@warblersrule: “As for LMo, one can only say that he’s been deeply unpopular at Duke for many years.”
His recent retirement was welcomed by many students.
Perhaps, perhaps not. Yes, the optics are bad, but we don’t have all the facts, as this was an employment issue and the facts are confidential.
Perhaps those two fired employees were already on probation for tardiness, poor work quality, all kinds of other reasons, and this was just the final straw so-to-speak. If true, their termination make may sense to their employer. OTOH, if Duke asked the contractor to fire otherwise sterling employees, that would definitely be over-the-top. But we don’t know that either since the contractor has not commented on their work history.
Again, with the knowledge of the nuances of labor law make this story much more than it first appears. But then journalists have never been known for their critical thinking skills.
Congrats to OP! As a Ca resident I have seen disappointing college experience at Berkeley all around me. Berkeley is better known outside the US but just like many public Us Berkeley lacks resources for individual student attention at undergrad level. If money is about the same Duke is the better option.
Some questions:
If money is an issue, is there a chance merit or FA might open up in subsequent years? Hard to be picky when accepting a waitlist spot, but if your EFC is borderline, I can imagine the FA office being receptive to the conversation down the road, especially if GPA is solid.
Are the rumors I’ve heard about grade deflation at Cal real? And if they are, is that something to be concerned with if looking towards grad school?
And lastly, what is administrative/bureaucratic/support difference between the two? My (very limited) experience has shown a VAST DIFFERENCE between public and private institutions with shall we say “a positive attitude”. That can mean a lot when navigating everything from simple paperwork to support for new ideas and initiatives.
As someone who hates Duke (solely for their basketball team) and dreams to live in the Bay area, if it were my child, I’d recommend Duke. I hope your revisit went well, and congrats.
What career path and location are you considering? Which school alumni network is more likely to help?
Thank you everyone who has weighed in; this has been very helpful. It seems there have been a lot of valid points made, and most people here are leaning towards Duke as am I at this point. I will see the campus tomorrow and that will hopefully make the decision more clear.
@JimQPublic I don’t really know what my career path will be, elections have always excited me, policy has always excited me, a government position seems on the table, or in the private sector political consulting seems like a valid option as well. I will also seriously consider law school at some point @ProudLoomisDad so the grade deflation which to my understanding is real and may hurt at Cal.
@ProudLoomisDad . . . per your quote,
I’m ecstatic that UVA was victorious in the championship this year because Coach Bennett won it legitimately by having taken players who stayed in the program (actually they’ve had a good amount who transferred out – no fault of his own), played defense, and worked to get open shots on offense instead of going one-on-one.
I don’t hate Duke, but I don’t particularly their taking all the one-year mercenaries who subsequently bolt to the NBA. Therefore I wouldn’t ever be able to root for them, the same for Kentucky. I don’t doubt that Zion will come back to get his degree, but there was a player that UCLA was very leery of taking a couple years back because he had to enroll in online classes all during the summer to qualify leading up to the fall of his entry into Duke. But since he would be gone to the League after one year in college, Duke took him, hoping to add another NC to their total. The player did qualify minimally according to NCAA standards for basketball which are woefully low, and it was astonishing to many that he did. Will he ever come back to Duke for his degree? I hope he does, and we’ll see.
One question or a few related to an earlier topic. Is Cal being singled out here for library hours because it is the paragon of all research colleges? Or do those who bring up the topic also question others who may not be open 24 hours for less than, say, six days (edit: greater than five days)? Is this only relevant for this instance of Duke v. Cal as it encompasses only these two going head to head?
Correction on my earlier question: Has Cal suspended all capital projects, or are there perpetually projects in progress? (The way I framed the question was if there were a few projects that were never ending, which we hope is never the case.) Is this a sign of an ever-improving college, one that always has construction?
I brought up Berkeley budget issue and having library not open 24 hours is just one indication of how the cut back is affecting services to the students.
Congrats on having an enviable choice to make!
