Need Help Choosing: NU, DUKE, CORNELL

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hello, I was recently accepted to Northwestern, Duke, Cornell.
I understand that all three are excellent schools and that other major factors like personal fit, setting, etc. should be factored into my final decision.
Given that, I will be visiting all three schools mid-April.</p>

<p>However, I wanted an honest, professional/student opinion about which schools have the edge in terms of:
1. Raw Academic Caliber (in my area of interest, see below)
2. Internship/Work Opportunities (in my area of interest, see below)
3. Graduate School Prospects (specifics are detailed below)</p>

<p>As of now, I am highly interested in economics and mathematics.
I am also thinking of pursuing a career in law, getting an mba, or doing more graduate work (economics Phd perhaps).
But one thing I am pretty sure that I want to do is to work for our government, particularly the Federal Government and its various departments/bureaus/agencies.
Possibly somewhere like the Federal Reserve or the US Justice Department or the US Dept. of Treasury.</p>

<p>How is Duke's representation in DC internships/recruitment? What of NYC and all the firms?
In comparison to Cornell? Northwestern?</p>

<p>How does Duke's location in Durham play out in all this? As opposed to say Ithaca or Evanston/Chicago.</p>

<p>Now, I know how legendary Northwestern's MMSS program is along with its top-notch economics program. But I am having second-hand thoughts about whether it indeed is the best program to be in especially when a lot of top-notch federal and private sector recruiters hire based on name-brand recognition: ex. Cornell is an Ivy School, Duke seems to be more recognized on the eastern seaboard.</p>

<p>Coming from the West, I don't know how Duke is viewed out East compared to Cornell and Northwestern. Some input would be appreciated.</p>

<p>I need help choosing and would really appreciate a fair, honest opinion not biased by school pride. I have to make my final decision in the next few weeks.</p>

<p>A few pointers on what/whom to seek out when I visit Duke during the Blue Devil Days.
I know I'm gonna go visit the econ dept.
Also what should I ask and seek in general when I go visit the different colleges?</p>

2

<p>From my knowledge and those in the industry that have shared theirs, Duke is better when it comes to economics. I know you said that you wanted to work for the government, but I know for a fact that big corporations and banks recruit at Duke more than NU and Cornell. I’m not exactly sure the percentage that the government does it, but if huge corporations and banks are choosing Duke Id imagine that the government would too. </p>

<p>[Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | Career Center | Careers in Government and Politics](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)</p>

<p>Duke also has a Public Policy major along with a business certificate that may be of interest to you as well.</p>

3

<p>MMSS has very strong reputation among econ think tanks and related agencies. The following agencies specificly recruited MMSS students this year (posted on MMSS website):</p>

<p>Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Economics
US Dept of Justice Antitrust Division, Economic Analysis Group
Federal Reserve Bank Chicago
Mathematica Policy Research (not really an agency but a serious research organization)
National Bureau for Economic Research
Office of Financial Research US Dept. of the Treasury, Washington, DC </p>

<p>By the way, Dale Mortensen, the winner of 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics, was one of the founders of MMSS program back in late 1970s. Academically, undergrad econ is probably not too different even though Northwestern is ranked higher and is supposed to be among the best in econometrics. But I think the real difference is MMSS, especially for someone that may want a career in economics research.</p>

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<p>You can’t go wrong with any of these options. Duke has a great Public Policy department which sounds like a good path for you to take along with a double major in Economics. As a Pub Pol major, you can really hone your writing skills and learn how to draft memos and policy documents while the Economics major will give you the sheer business knowledge and raw analytical skills which would make a killer combo.</p>

<p>BTW, Pub Pol majors at Duke are required to do a policy internship in DC or NYC as part of the curriculum so you’re guaranteed to have some valuable summer experience in the field as well before you apply for these government positions your senior year.</p>

5

<p>You know what NU and Cornell don’t have and they will never have in your children’s lifetime? The weather. And in your lifetime? basketball. LOL.</p>

<p>Of course, Duke has top notch departments of your interest as others have pointed out.</p>

6

<p>I don’t think I am going to major in public policy.
But what would be the added benefits of The Sanford School to a non-major?
More info about the Sanford School too would be appreciated.
How does it rank as a economic policy think-tank?</p>

<p>How is Duke in terms of landing internships/work at DC?
Is its proximity to DC any advantage?</p>

<p>Also how does Duke fare in terms of JD/Econ Phd/MBA placement to Northwestern and Cornell?</p>

7

<p>Ah, little Blue Devils, how I love them so! I’m not well-versed on the in’s and out’s of the Sanford School for non-majors, so I will avoid talking on that subject, but I will be more than glad to help you on your other questions.</p>

