<p>I am now choosing between Duke and UChicago for my undergrad... I wanna work on finance after graduation (not necessarily wall street as I am an international, I may go back home). UChicago's economics is definitely stronger but I also heard that Duke's fraternity culture and its alumni network help a lot. So which one can offer me a better chance? (Regardless of which one is a better fit for me)
Thanks!</p>
<p>Would Duke’s fraternity culture and alumni network be of as much value to you if you return to your home country after graduation as they would be if you stayed in the United States? It’s something to think about.</p>
<p>If I were in your place, though, I wouldn’t worry about that. Both Duke and UChicago are top-notch universities, but they have very different cultures. I would choose on the basis of fit. Which place feels more comfortable to you?</p>
<p>One other consideration…these two schools are in VERY different settings.
Uof Chicago–very urban with all the advantages that Chicago has to offer. Duke is in a much smaller city area (Raleigh-Durham). This area is lovely but feels much slower paced. </p>
<p>D recently had to decide for graduate school between Northwestern (downtown Chicago’s graduate campus) and Duke. Part of the reason she chose NWU was because of Chicago. Duke felt a little too small-town for her. But while that was a better fit for her, Duke might be better for you. Either place you will get a fantastic education.</p>
<p>As Marian above has stated, they are distinctly different cultures, in large part driven by their very different campus locations. Duke’s suburban feel vs UofC’s big city vibe.</p>
<p>Because this is a place you will be living for 4 years, it’s about more than just the classes you attend. It’s a lifestyle too. What a great option for you to have!
Good luck and keep us posted on your final decision.</p>
<p>Marian and curiouser. Thank you for the advice! UChicago might be too academic while Duke can be more comfortable. However, I really prefer a modern city life. And given that UChicago has a better economics major, I am leaning to UChicago now, but I still can’t say no to Duke. Will UChicago be so academic that I don’t even get enough time to enjoy the city life? Although I am now weighing these factors, I will definitely choose a school that can offer a better opportunity in finance career as I am very determined to do it later. “Fit or not” does not really matter compared to this issue…</p>
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<p>If you are asking that question, Chicago may not be the right place for you. Save your parents a bundle of money, skip college, and go apply for a job in a bank. </p>
<p>But I suppose you want to start a little higher than the teller counter. You evidently choose to apply to Chicago based on the reputation of its famous economics department. You should be aware by now that the college requires courses in many other areas. Are you comfortable with the “common core” concept?</p>
<p>During the first two years, the reading load can be very heavy. Readings might run the gamut of Greek plays, medieval philosophy, the Federalist Papers, Russian novels, historic archives (church, court, and agricultural records), etc. In addition, you can expect courses in areas such as “Geophysical and Astronomical Sciences” (a.k.a. “Rocks and Stars”) or “Deviant and Sexual Psychology” (a.k.a. “Nuts and Sluts”). You may not get to a specialized course in the econ department until your third year. There is little or no focus on job training per se. There is much discussion of big life questions such as, “What is justice?” (not only in class, but sometimes even in the dorms and dining halls, assuming you’re not too preoccupied with a DMR, that is, a “Deep Meaningful Relationship”).</p>
<p>Ask yourself if the country’s future financiers and CEOs need to spent much time on questions like that in school. Ask yourself if you should, or if you want to. If your answer is “no”, then Chicago is likely to be an unpleasant waste of your time.</p>
<p>If you’re talking about ibanks anywhere, Duke has the much stronger network in the industry and that is key in landing a job. Ibanks will often use the one year internationals can stay after college to train them in their NY training programs and then send them back to their country or to be an expat somewhere else.</p>
<p>tk21769, isn’t it true that every undergrad in U.S. will have some general education requirments? I checked Duke’s curriculum and it must also be intensive.</p>
<p>No, I don’t think so. Years ago many top schools abandoned (if they ever had them) serious distribution or “core” requirements . Maybe the pendulum has swung back, and I can’t speak about Duke. I do know that at Chicago, they are taken very seriously. This is an important part of the school culture so you should be on board with that if you want to thrive there.</p>
<p>But, perhaps you are satisfied that Duke and Chicago are close enough in this respect that you need some other distinguishing feature. I would not think that Chicago’s urban location gives it a huge advantage for enjoying city life while at school. Due to the weather, the south side location, and the heavy work loads, many students there do not get away from Hyde Park too much. Your mileage may vary, as they say.</p>
