<p>what would you guys do if you were from Michigan, had friends going to Umich, parents, teachers, etc all love Michigan. Duke is Duke though and the weather is unbelievable and the campus is better..</p>
<p>give me some opinions</p>
<p>It depends on what you want to get out of the college experience. Duke is a more prestigious school overall and has stronger students in general. You will meet many intelligent students and the environment would be more intimate than UMich. Also, classes will be smaller and weather is better. Duke b-ball must be so much fun to watch especially bc of its rivalry with another top ranked team, UNC. And, Duke has better grad school and job placement (esp. in business sector) compared to UMich. (except Ross) Umich's pro side is that it has top football program, good academics, and you will have friends going there. But, I personally wouldn't want that bc you want to grow up living away from your home and meet new friends and new classmates, which will enrich your life. Duke will have students all over the place, so you will be able to make new interesting friends anyway. Personally, I would choose Duke in a heart beat.</p>
<p>How much is Duke going to cost you over UMich?</p>
<p>What is your intended major?</p>
<p>Depends on your major. How hard is it going to be to pay for duke as opposed to UMich. UMich is a very good school.</p>
<p>Since I can't really speak for you, I'd tell you what I'd do if I were in your position. </p>
<p>For me, money's a serious thing. I'm already absolutely in love with Ann Arbor and I found UMich to be not as pretentious as some of the top private schools. UMich is an amazing school with a ton of resources. Plus, I'm not too crazy about the South. I'd choose UMich any day over Duke.</p>
<p>Dave, you have given so little information about your particular case that it is really impossible to answer your question. </p>
<p>Is there a cost difference between the two? If so, how much? Is cost even a concern or are your folks very well off? </p>
<p>What is your intended major? What do you wish to do when you graduate from college? </p>
<p>In terms of academics and overall quality, the two schools are equal. However, depending on your personal circumstances, one school may make more sense than the other.</p>
<p>I want to major in chemistry.</p>
<p>Money definately makes a big difference but I have enough to go anywhere..thats not to say I want to spend it needlessly. Umich is free except for room and board while Duke will cost upwards of 40,000/yr.</p>
<p>I gave little information because everything else seems to be equal at both schools. It is such a difficult decision for me because everything points to Umich but I have always hated Michigan weather and wanted to start my life after HS somewhere else in the US.</p>
<p>Dave, if finances are a consideration, I don't see how you can justify spending an extra $150,000 over four years to attend a university that is not better. That's a serious chunk of change. I can appreciate your desire to attend a school with nicer weather, but I don't think it is worth spending that much more money just for that.</p>
<p>Whether finances are (or aren't) a consideration for you, I personally think you'd be nuts to spend the extra $150K or more for Duke. Michigan is a truly fine university, and you will get to go tuition-free? </p>
<p>If weather is your main concern, take all that money you'll save attending Michigan and take a trip to warm climes during spring or winter breaks. Take a study abroad for a semester to a warm climate. </p>
<p>I would not turn around for the difference in academic quality of these 2 schools, and from what I understand, Michigan has a very strong alumni network, too, which you shouldn't underestimate.</p>
<p>Also, since you want to major in chemistry, I assume you will also want to go to graduate school at some point? Not sure-- but the full freight you'll be paying for Duke over Michigan is absolutely not worth it-- (and certainly not for the weather). Graduating debt-free from a top university is a big deal.</p>
<p>Go read the thread (flagged at the top) titled something like-- "I just finished my freshman year, and here are somethings I wish I'd known earlier" -- and check out #2 on his list, about finances.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies.