<p>Proximity to DC has no advantage in landing internships (Even if you’re in Georgetown, it won’t matter. Big companies and businesses like those in DC don’t discriminate applicants due to distance from DC). One thing Duke does, however, is grant you a leave for “internship visits”. This allows you to leave campus to interview for a summer internship, while being excused from classes and assignments due in that time period. This negates the distance issue from any location, as the University is very understanding about that point. </p>

<p>How does Duke fare in terms of JD/Econ PhD/MBA? A great question, but you are very much getting ahead of yourself. The wide majority of law schools will not entertain JD applicants without the applicant having work experience. There are, of course, notable exceptions such as Duke Law and UVa Law. As far as an Econ PhD, I’m not sure, but I doubt they will admit you into a top national Econ PhD program without any real-world job experience. Lastly, MBAs are the same as JD’s in the respect that most top national schools will not entertain an applicant without work experience. Having worked at a law firm, I can also tell you with personal experience that not all Harvard Law grads went to a top 25 undergraduate university. For that reason, I’d caution against you giving this area of inquiry much weight in your final decision. </p>

<p>Keep the questions coming!</p>

<p>}—The Blue Devil—{</p>

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<p>Thanks TheBlueDevil, more questions…</p>

<p>I think that Chicago/Evanston would be an advantage in terms of things to do/work opportunities for NU students.
How does Duke/Durham compensate for this?</p>

<p>Also how is Duke’s Economics major. From rumors, I heard that it was pretty hard-core. (Which is always a plus for me.)</p>

9

<p>

I’m not sure what you mean by this but there are plenty of work study opportunities on the Duke campus itself including in the library, labs, at the business school, at the law school, in eating joints, etc. etc. It’s always good to have a part-time job if you need some extra money.</p>

<p>If you mean internship opportunities, most students at both Duke, NU, Cornell, etc. will be too busy studying, participating in activities/clubs, socializing, working a campus job, etc. to do an active internship during the school year. You"ll have plenty of opportunities to work in formal internship settings at financial institutions in New York or economic think thanks in Washington D.C. over the summer.</p>

<p>At Duke, all you have to do is show up the info sessions for these organizations and drop your resume to be considered for a summer internship. The best way for you to show your interest in business if you’re deadset on i-banking is to become an analyst in the Investment Club, do well in your classes at school, follow the Wall Street Journal regularly, and finally network with bank employees at the info sessions. Before junior year summer, no investment bank expects you to have formal financial valuation experience in an internship setting, though having a PWM internship your sophomore year would be helpful. Consulting is even less rigid and all they care about is high grades and leadership to offer you an interview. After that, it’s all about how well you do on the case.</p>

<p>Luckily for you, Duke is a massive target for these consulting firms: McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, LEK Consulting, The Parthenon Group, Bates White, Dean & Co, etc. etc. are all active recruiters.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you seek to land an economics research position at a federal organization or think thank, the best thing to do is find an Economics professor early on in your Duke career under him/her. The valuable research skills and the in-depth specialization you stand to gain by working closely with a faculty member on an area of economics that interest you will put you in a strong position to gain employment with these organizations since they care about recommendation letters to gauge your potential as an analytical thinker and original problem solver.</p>

<p>Here’s a listing of professors in the Duke Economics Department so you can start identifying individuals early in your academic career that are researchers in sub-specialties of Economics such as Urban Economics or Health Economics that you might find interesting: [Duke</a> University | Economics: People](<a href=“http://econ.duke.edu/people]Duke”>http://econ.duke.edu/people)</p>

<p>Let me know if you have any additional questions prospective Blue Devil!:)</p>

10

<p>Goldenboy did a fantastic job of explaining everything; really impressive actually, well done. </p>

<p>Other things to remember about the area is that you are in the Research Triangle:
Ranked by Forbes Magazine as 1 Best Place for Business and Careers (Raleigh, NC)
Ranked by US Census Bureau as 1 Fastest-Growing Metropolitan Area in the Country (Raleigh-Cary, NC)
Here’s a list of all businesses and employers in the local area ([Research</a> Triangle Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Triangle_Park]Research”>Research Triangle Park - Wikipedia))</p>

<p>Finally, if it’s cash you’re pining for, Duke offers many, many opportunities to get involved on campus with some monetary compensation at the end of the tunnel. I personally have worked an average of 2 hours per week and made a little over one thousand dollars at Duke, so that is not something to fret about. </p>

<p>Otherwise, GoldenBoy covered everything I could think of, but if you have anymore questions, ask away!</p>

<p>}—The Blue Devil—{</p>

11

<p>lienad60 has the following comment from an old thread:</p>

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<p>I thought that Duke Econ has fantastic curriculum. Would someone care to shed some light?</p>