<p>i got a $2500 a year academic scholaship at carolina on top of the fact that i'd already be getting in-state tuition. it would be soooo much cheaper to go there than duke (where i didn't even get need-based aid). my parents say they can afford it but we're not that rich and i know i'd feel bad. so which should i choose??</p>
<p>30 years ago I was in the same situation, and turned down Duke for UF. I've always regretted that.</p>
<p>I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss UNC. It is a very good school in its own right, and in-state tuition + scholarship = bargain, in my opinion. I received a scholarship from UNC as well, but I think I'm going to turn it down for Duke. I got A LOT of financial aid from Duke, though. From a financial point, UNC is clearly better, but you seem to really like Duke. What are you really looking for? Do you like Duke's (relatively!) small size and undergraduate focus, or do you like the large, public research university? If you're headed for graduate school, you can always go to Duke then (if you do decide to go to UNC).</p>
<p>don't turn down duke</p>
<p>UNC ranked quite a bit higher than UF. The difference between Duke and UNC is not as wide.</p>
<p>d-dad, do you think your life and career have suffered because you took the less prestigious, but lower cost school?</p>
<p>UNC isnt that far behind Duke at all. UF is on another plane altogether. I would go to UNC (in the end both will get you far) but Duke is hard to turn down.</p>
<p>I had the same choice and I went to Carolina...I don't regret it for a minute. Unless you want to do engineering I can't imagine too many cases where paying full tuition at Duke would be better than going to UNC in-state or on scholarship. UNC is a great school academically, socially, and extracurricularly. I visited both last year when I was trying to decide, and I felt luke-warmly about Duke and fell in love with Carolina, so here I am in Chapel Hill. Hope you'll join us!</p>
<p>Career, no. Life, maybe. UF was fine for getting into medical school, as I did, but I think it lacked the broad-based liberal arts education that you can get at an elite school. I should mention that UF has gotten better since I was there. At least it's much more selective than it was in the '70s, as it is by far the most sought-after school in Florida (sorry, Seminoles). If you're in class with a bunch of smart kids, it challenges you more.</p>
<p>Hello:</p>
<p>I went to Duke 30 years ago and loved every minute of my Duke experience. However, I couldn't resisit posting here because my son is now in a similar situation--Duke at full price or Vanderbilt with $22,000 per year merit scholarship money. I do have a comment in response to D-Dad's statement that he chose UF many years ago and has regretted it--30 years ago, tuition levels were not nearly what they are now. Back then, I spent $4,000-6,000 per year (tuition and housing combined) to go to Duke. While that was a lot of money back then, now the price is nearly $45,000 per year and the state school vs. private tuition difference is much greater. Duke is a terrific school but unless money is absolutely no issue, then UNC offers a great value and is a terrific school. (Just don't let my fellow Dukies hear me say that about Carolina!)</p>
<p>I graduated from Duke in the 70's. So did several other of our family members. We have been Duke, Duke, Duke always. My daughter is going to UNC (in-state) and I'm fine with that. She got accepted to Emory and waitlisted at Duke. To be honest, I'm glad that her #1 choice has been UNC because I've come to the conclusion that the others aren't actually worth $100,000 more than UNC. Throughout this enrollment period, I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it has been to admit that she will be able to get a first-class education in Chapel Hill. As I have looked at the curriculum for undergrads, and the grad/professional schools there, it just seems like a very good package. One could pay for an incredible grad/professional school with the money saved by going to UNC...or just stay at UNC and save even more.</p>
<p>I definitely recommend UNC. Unless you come from a very wealthy family, I cannot see how one can justify spending $100,000 more on a Duke education when the alternative is a school like UNC. Do well at UNC and the sky's the limit.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice, guys! i just really wish unc had engineering though. see, i'm definitely not for sure wanting to do engineering but it is one of my choices. i know i could find something at unc but it would just make me wonder if engineering would've been a better choice. then again, if i went to duke and then decided that i didn't like engineering (which is quite possible) i'd be paying that much more for no reason.</p>
