<p>Don’t worry, you’ll love Duke. Being more pre-professional, Duke is most likely a better fit for you than Chicago which is more academic. Just because UChicago is in a large city doesn’t mean it has better placement and internship opportunities. Duke is a top target school for top ibanking/consulting firms and likely has better placement than Chicago since the student body is more pre-professional. Yes, UChicago econ is second to none, but that’s more from the academic PhD perspective and not the placement into top firms perspective. The top cities for Duke grads are NYC, DC, Boston, San Fran, Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham. That’s a pretty wide range of cities and you’ll be able to go where you see fit. Offices from around the country recruit at Duke. I know plenty of Duke grads that end up in Chicago as well - it’s very well represented. The job prospects are solid, but as an international student you likely will face additional hurdles with visas, etc. (unless you’re a U.S. citizen) but that would be the same at Duke or UChi.</p>
<p>I assume by Duke’s “ranking declining,” you mean the slight change in U.S. News and World Report. Duke went from 8th to 10th and is a single point away from a tie for 5th last year. These are tiny differences and don’t suggest a change in prestige or reputation at all. You can’t take so much stock into one magazine’s ranking system. But if you want to, Duke has been in the top 10 for the last 20 years every single year. UChicago was in the mid teens just 5 years ago or so and now is tied for 5th in the latest ranking, but it’s basically all the same. UChicago hasn’t fundamentally changed as an institution in reputation and Duke hasn’t either. UChicago was ALWAYS a great school despite being in the mid-teens. And Duke is still a great school despite being a single point behind those schools tied for 5th. They are peers. And they were peers in the early 2000s when UChicago was ranked 15th and Duke was ranked 5th and UChicago had a 50% acceptance rate. And they will remain peers in the future. Duke is doing a lot of great things and its reputation will only get better.</p>
<p>If you want a good balance of academics and social life, you chose wisely. Duke will likely provide a more vibrant and fun social experience than UChicago. There is a HUGE diversity of individuals at Duke from a social perspective - you’ll have no problem finding people like you. Some people like to party all the time, but that’s a very small minority. Some people are more intellectual nerds and never want to go out and can find those like them as well. And most people fall somewhere in the middle. Duke is a fun place and you should have a great experience. The academic/social/athletic balance really enriches the experience. There isn’t a huge class divide that I experienced. I was friends with people whose parents were very very wealthy and others who had no money whatsoever…Greek life doesn’t dominate unless you want it to dominate your social scene, but that’s a personal choice. Duke is a lot more social/fun than UChicago and has a lot better weather.</p>
<p>Duke is the right choice for you - don’t look back. You have nothing to worry about!</p>