my family drove a Maserati and earned a quarter million every year. Not quite. We might be worth 200K total but the cars my parents drive to work every morning will not pay for my college education. I'm not really complaining, though. Duke is a private school, and while it's nice that many people are offered financial aid, I don't think I'm entitled to it. I made the choice to come here and I'm paying for it. You're lucky that the same choice was much easier on your family financially compared to mine.</p>
<p>I am not a Russian Scientist, but tuition costs would probably factor in!!!</p>
<p>Commentary:</a> Carolina Blue - Editorial</p>
<p>The biggest difference between Duke and UNC? Definitely the student body. From my experiences at the other end of Tobacco Road, the people are much more laidback and happy-go-lucky at UNC than at Duke, and for those that do drink Friday/Saturday nights at Duke seems to end in getting absolutely schwasted and hammered instead of socially drinking. The other day, I asked my Duke friend what she does for fun- she answered that she had absolutely no idea. "The extent of our hanging out seems to be while studying except for an occasional movie or something. lol even when we're not studying we're hanging out in study rooms half the time. the topic came up again at ben & jerry's, and lisa came to the same conclusion. hardly seems worth it. there has to be more to life...right?" Her words, not mine. From what I've seen/heard, Duke and UNC, though colleges only a couple miles apart, are two completely different worlds.</p>
<p>Yesterday I was struck by how great Chapel Hill is- walking through the lower quad/Pit area, everyone was decked out in Carolina blue for our upcoming Elite 8 game (in which we completely dominated), the quad on such a gorgeous day was filled with people reading, playing frisbee, or simply hanging out, and... some type of benefit was going on in the pit where a Beatles cover band was playing. Now, I'm not entirely certain on what goes on at the Duke campus during the day as I've only been there at night, but needless to say there's always something to do in Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>I'm not going to lie: I bleed carolina blue. I LOVE my school, the campus, the people, and of course our amazing basketball team. But just thought I'd give a Carolina student input :)</p>
<p>alright here it goes. i am OOS and was fortunate enough to get a full ride to UNC. but also am accepted to Duke. I have always appreciated small, intimate classes and a community atmosphere. I know Duke can offer a closer- knit community. I am also into the honors program at UNC and don't know if that will change my overall experience. Does anyone have any advice?</p>
<p>veggie - I think it will be key to talk to some folks at each school pursuing the same things as you are. With respect to "closer-knit community," I'd say that you can find many different kinds of communities at both schools - another reason to try to get in touch with people. Overall - congratulations on the choices facing you :)</p>