<p>I am now choosing between UChicago and Duke. Both have great economics program. But if I wanna go to a business school some years after undergrad, which one should I take now? Which university has a better placement in top business schools, such as HBS, Wharton,etc.?
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I’m sure both schools do great in business school placement. You should be thinking more about which culture you prefer, about financial issues, and location. The two are very different places in terms of atmosphere.</p>
<p>Thank you greennblue. After getting so much info abt both schools, I find myself actually can fit in any kind of environment. As I really want to study finance in the future, I now need to consider their business school placement. Or which one can prepare me better for what I want?</p>
<p>As a Wharton MBA and as a mentor who worked closely with a couple of my subordinates in their MBA application processes, I would say, it does not matter where you go between Chicago and Duke. </p>
<p>Top MBA schools want you to spend a few years post graduation. It matters MUCH MORE what you have done during these 4-5 years, as long as you have solid undergraduate education and good grades. Chicago and Duke diplomas are both well above the cut off point, sort of, in terms of rendering your undergraduate education prestigious enough.</p>
<p>However, to the degree that undergrad schools position you one way or the other better or worse for your first job, I can see why you would care about where to go for undergraduate education. Even there, I would say not much of a difference between the two. Regarding economics, I believe Chicago is ranked #1 in the nation, and probably, also #1 in the world for that matter, not that it really makes that much of a difference between Chicago and Duke as an undergrad who is entering Wall Street, as opposed to a Ph.D. program in econ.</p>
<p>I think you should choose between Chicago and Duke based on what kind of undergrad education you want, rather than whether one is better than the other for your Wharton/HBS prospects later.</p>
<p>By the way, of the two I worked with mentioned above, one landed at Wharton, the other at HBS. One graduated from a very good State school (flagship), and the other a lower Ivy. I mostly worked with them in their application process on how to position themselves, how to make them a better “product” with unique and differentiated value proposition to the school, and their fellow students, what the schools are looking for… In short, I helped them sell themselves better. I believe I played a pretty important role, since I also wrote rec letters as a current supervising executive. Yes, you guessed it, getting a great mentor who can position you well also really matters, and it has nothing to do with Chicago vs. Duke.</p>
<p>Side note: I have a son who will go to Chicago this fall (yey!!!), and he wants to join the Wall Street upon graduation. I am SO thrilled that he is going to Chicago, not only because this will be a great launch pad for that kind of career, but also, more importantly, because I truly believe, based on a extensive research on my own, that he will get the most intellectually stimulating experience and education at Chicago, better than even in so called the holy trinity of HYP. To me, this is the most important goal as an undergrad.</p>
<p>Is it useful to compare the econ major in these schools? Although apparently UChicago’s is better, I still don’t know how to decide at an undergrad level…</p>
<p>Really?hyeonjlee? I probably can meet him there! I am influenced by my father (maybe so does your son). And I would like to work on investment stuff later. Do you think that Chicago will be a “greater lauch pad for that kind of career” than Duke? My father is also now suggesting me to go to Chicago.</p>
<p>there was a whole thread on this particular issue a few weeks back. The thread title had key words like Chicago and wall street, something like that. if you chase my posting, you will find that thread in this forum since I entered a couple of posts there. Though I have Wharton MBA, I am not in the financial industry, so that thread really helped me understand the whole dynamics better in the world of finance.</p>
<p>The conclusion: yes, HYP and Wharton gives you a bit better access to Wall Street than Chicago, but the difference is not meaningful and it’s up you in terms of using the opportunities available before you. I don’t know about Duke, probably a similar deal.</p>
<p>It’s my belief that you should choose between Chicago and Duke in terms of your undergraduate fit.</p>
<p>
Here it should be added that the Wall Street as we knew it until about a year ago is dead, perhaps for good. I know many seniors, most of whom have extremely strong economics backgrounds with excellent internships, who had their job offers yanked from under their feet over the past few months.</p>
<p>In my mind, finance is a really good field to chose for this year’s incoming college freshmen. In four years, the market will be in a rebound. Markets and employers almost always overreact and over correact. It’s binge and fasting over and over again. There will have been a major bleeding of financial talents leading up to that point. Once the market rebounds, there will be many opportunities for fresh new crop - perhaps even a binge after years of talent hunger.</p>