If you were in-state in CA, I would tell you not to pay double for Duke when you don’t strongly prefer it. But for an OOS price that is nearly as expensive as Duke full-pay, I’m going to say that in terms of pure resources-per-tuition-dollar, Duke is the better value here. Yes, you’ll eventually get into smaller classes at Cal, build relationships with professors, and so on. But there will be fewer competition-for-resources dues to pay in the first two years at Duke.
Perhaps more importantly… if what you really want to do is cut your teeth as an activist, why choose a relative echo chamber over a place where viewpoints you disagree with are meaningfully and intelligently represented? I’m not saying that you should seek out a setting where your own value system has no critical mass at all. But if your goal is to strengthen your convictions and sharpen your ability to defend them, seek out a college community where not everyone will agree with you as a matter of course.
Further, as @ucbalumnus pointed out, NC politics are very interesting and will be quite important over the next few years. Plus, if you want to work toward involvement at the federal level, the proximity and closer ties to DC will be favorable for you too.
I look forward to hearing how you feel after your visit. If you truly feel like “This is not for me” after visiting Duke, then Berkeley is of course a fine choice. But if your gut could go either way, IMHO the argument for Duke is stronger.
The poster who mentioned being a gay student at Duke and encountered “no problems”.
In no way was my post meant to suggest that Duke although being a bit more mainstream indicates that Duke is somehow “intolerant”.
Conflating conservatism with social intolerance is a fan favorite of those with an opposing political view. Log Cabin Republicans etc. — sexuality doesn’t always drive one’s fiscal or other political assessments.
I would choose Duke personally over Cal for this very reason.
However, the OP indicated an interest in social activism and a liberal atmosphere.
All campuses today would be considered tolerant and liberal with the exception of some super religious institutions.
Cal compared to Duke in this measure isn’t close. I don’t think it’s a better or more welcoming place. Actually Duke seems like it would be accepting of all sides.
But it is much more of a traditional ethnic mix and much sportier than cal. Suits many just fine but perhaps not OP.
Just trying to give a balanced view versus one’s personal opinion and bias. Cal is considered better in poli sci by a modest bit and in subjective rankings. And it’s more of an activist friendly environment.
Outside of this I agree, Duke offers a better experience, easier access and equal academics.
I’ve got family and friends in NC and nearly applied to Duke. They always said that Duke had a bit of a Yankee reputation, so if the Southern thing bothers you I wouldn’t get too worked up. I’d take Duke over UCB any day of the week.
That makes Duke much more attractive actually! LOL. (As a life long New Englander)
^^Damn Yankees! 
Lots of misguided opinions and “facts” that people try to squeeze in. Cal has a 24 hour library. Stanford must be a bad school since they don’t have 24 hour libraries except during certain periods. That’s of so little consequence, just like the person bringing up mice, as if there is no mice in holy Duke.
You’ve got a state that’s crazy enough to pass a bathroom bill that screwed up the economy, and more than one racist professor out there at Duke. And yep you go outside those city lines it sure becomes red again.
Also is anyone here familiar with the core curriculum at Duke? It seems much more intensive than the required courses at Cal which turns me off a bit because of things I wouldn’t be able to get out of like foreign language.
Duke doesn’t have a core curriculum. It has distribution requirements. You have to take classes in certain broad subject areas.
As far as foreign languages go, you can take three basic courses or one advanced course to fulfill the requirement.
“You’ve got a state that’s crazy enough to pass a bathroom bill that screwed up the economy, and more than one racist professor out there at Duke. And yep you go outside those city lines it sure becomes red again.”
Oh no, a red state! Run for the hills. You can do better than this ridiculous fear mongering.
Agreed. Going to college should open people to up different viewpoints, not shelter from reality. Screwballs are not unique to the left or right.
Talk about opinions vs facts, ‘Professor’. Please source the facts you have that demonstrates that the State of North Carolina’s economy is “screwed up.”
There sure seems to be a lot of petty squabbling and non-germane discussion on this thread. How about you people take the nonsense back to Facebook?