<p>and hey alexandre! you're from the michigan forums, right? unfortunately i had to give up on u-michigan because my parents don't want me going there. they say it's too far away and too expensive :/ (i didn't get any money from them)</p>
<p>Hey Charme, I remember you. If you want to major in Engineering, forget about UNC. </p>
<p>So, let me get this straight, at $38,000, Michigan is too expensive but at $45,000, Duke isn't?! LOL Your parents should take a class in pre-junior high arithmetics! LOL </p>
<p>Anyway, If you want to major in Engineering, I would ask your parents to reconsider Michigan. Michigan is significantly cheaper (15%) and much better than Duke in Engineering. If you want to major in a field other than Engineering, go for UNC.</p>
<p>"unfortunately i had to give up on u-michigan because my parents don't want me going there. they say it's too far away and too expensive"</p>
<p>i also got into michigan and duke... and unc too but actually unc was the first school i turned down because i wanted to be an engineer. i went to michigan's campus day and told them that i was deciding between them and a few prestigious schools (including duke) and that each of those schools gave me more financial aid than they did. a week later they sent me an offer for $25000 more in scholarship a year, and it could be used both for tuition and other expenses. that made michigan FREE with extra money to spend on plane fares and such. talk to the engineering department and tell them that your parents said that it was too much to go there, but that you really want to go there. it's worth a shot to see if they will be more generous with you.</p>
<p>michigan is a better engineering school than duke. it's good at everything else, too.</p>
<p>I didn't realize that UNC doesn't offer engineering. Sorry--that changes the picture. But, when comparing costs for Duke vs. Michigan, unless you are given a nice scholarship there, I would say Duke for sure. The difference between $38,000 and $45,000 isn't as great for the difference in name recognition--I think the Duke name is worth the difference. Of course, UMich probably does have a great engineering school--many large state schools are ranked higher than Duke. But, please keep in mind the size of the schools--Duke I am sure has a smaller undergrad class that would provide more personal attention and a totally different campus experience. Plus don't forget that you can factor in a nice savings on transportation costs (NC vs Michigan) that might save $1,000 or so per year. Good luck!</p>
<p>Bandmom, at undergraduate universities overall, Duke is not more recognized than Michigan. So I would not say there is a "name recognition" advantage if the OP goes to Duke. Both universities get similar peer ratings and corporate ratings and undergrads at both schools get almost identical starting salaries, job opportunities and graduate school acceptances. </p>
<p>I agree that Duke students get, on average, smaller classes and a little more individualized attention, but not as much as you would expect.</p>
<p>But in Engineering, Michigan is significantly better than Duke. </p>
<p>If Chamedone feels that Michigan is a better fit, I say go for it.</p>
<p>Good point, Alexandre. But, also keep in mind that Charmedone's parents already nixed UMich as too expensive and too far away. That may play an important part in the decision if no other scholarship money (from Mich) is available.</p>
<p>That was my point bandmom. Since Michigan and Duke are pretty much even in terms of overall academic excellence and Michigan is better in Engineering, I do not see how Michigan is "expensive" at $38,000 when Duke is "ok" at $45,000! LOL Oh well, at least the distance is a valid point.</p>
<p>unc's engineering program is linked to nc state's program. you might as well go to state if you're going to engineer at unc, and at ncsu you will have better access to the profs.</p>
<p>michigan is one of the top 5 engineering schools in the nation. duke is excellent only in biomedical. for name-recognition i would strongly recommend attending umich, unless you can get into mit, stanford, or berkeley. i do not go there, but i have a lot of respect for umich, as do engineers nation-wide.</p>
<p>alex, if he/she attends michigan, then other costs like travel have to be taken into consideration. i understand their concern, and that is why it would be good for her to talk to the engineering dept and tell them about her financial situationl.</p>