<p>Yes, another one of these threads. I have read through as many of the comparison threads as I could, but I still dont feel as though Ive resolved my dilemma. </p>
<p>Academically, I am looking more towards finance and economics, with my preference lying toward the former. I wouldve likely chosen a business school that focuses on pre-professional education had I gained admission; such is, however, not the case. On the other hand, I do enjoy economics thoroughly, but I am more interested in the practical side of economics than I am in the theoretical side. Chicagos renown for economics is alluring, but its focus on theoretical econ is less desirable as compared to what I perceive as a more practical-based curriculum at Duke. From what Ive heard, anyway, undergraduate educations in economics are largely the same (though that disparity in the graduate school ranking of each schools econ program is apparent). </p>
<p>Socially, I am a nerd. Within my group of friends, I easily fit in, and I am very comfortable interacting with them. But I am not particularly interested in forming bonds with people who dont appreciate academic humor, who dont appreciate visiting museums or art institutes (in Chicago, no less), or who are only into traditional college parties. I like to have friends who want to visit random places surrounding campus and who enjoy Jamba Juice or tea over a Bud Lite. </p>
<p>I have lived in Chicago for almost 18 years. My parents feel that I should experience new things and go to Duke, and to some extent, I agree with them. But I do have a lot of friends at Chicago whom I feel would be valuable at least as a support group. </p>
<p>I would like to earn an MBA at Sloan, Stern, Wharton, or a comparable school and do not wish to have a career in academia.</p>
<p>If you have no qualms about fitting in at Chicago socially, go there. Their Econ program in the best in the world. People say that it is only their Masters/Doctoral program that is highly decorated, but the same is true about their undergrad program too. </p>
<p>Also, the Chicago Careers in Business program will give you an as much non-theoretical/application based education as any business school would, it would just make you more well rounded. Plus, the Chicago Careers in Business allows students to take classes at Booth, so in a sense, it will be the best of both worlds- pre professional training and a world class liberal education.</p>
<p>At the undergraduate level, you will notice very little difference between Economics programs at most top schools with regards to curriculum. As far as your career interests, Duke seems to be the better fit since it has a better pipeline to Wall Street than Chicago does, which seems to send most of its Economics majors to PhD programs following graduation.</p>
<p>Socially, you seem to lean towards Chicago but you can easily find your niche here at Duke. All it takes is a solid group of intellectual friends to discuss important philosophical matters and visit art institutes. It’s much harder to replicate a party scene if one school you’re looking at is lacking in this regard so Duke would fit the bill nicely if you change your mind about “traditional college parties”.</p>
<p>Duke is one of the top represented schools in MBA programs and especially Wharton.</p>
<p>I was sort of in the same position as you, except inverted (i.e. I live twenty minutes away from Duke and was choosing between Duke and UChicago). I ended up going with Duke. Most of my reasons for choosing Duke may not apply to you (less core curriculum requirements, strong biology and computer science programs), but one of the reasons I went with Duke was indeed because it was close to home. The tradeoff between sticking around home and going far away is something you should consider carefully. In my opinion, the benefits of staying local outweigh the disadvantages–college will push you out of your comfort zone no matter how close to home you are, and having a level of familiarity with the area and a support network can be a definite advantage. Sometimes I do find myself wishing every now and then that I had gone somewhere further from home, for the sake of variety, but other times I’m really glad that I stayed in the area.</p>
<p>As far as the social aspect goes, I think you’ll be able to find your crowd at Duke, even though it might be a little easier at Chicago. For what it’s worth, I was somewhat disappointed by the intellectual climate at Duke at the beginning of the year, and I had thought that Chicago would have provided a better social atmosphere for me. However, I talked to my friend at Chicago, and based on what he said, the two social scenes sounded very similar (i.e. lots of really smart people who just want to get drunk on weekends). Also, now that the year has gone on, I’ve met plenty of people who enjoy philosophical discussions and math jokes.</p>
<p>tl;dr: Staying close to home has its advantages, if you’re not craving a change of pace, but Duke and Chicago might socially be more similar than you think.</p>