<p>Is Duke worth the extra money (extra $25k/year) to attend over the University of Michigan (Honors College)? If so, how?</p>
<p>bump (10 char)</p>
<p>This one is tough. Our son was weighing the same choice this time last year. In his case, it was UM engineering vs. Pratt. He chose Duke and is very glad he did. But that's him, and has no bearing on your choice. It' not like you're comparing two schools that have much in common, except that they're each excellent in its own way.</p>
<p>I'm a UM alum, and I believeyou can't go wrong either way. Good luck.</p>
<p>As much as I love Duke, go to Michigan. 25k is a lot, and times four, that's a lot of money. A lot.</p>
<p>Who will be paying, you or your parents?</p>
<p>wow $25k a year IS a lot. Both schools are great. Both have vibrant campuses, strong academics, and even good athletics. If it's a financial decision, you should talk it over with your family.</p>
<p>University of Michigan is an amazing public university. I don't think you could go wrong with either.</p>
<p>It isn't as great as people make it. I'm a prospective student now deciding between what rd31 is deciding on. Duke or Umich. I'm from Michigan. Umich is huge. You are just a number, literally, and you get lost on campus.</p>
<p>I'm from Michigan as well and I'm choosing between Michigan and Duke as well and feel EXACTLY the same way as tryingmybest. </p>
<p>UMich is so inefficient when it comes to everything including admissions, financial aid, etc. I STILL haven't received word from the UMich Honors College EVEN THOUGH they guaranteed that I would hear by April 1st so I could take that into account when deciding between schools. Furthermore, I STILL haven't got an FA package from Michigan yet and it's been 4 months since I was admitted and I sent my FAFSA/CSS Profile about 3 months ago.</p>
<p>Think about it: if Michigan is this disorganized and impersonal even before we set foot on campus, imagine the state of the advising/scheduling help we would receive when we become actual students!!!:(</p>
<p>I know everytime someone beings up prestige on these boards, they pretty much get flamed but I think it's something important to consider. Do you want to go to UMich where there are probably 50-60 kids from your school going who are less qualified than you and got like a 3.5 GPA/28 ACT or to Duke whose freshman class is usually composed of 30% valedictorians and has an average SAT score of 2210. Where do you think you will be motivated to work the hardest? Keep in mind that the social scene/athletics are roughly similar between these two schools so even that's not an issue.</p>
<p>If you can somehow get over the FA roadbump, you should come to Duke. You won't regret it.:)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone...I think I'm leaning more towards Duke.</p>
<p>Obviously we can't speak to the financial situation your family is in, a key component of weighing whether the extra cost is "worth it". I ended up choosing Duke over nearly-full-(at the time)-tuition from UCLA and in-state tuition at UCB, so I know a little something about turning down excellent public schools for Duke.</p>
<p>To be honest, I didn't even think twice about it. The choice was obvious to me. (I did, however, go back and forth between Duke and the University of Chicago a few times.) Knowing what I know now, I would think about it even less. Duke's been worth it for me -- but that money means different things in different families.</p>
<p>My dad is a physician and told me not to worry about money. (I am getting about $20,000 in general merit scholarships also.)</p>
<p>I still would feel bad if I didn't think it was worth the extra $100k to go to Duke. Finances aren't that big of an issue for my family, but I do know the value of a dollar (or in this case, 100,000x that much)</p>