Duke vs Northwestern vs Brown vs Berkely vs UCLA

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, I've recently been fortunate enough to be admitted to these colleges, but I'm having a lot of trouble making my choice (I'm generally a pretty indecisive person).</p>

<p>I'm European but I've lived in the US, so I don't think adjusting to the American culture will be difficult at all. I'm planning on major in economics or economics+math, and I really like all of the programs of these schools. I might want to pursue a job in finance (consulting, IB, etc), so prestige of the school and recruiting will be a part of my decision.</p>

<p>I know that Brown, Duke and Northwestern (and Haas at Berkeley) are the most prestigious, but I'm not sure after that.</p>

<p>Briefly, I love Brown's open curriculum, the location is decent, but there isn't a very big sports culture and I love sports so that holds me back slightly.</p>

<p>Duke: love Duke basketball, good weather, still a lot of double major/minor options, perhaps better recruiting, BUT the location isn't great and I would prefer being closer to a large city</p>

<p>NU: great location; close to Chicago but far enough from it to not be very urban. Close to the lake, which is nice. Kellogg certificates are appealing+ strong econ department, BUT horrible winters, maybe not as good as Duke/Brown for recruiting (not sure).
I also have two good friends going to NU (along with two other people I know), and it would be nice having a few good friends at the beginning of college (I know this isn't the biggest factor)</p>

<p>Berkeley: pretty good weather, Haas is great but I'm not sure I want to study business. I've heard it's really competitive, might be a bit too big </p>

<p>UCLA: nicest weather out of them all, best location (along with NU), but econ department isn't as good as the others</p>

<p>I know that my pros and cons list is very brief, but I want to hear more from other people.</p>

<p>A good balance between academics and a social life is important for me as I want to enjoy myself during college. A decent sports scene would be nice. I'm planning on visiting in a few weeks (to NU and Duke for sure since I've already visited Brown this summer), but I only have a week to visit so it'd be nice if I could narrow it down a bit more.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help.</p>

2

<p>Although I’m a big Berkeley booster and biased, I think Duke sounds like the right fit for your interests and career goals. </p>

3

<p>As far as recruiting goes, Duke seems to have the edge in investment banking but in the whole scheme of things, I doubt it’s significant. Kellogg cert may evens out the difference or may even impresses some more, depending on which firm and whom you deal with.</p>

<p>For consulting, my research tells me it’s something like Duke=Northwestern > Brown/Berkeley > UCLA. That said, schools can only take you so far; once you are invited to interviews, it’s all about you from that point on</p>

4

<p>They’re all fantastic choices, but nothing beats California weather, plus Berkeley’s campus is gorgeous and the people are friendly and warm. Berkeley’s business school, Haas, as well as, the economics and maths departments are world-class, and are more respected than Duke’s or Northwestern’s. </p>

5

<p>However, Berkeley is not as well recruited for investment banking as some other schools. Investment banks do recruit at Berkeley, but much more selectively than at schools like HYP.</p>

<p><a href=“Economics for Investment Banking? - #6 by triplectz - University of California - Berkeley - College Confidential Forums”>Economics for Investment Banking? - #6 by triplectz - University of California - Berkeley - College Confidential Forums;

<p>If your goal is PhD study in economics, Berkeley economics does offer math-heavy versions of intermediate economics courses that (along with lots of math courses) should be good preparation for prospective PhD students.</p>

6

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<p>If that is true then the same can be said of both Duke and Northwestern. I think Berkeley has got as many grads working as IBers as Duke and NU grads have. </p>

7

<p>Based on your interest, if cost is not an issue, I would go with Duke or Northwestern. For consulting, they are generally equals; for banking, Duke has a slight edge in recruiting. NU, however, makes it up with a stronger economics department, Kellogg certificate program (from a M7 business school), and a more accessible location. Also look into MMSS if you are interested in quantitative economics - it is taught by the industrial organization and microeconomics faculty at NU (top 5 in both specialties). Berkeley is also a great option, but keep in mind it is noticeably bigger in size, so it might be harder to get attention from faculty. </p>

8

<p>Thanks for the great replies, guys. I’ve been leaning very slightly towards NU/Duke. Are they both about Brown in terms of recruiting for consulting/IB?</p>

<p>And does anyone know more about the sports culture at Brown? Does its artsy vibe interfere with this? Do you think someone with an interest in sports, etc will be able to fit in well at Brown?</p>

