<p>
</p>
<p>Obviously their interviews with McKinsey and Goldman did not pan out.</p>
<p>Bluedog, when I said 25%-35%, I mean the number of students at those school who aim for jobs in IBanking AND Consulting. I was obviously not clear about that. How many actually land such jobs will vary from year to year.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the replies, guys. These have helped quite a bit.</p>
<p>The following 2008 article in the Harvard Crimson may shed some light on Alexandre’s iBanking numbers.
[Harvard</a> Graduates Head to Investment Banking, Consulting | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2008/6/22/harvard-graduates-head-to-investment-banking/]Harvard”>Harvard Graduates Head to Investment Banking, Consulting | News | The Harvard Crimson)
Based on this article, it sounds like Alexandre’s estimate is not unreasonable.</p>
<p>One sentence in it intrigues me:
“Students on financial aid are far less likely to go into fields like investment banking, opting instead for lower-paying sectors like public service.”</p>
<p>Why? I suspect it has a lot to do with debt. Upper middle class graduates of selective, expensive private schools are flocking to high-paying, high-stress jobs in these sectors not because that’s what they really want to do, but because they are under pressure to pay off the costs of an education their families really could not afford. Students who qualify for aid at the wealthiest schools graduate with less pressure. </p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t know why we would want to use IB recruiting as a measuring stick for educational quality. For Peace Corps volunteer rates, Chicago ranks 3rd, Duke 44th. We could just as well talk about the implications of that, but I’m not sure it would be any more helpful to the OP. These are both great schools and I agree that bluedog’s advice is spot-on.</p>
<p>alex,
Bad information in # 11. As mony points out, you make no distinction between undergrad and grad in your listing of U Chicago alumni. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Several of those you list did not go to U Chicago for undergrad. I’m not going to search on all of them, but you got at least half of your list wrong. </p>
<p>For Undergrad,</p>
<p>Roger Altman went to Georgetown
David Rubenstein went to Duke
Jon Corzine went to U Illinois
Tom Kalaris went to Dickinson
Phil Purcell went to Holy Cross/Notre Dame
David Rockefeller went to Harvard
John Rogers went to Princeton
Robert Steel went to Duke
Roger Vasey went to U Missouri</p>
<p>bluedog,
Finally, some intelligent commentary without all of the silly partisanship. This should be required reading for all aspiring high schoolers and the international crowd who frequent CC and who regularly trumpet certain schools. Duke and U Chicago are both excellent colleges, can get you where you want to go, and anyone choosing on some of the factors being presented here (prestige, dept rankings, placement rate on Wall Street, etc.) doesn’t intellectually deserve to be at either. They’re different schools and different environments. Both are great for students although they likely appeal to different types. Choose the one that you like better.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I understand that these factors should indeed not be at the crux of a decision like this, however I DISAGREE that they do not merit consideration. After all, a big part of being happy at college is having pride in one’s school and it would be dubious to claim that rankings and prestige have no influence in this respect. </p>
<p>A few years ago, the choice between U of C and Duke would’ve been easy for the many who chose Duke over the former with its >40% acceptance rate and lower ranking. Now, however, the choice is not all that clear. Such things ** do ** matter. (Especially to an international student who doesn’t have as much of an opportunity to visit and experience schools firsthand.) </p>
<p>It may sound silly, but I want to spend the next four years of my life in an institution that stands its own in these respects as well as pure academics. Again, it’s not a primary concern, but a concern nevertheless. </p>
<p>Either way, I find Duke’s fall in rankings somewhat disconcerting…</p>
<p>For IB and consulting, UChicago is definitely a tier or two down from Duke. If you want to get a PhD in Econ, going to undergrad at Duke is just as good as going to UChicago.</p>
<p>I agree with lesdiablesbleus and slipper. Recruiters don’t give a **** about department rank. A 3.9 econ major from UChicago don’t have any edge over a 3.9 econ major from Duke.</p>
<p>
What rubbish. I just visited Duke for graduation weekend, and I was reminded of many of the things that made me happy there - my friends, my professors, my clubs/activities, the campus, and other things.</p>
<p>I can assure you that Duke’s rank in some magazine was NOT one of the things that made me nostalgic.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It shouldn’t be. Take USNWR with a grain of
salt. Right now, Duke belongs in the 6-10, along with Penn, Columbia, UChicago. It’ll stay around there.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Couldn’t agree more. When I think about what makes me proud to be a Duke student, it’s not that lame number USNWR assigns Duke in order to make money.</p>
<p>pun,
Just to be clear, I’m not claiming that the factors you mention are not important. I agree that they are. My point is that these are two very high quality institutions. A competition between these two on issues of prestige, dept rank, etc would IMO be an unproductive exercise. Far more important should be the evaluation of the overall look and feel of the institution and where the student thinks he/she fits best. Either is superb; neither is a clearcut choice.</p>
<p>You have A Chicago School of economics,(also of sociology and stuff) and do you have a Duke school of anything? Duke is great, but if you want to win a Bates Clark medal, go to UChicago.</p>
<p>Who wants or even knows what a Bates Clark medal is though?</p>
<p>Duke is a great school but I would have to go with UChicago here.</p>
<p>
Chicago is second to Harvard, but it does do well.</p>
<p>Harvard 5
Chicago 3
Berkeley 2</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>warblersrule, didn’t you miss a few?</p>
<p>2004 (won by Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics, who has taught at Chicago since 1997. He won Chicago’s Quantrell Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching in 1998.)</p>
<p>1997 (won by Kevin Murphy, who also became a MacArthur fellow in 2005, and who has taught at Chicago since 1984.)</p>
<p>1983 (won by James Heckman, who also shared the Nobel prize for Economics in 2000, and who has taught at Chicago since 1973.)</p>
<p>1967 (won by Gary Becker, who also won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1992 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007. He has taught at Chicago since 1968.)</p>
<p>
Nope. This thread is discussing a choice between the two for undergraduate studies, so I included only undergraduate alma maters.</p>
<p>I see. Assessing student outcomes, not the faculty.</p>
<p>Well in that case, let me go out on a limb to forecast:
Duke or Chicago, the OP likely will not win the John Bates Clark medal.
I encourage him to study hard regardless.</p>
<p>hahahaha very good point warblersrule, I guess i’m just biased against duke for some strange reason, but it’s not like im recommending Podunk University over Duke.</p>
<p>These are equivalent schools at the undergrad level overall. HYPSM are equivalent. Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Penn, Duke, UChicago, WashU, and Northwestern are equivalent at the undergrad level overall.</p>
<p>Duke > UChicago at the undergrad level for IB. UChicago > Duke at the graduate level.
Go to the one you like without worrying about IB recruitment, # of Nobel winners… Transfer after the first year if you don’t like your experience. Transferring shouldn’t be too hard (if you have good grades) since these are equivalent schools.</p>