This is exactly the kind of reassurance I need to go off to Michigan. I do want to go to grad school and I just didn't want to have regrets in a year for choosing the wrong college.</p>
<p>^ Yep, you're making the right decision. Better to start exploration 4 years later, educated and not saddled with a huge debt load! </p>
<p>UMich is well respected nationally. You can go forth and explore by finding a job/grad school anywhere after you finish. Not having tons of debt will set you free.</p>
<p>did you get into both already??</p>
<p>DUKE! Way more prestige in terms of academics. Great weather. Great campus. More pesonnal attention. You will make new friends. Go to Duke</p>
<p>"DUKE! Way more prestige in terms of academics."</p>
<p>PEER ASSESMENT SCORE:
Michigan = 4.5/5.0
Duke = 4.4/5.0</p>
<p>Furthemore, almost every department (except Biology, Biomedical Engineering and English) is ranked higher at Michigan. I am not so sure Duke is "way" more prestigious than Michigan. I agree that among high schoolers, it is. However, according to most academics and corporate recruiters, Michigan and Duke are peers.</p>
<p>"Great weather. Great campus."</p>
<p>True, but Michigan also has a great campus and some people like winters.</p>
<p>"More pesonnal attention."</p>
<p>I agree with that one. But those who seek attention at Michigan will get it.</p>
<p>"You will make new friends."</p>
<p>And he won't at Michigan?</p>
<p>In all honesty, would you really pay $200,000 to attend Duke when you could attend Michigan for $50,000?</p>
<p>Go Michigan.
Put the $150k savings towards graduate program or first home.</p>
<p>As a chemistry major spending significant time in a lab, you may not know where you are so save your money for graduate school and a warm, sunny vacation.</p>
<p>Go to Michigan and save your money for grad school. Paying off $150k in loans is no joke. I've been paying down my $90k in school loans for 6 years and still not even close to half way there. I'm not entry level in salary either; I'm a lawyer.</p>
<p>Michigan is very strong in the sciences and the difference in prestige between the schools is negligible. Just to be fair though, long term, you won't be sorry at either school.</p>
<p>If you want my opinion I would say not to pick your college based on where your friends are going, etc.</p>
<p>After one or two semesters at college (especially at a school as big as umich) it will probably matter very little who you knew going in.</p>
<p>i don't know about chemistry, but i know that i have seen many many michigan students being interviewed for top business jobs in chicago, in fact, from my own experience michigan is tied with northwestern for best schools in terms of recruitment in Chicago.</p>
<p>I haven't visited Durham/Raleigh but I've visited Ann Arbor and I have the distinct impression that it's probably better :)</p>
<p>On the other hand duke will probably have better weather, a nicer campus, it's smaller, and will have a more consistent student body (ie SAT higher median SAT), factors which have varying degrees of value. there is also some level of value of having the superelite private school on your 'mental resume,' if there is any amount of dollar value you can add to that. although michigan grads always have this esoteric love for their school.</p>
<p>all in all i'd read the above paragraph and decide if those factors are worth the extra money to you, but what i would NOT do if i was in your position with the knowledge i have now, is choose a school based on anyone or any*thing* from high school</p>
<p>I think <em>some</em> of the discussion of finances ignores the possibility of financial aid, especially given Duke's new financial aid initiative and changes to the grant and load programs. Please be sure to determine what the <em>actual</em> difference in cost will be if that's the primary motivation for going one place or the other - you could be surprised. I would also point out, for OOS, UMich's tuition is higher...</p>
<p>Both places are excellent; from your middle post, it sounds like you're looking for external support of an internal decision to go to UMich in which case, I would say (even as a Duke alum) - Go U Mich! You are presented with two wonderful options; you should neither regret taking one nor leaving one for the other.</p>
<p>If you want to go to graduate school, degrees with strong transcripts from either institution will definitely get you where you want to go. You may want to investigate the opportunities for independent study, research programs, how each school coordinates summer internships in industry and academia, etc. If you know what field of Chemistry you'd like to experience, check out the schools as well as those surrounding them. For example, Duke students can take courses at UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central, and North Carolina State if they are not offered at Duke. You may also want to look at surrounding industries in the area.</p>
<p>There are, of course, major differences between the schools as far as the total number of students, the location, the cities nearby, the demographics of the student body. And different people will want different things, so my opinion is <em>that</em>'s where the focus should be, "prestige" and the like be darned. </p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>I got in rolling admissions at Umich and got a likely letter from Duke.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the opinions. I am grateful to hear everyones insights.</p>