<p>Hi, I'm a high school senior and recently I was fortunate enough to get accpted to Northwestern and Duke. Unfortunately, that means I have to decide between the two of them, which seems to be getting increasingly difficult. I know that i want to study math and economics at either school. At Northwestern, I was accepted into their MMSS program, so I would do economics and MMSS, and hopefully the Kellogg certificate as well. At Duke, I would double major in economics and math, and do their markets and management certificate program, or a minor in Computer Science (but probably not). I want to go into investment banking for a few years before returning to graduate school and receiving a Ph. D in economics. I haven't gotten the financial aid packagesfrom either yet, but i expect them to be around the same, and am assuming so for all intensive purposes. I want to get involved in the newspaper and the improv troupe, along with whatever else the school has to offer. I don't dislike sports, but they definitly won't be the focus of my college years, so Duke basketball doesn't appeal to me that much. I hate to be yet another person asking for help, but I'm truly at a crossroads. Any advice/input you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!!</p>
<p>I think this decision should be based on fit. Northwestern’s economics and math programs are both better ranked but Duke’s are quite strong as well. The MMSS and certificate programs at Northwestern are highly respected and graduates are aggressively recruited. But Duke is not exactly an unknown target for IBs and consulting companies.</p>
<p>NU/Chicago trumps Duke/Durham big time if city amenities matter to you.</p>
<p>Duke/Durham weather trumps NU/Chicago big time if your extremities turn white in the cold.</p>
<p>Go where you think you can have a more enjoyable 4 years and don’t get hung up on the details.</p>
<p>I won’t comment on location/school spirit/campus ambiance since you seem pretty indifferent and willing to adjust either way. To get down to the nitty gritty, Duke has a stronger presence in Finance than Northwestern and it will be easier getting an IBD gig at Duke as supposed to Northwestern all things being equal unless you want to do banking specifically in Chicago. Duke is a big target for front office IBD positions in NYC. For Consulting, I think they are both roughly on par with Northwestern grads working mainly in Chicago and other Midwest offices and Duke grads working primarily in Atlanta/DC/New York.</p>
<p>As far as extracurriculars go, Duke has a top notch student newspaper (The Chronicle) which consistently ranks among the best collegiate newspapers nationwide as well as a terrific improvisation group (DUI) that is well-known as well I think. I’m sure Northwestern’s equivalent organizations are quite impressive as well.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Northwestern though so you might want to post on their individual forum if you want a more balanced perspective.</p>
<p>The difference in the Economics program at Duke and NU are so negligible. They’re both absolutely phenomenal. Considering the lack of true differences in academics, you definitely want to consider that financial aid package when it comes in. And overall, it really depends on fit. Visit both schools, and see what you like more about each of them.</p>
<p>Sure Duke may be a little more prestigious and NU may have a little stronger Econ program, but that’s really trivial at this point. Choose the college that you feel is best for you.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on what your priority is. If you want to get into IB in NYC, Duke probably gives you better chance. If you care more about academics (seeing you want to do PhD later on), it’s hard to beat the quantitative training from MMSS that will benefit your future research in PhD (you can see how MMSS students produce master-level thesis on the website). Kellogg certificate is also another rigorous program that allows you to learn at the level usually not seen at typical undergrad programs. Don’t forget NU is still a target for IB in chicago offices and it also has the integrated marketing certificate (IMC).</p>