<p>That said, there will not be outrageous go go year type lottery winning for everyone. It will be a more somber wall street, but still, for people who love the field, it will be a profession that provides ample opportunities, and YES, pays much better than other fields. </p>
<p>So, in more somber Wall Street, we may not see get-rich quick scheme perfected to the personal advantage of flash 20 something a<strong>h</strong> and their evil mentors, but there will be many rewarding opportunities for more mature, long term focused professionals in this field. That’s why I am supportive of and enthusiastic about my son’s choice of profession. Of course, he may change his mind later, and that’s OK too.</p>
<p>I have seen many posts that eulogize Wall Street as a viable career option. Non-sense. You wouldn’t eulogize the entire medical field as a viable profession because of some major catastrophe in that sector - until someone discovers the secret of disease free everlasting life, there will be a need for medical professionals. Only, arrogant doctors may not lord over rest of the mere mortals like us. </p>
<p>Same with the Wall Street. Finance is not just a means to make people like Madoff possible. Finance is really a discipline that allows efficient allocation of societal resources based on profit incentive (works better than communist collective ideal, doesn’t it?). The fact that some outright criminals and near-criminals perverted the system recently does not negate the need of that discipline in the society. Just as some doctors who are simply glorified Hollywod botox administrators with no contribution to the advancement of human welfare do not define the entirety of the medical profession, recent white color Wall Street criminals do not define the entirety of the financial profession.</p>
<p>Personally, I’ve always felt the most underrated school in the country is Chicago. And I’ve always felt the most overrated school in the country is Duke. So it’s funny you ask about both of these schools. I get my opinions based solely on the type of students who I see attend both schools. While there are incredibly bright students at Duke, there are also many mainstream, less intellectual, and simply imo not quite as “bright or curious” students than at Chicago. Duke’s large endowment, “name” recognition over the years, and inclination to give admissions to legacies has played a part in this. Nevertheless, a degree from Duke is very respected. So take your pick. Where would you fit best?</p>
<p>One quick question ilovepeople - isn’t Chicago’s endowment bigger than Duke’s now?</p>
<p>They’re both 5 billion, currently. Chicago’s has recently risen, while Duke’s has stayed the same. </p>
<p>I gave my opinion, however, on the two schools. I never said I was right. And I wasn’t referring to which had the higher endowment, but rather which one was more concerned with its endowment in terms of admission (accepting wealthier students). Not to say, Duke doesn’t provide great financial aid, though.</p>
<p>I am not sure about which one can be a good fit… I can either be really academic, study hard; or quite social and willing to relax and enjoy life.</p>
<p>hanyangc - haha ok, well there are so many other factors to consider. Would you prefer Durham to the city of Chicago? Does climate matter at all to you? For Econ, Chicago is stronger hands down, and you’ll have more exposure to the top leaders in the field. Would that appeal to you? There are a lot of other factors that can play into your decision.</p>
<p>If only considering Econ and city, I will surely go to UChicago. But the alumni network in finance field of Duke, which is emphasized by many others, is also what I don’t want to lose. However, I wish to know is this network really that helpful?</p>
<p>Hany - if you want to go the finance route, the alumni network you gain from your BUSINESS SCHOOL is more important than anything from undergrad. Moreover, I’d doubt Duke even has a stronger alum base in finance than Chicago. </p>
<p>Moreover, after getting your foot in the door, its MUCH more about the work you do than the alum network at the lower levels. The door will open just as wide for a Chicago graduate as a Duke graduate. Maybe if we were talking about Princeton or Wharton undergrad, the conversation would be different. In choosing between Duke and Chicago with finance in mind though, I think Chicago comes out ahead. The U of C is very, very well respected in the world of finance.</p>
<p>Cue7 - Yeah, I think it is quite true what you said. Thanks a lot for the advice!</p>
<p>You already answered your own question.</p>
<p>“I can either be really academic, study hard; or quite social and willing to relax and enjoy life.”</p>
<p>The kids at Chicago are both. Don’t get me wrong, they work incredibly hard–but they LOVE their school. It’s not like Columbia, where the academics are rigorous–but students complain all the time. You’ll find your awkward kids here and there, but there are plenty of great outgoing kids who go into the city, join organizations, and just think about the arts and culture with the access to Chicago. </p>
<p>My proof? Students Review (I know it’s not the most accurate, but if you compare the return ratings for the schools–it’s pretty obvious that kids at Chicago like Chicago.) From what I’ve searched, Chicago has the second highest “would return” rating out of all the schools on the website. Only following Pomona’s 90 percent, Chicago has 89 percent.</p>
<p>ilovepeople712, Thanks for your opinion!</p>