<p>wow!, not a single vote for Duke!</p>
<p>I have posted this before, but I know two kids currently in med school. One Duke, one state school (with a lower profile than Mich). Both got in to the same med schools. Both chose big state med schools. Both are doing equally well. (Well, the state school kid just got a grant from HHMI…including travel grants)</p>
<p>I just posted the results so far on the Duke site.</p>
<p>Michigan 14</p>
<p>Duke 0</p>
<p>(sounds like a football score after the first quarter)</p>
<p>I’ll disagree with Mini’s opinion, but not his conclusion. :)</p>
<p>There is voluntary response bias present in this question.</p>
<p>University of Michigan is fine…especially if you’re in-state.</p>
<p>in-state of course</p>
<p>U Mich unless you have $$ to burn, no matter what the major. Pre-med, <em>definitely</em> U Mich. I’m assuming that the Honors College is part of the deal?</p>
<p>Med school will be expensive enough without starting off $123,000 behind.</p>
<p>full disclosure here: our son had the same choice, but with a much smaller cost difference. He chose Duke. It was the right choice for him. But if the cost difference had even approached $123,000 it would have been no contest.</p>
<p>Michigan. Just in case, Michigan has a great Dental School too. In four years, you might not want to be a Physician.</p>
<p>I should have added: I have a stepniece at Mich - the younger sister of the one at Duke. Better education.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If it were football, it would be more like:</p>
<p>Michigan 72
Duke 0</p>
<p>Although basketball would be a different story.</p>
<p>Michigan. Hands down.</p>
<p>Michigan. Fantastic reputation. There is no advantage to Duke, especially for that price.</p>
<p>I’m a doctor and as the saying goes “What do you call the person that graduates last in his medical school class?” Doctor! It just doesn’t matter what undergrad school you go to. Go to the least expensive and academically easiest school where you can get the highest grades. In the end if Obama gets his universal health care program it just won’t matter and you saved a whole bunch of money which you can use to open up a bagel store!</p>
<p>^^^^ December 6, 2008, NCAA basketball: Michigan 81, Duke 73</p>
<p>But on the OP’s question, this is more like football. Michigan 56, Duke 7. Take the $123K, put it in a 529 for your kid’s medical education, and sleep easy at night knowing Junior is getting a world class pre-med education at a bargain basement rate, allowing you to provide far more help with medical school. This is a no-brainer, which is why so far it’s unanimous.</p>
<p>123k is a lot of money. I chose to go to a school that was 40k more expensive than another (total for 4 years). Both were equally prestigious schools though. I would go to UMich.</p>
<p>No contest. Michigan. Why would you possibly consider spending an extra $123,000 for an undergrad degree when both of the schools are so very good? Even if you HAD the extra money - and maybe you do - why would you spend it if you don’t have to? Save it for med school.</p>
<p>As are many families right now, we are wrestling with a similar decision - D trying to choose between U. of Delaware (in-state, will cost us about $7k/year) or Bucknell (will cost us $40k/year) so we are looking at a $132k differential. She wants engineering - Bucknell is top notch for engineering (likely mechanical or civil/environmental), UD is very good (but best for chemical eng.). There is a greater difference between these two than there is between Duke and Michigan, but the dollar difference is similar. Don’t know your proximity to University of Michigan, but we are 10 minutes from UD so my D sees it as “too close, too familiar, too boring a choice.” Hard to imagine anyone feeling that way about Michigan, but . . . </p>
<p>I have to admit that D and my wife and I were very turned off by Duke when we toured (details not important and tends to get the Dukies’ hackles up) and I’ve never been to Michigan’s campus (although my cousin was on the Biology department staff up until recently - now at University of Washington). The two questions we keep asking ourselves is whether Bucknell is 6x better than UD. It is not, but it is better for our daughter, so is it worth it to us and to her to pay $33k/year for whatever amount of “better” it is? We’ve got to answer that question by May 1.</p>
<p>Not knowing your child and his/her needs/desires, I can’t answer those questions. Generically, though, I would say that they are equivalent in what they can offer a student, so the “which is better question?” is moot. In that case, it’s a no-brainer for Michigan. </p>
<p>Good luck! Keep us posted.</p>
<p>I agree with you on the Del v. Bucknell question. If she lives on campus, it won’t be the same as living at home–it will be a whole different world. I think you’re right to keep your $132,000 in your pocket. Maybe later, you can lend her money for a down payment on a house or help with her wedding or something. Maybe if she hates it at UDel she can transfer. But that’s a lot of money.</p>