<p>I went to Blue Devil Days for Duke and LOVED it. The people seemed nice and the opportunities seemed endless. However, I also liked UVA and the science scholar is a really nice perk, the people there also seemed nice and I know it's a stellar university. My parents have already paid off UVA with the VA payment plan, while Duke is 63k a year and my parents are already paying 60k for my brother's school. I'm having a hard time deciding between the too, any thoughts? </p>
<p>This is a no-brainer to me…UVA is a great value and an excellent school. Duke, although an excellent university, is not worth the extra ~$110K over the period of four years. Save your money for grad school, a nice down payment on a house, etc. and go to UVA. </p>
<p>When comparing two universities, it helps to put it into dollars and cents. Determine the difference in cost over 4 years, including travel costs and interest on loans. Then ask yourself - is a degree in blank from X university worth $110,000 more than a degree in blank from Y university? </p>
<p>Then ask yourself what you could do with that savings or that ability to borrow larger amounts for graduate or professional school.</p>
<p>Also, could that cost savings allow you to avoid having to work during the school year, or be able to do unpaid internships during the summer, or to study abroad for a semester? </p>
<p>Thanks you guys so much for replying! I also got the Monroe scholar the College of William and Mary, another great pre-paid in-state :(</p>