9

<p>Doing or watching? My dd played 3 varsity sports in HS but is not much of a spectator. Zero consideration for that in picking a college. Didn’t do any sports at Brown. Brown has athletes all over the place She roomed with some swim team members who were going to Olympic trials one summer. But no there is nothing like Duke basketball or Notre Dame football scene.</p>

10

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<p>With 3X-4X as many undergrads, it ought to. However, none of these schools would have the recruiting edge that Harvard, Princeton or Wharton has. So you may not want to make this a deciding factor. </p>

<p>It sounds like Duke is the best fit and the only thing holding you back is the location. Keep in mind that a major university generates its own social and cultural life. NU’s location might give it an edge in internship opportunities, so ask around about that. Your campus visits should help clarify pros/cons of the different locations.</p>

<p>Public universities tend to have larger average class sizes than selective private schools. Berkeley’s Econ 1P lecture (Spring 2014) has an enrollment of 690 students. The Econ 2P lecture has 105 students. Econ 100A lecture: 438 students. Econ 100B lecture: 403 students. Econ 115P lecture: 102 students. Econ 136P lecture: 167 students. Econ 138P lecture: 152 students. Econ 140P lecture: 243 students.
These big lectures do have accompanying discussion sections, typically with 25-30 students meeting for 1 or 2 hours a week with a TA (a grad student) … but when you’re competing against those numbers, good luck getting discussion time with, or an insightful letter of recommendation from, a real professor. </p>

<p>Duke, NU, and Brown may have some pretty big econ classes, too, but I doubt they’d be nearly as big as Berkeley’s or UCLA’s. At UChicago, only one undergraduate econ class listed for Spring 2014 has an enrollment over 100 students. Most, including lectures, have 50 or fewer students.</p>

11

<p>In your shoes…I will probably go for DUKE</p>

12

<p>85% of classes at Brown are under 40 students however in a popular major like Econ you will have a large class with smaller discussion sections for your intro classes, though it will fall off very quickly after that. This would be an incredibly tough decision if you don’t have a gut feel. </p>

<p>(good comment tk, about the social/cultural life, I’m going to steal that)</p>

13

<p>Class sizes shouldn’t be all that a concern. All these universities have very large class sizes. What matters more is strength and reputation of the department. </p>

14

<p>

[quote]
With 3X-4X as many undergrads

[quote]

That’s true. But you don’t expect everyone at Berkeley ambitions to join banking, do you? </p>

15

<p>Thanks for the replies everyone, but I now have a different choice to make. I’m planning on visiting Brown,NU and Duke for sure, but I’m unsure whether or not I should visit Berkeley as well. It’s a lot further away and I would only be able to attend on a satuday (CalDay or the second day of the overnight stay). </p>

<p>Is it worth visiting Berkeley even though it’s currently my 4th choice (this could change with the visit maybe) and would be out of the way of the others and complicate visit to the US?</p>

16

<p>Cal Day is probably the best day to visit Berkeley. It’s a fun day with lots of activities going on.<br>
I would visit if you can. Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay Area are a much different environment than your other choices. </p>

17

<p>According to the Kellogg certificate program’s website, Kellogg cert students utilize recruiting resources from Kellogg that aren’t available to other NU undergrads. They also have their own career events and a career advisor working exclusively for the students in the program. That should give you better recruiting than if you were just another undergrad at Brown/Duke. </p>

<p>Even though there have been only 350 alums so far because the program is only few years old, the “partial list of employers who have hired our alumni” include just about all the most selective companies like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, BlackRock, GS, Facebook, Google, etc.</p>

18

<p>About sports at Brown: You will not find the sports arenas packed at every game. At some games (like Homecoming, the night game against Harvard), you will. I know there are some fans who go to lots of games, and band members are certainly enthusiastic, but it will not be the same as Duke for sure. If your image of the ideal college involves going to a overflowing stadium every week to watch football/basketball/hockey – that’s not Brown. If you define “interest in sports” as following professional sports teams – I’m positive you’d find soul mates at Brown. (One of them, a friend of mine, just graduated last year.) </p>

<p>Brown also has a strong alumni network. And plenty of Brown students get jobs in consulting, investment banking, etc. Econ and applied math are two very strong departments. </p>

19

<p>Wow thanks for all the replies. I wasn’t expecting this much help.</p>

<p>Unfortunately weekend trips aren’t possible since I live in Europe, and I’m very unsure whether or not I want to visit Berkeley as well as NU/Brown/Duke. I guess only I can make that choice though.</p>

<p>Thanks again everyone. You definitely added to my knowledge of these schools</p>