<p>Duke has a very intensive core curriculum under their T-reqs, and some of my son’s semesters have more resembled life at a Pomona or at Swarthmore with small intense discussion classes. My son is very into the liberal arts but many Duke students are very intensely pre-professional and are preparing for careers in medicine. My son the econ major (he has two majors) at Duke has been abroad twice, mastered a new language, attends most of the excellent performance arts series that come to Duke and are enjoyed by the entire region, is heavily involved with performance himself and he has a job in the finance industry when he graduates. Oh, and he is gung-ho for Duke sports, shows up to root for many teams (Sooo Fun!)…is in a frat, but his frat is full of people of wildly divergent future plans…many going biomedical (Duke’s is 2nd in the nation) and many going to med and law schools, some in art etc. Many have left to go abroad in Duke Engage for students, particularly pre-engineers and doctors-in-the-making doing public service on the program funded with the Gates money. He is learning to golf and dreading graduation. He is very bright but has to study very very hard to do well there. Some people at Duke do not have to work as hard as our son does to learn. His friends with strong vocations in medicine are maxing out the learning opportunities at Duke in labs and in clinical settings steps away and are interviewing and finalizing their med school choices now. They all seem to also enjoy Durham and the weather, the grounds and the Duke Gardens are indeed sunny and joyful. We also LOVE East Campus, the Duke freshman campus experience…very cozy and fun first year plan. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the Univ of Chicago has an alternate universe to explore that would also be fantastic and endless in options for four years right there at your feet. Son’s roommate was raised in Chicago…</p>
<p>That said, if my son was in Chicago, he would think he had died and gone to heaven with the performance arts alone available to Chicago students 7 days a week all over the city, although Duke imports in many many premier talents to perform during each year.<br>
Duke used to have a very high number of grads hired on Wall Street but students are diversifying and looking elsewhere now for obvious reasons into other segments of the job market.</p>
<p>Perhaps you have a plan for when you go home in four or five years. You should consider which school you think will best prepare you, but you can’t go wrong. The schools are different in settings. Durham is NO CHICAGO. However, you will find richness in friendship at Duke and your friends will be from every corner of the USA and from scores of other nations. My son has learned as much from knowing his peers as he has learned from his teachers. His peers are phenomenal people…admirable, ethical, with goals that are interesting and difficult to achieve. He looks to them to see how they manage to get so much done each day, but they are having fun and have had fun together since day one.
He also enjoys close relations with some of the faculty…but intro classes in econ at Duke are larger and popular…perhaps you could compare with the intro courses at Chicago on this matter…class size etc. As a senior, he is in some very small economics courses and has been in small econ courses for a couple of years…all quite demanding. The course he is enrolled in this semester is actually in the graduate school…</p>
<p>you should go to either Duke or Chicago and give where you end up your entire heart and your devotion in the classroom. Good luck…and enjoy your college years.</p>
<p>tk21769: You’re right about the location in Chicago being important and the amount of time a student will have to enjoy anything beyond the college environs. D, however, is on the professional downtown campus in the heart of the Mag Mile area and although she is spending most of every day in class/studying/library, she still has had many splendid chicago experiences so far: attended Obama’s rally, St Pat’s parade and Greening of the River, many activities at Grant and Millennium Park, the Cubs games at Wrigley, etc. For her, the point is that when in fact she can squeeze in down-time, there’s much to do. One afternoon she had off and took advantage of the free admission to the Field Museum and thoroughly enjoyed that too. All kinds of ethnic festivals too. </p>
<p>But in fact, Duke sounds completely splendid, especially for an undergrad experience.
If she’d been accepted there as an undergrad (she wasn’t–just got in for grad school) she probably would have gone! What a beautiful campus and terrific school.</p>
<p>Thanks, Faline2. It seems that Duke’s life is really cool. But this makes my decision even harder…</p>
<p>The University of Chicago has a “professional downtown campus”? Curiouser, is your D a graduate student in Law or Business?</p>
<p>Do you like college sports? My son wanted to attend a school with school spirit and the Blue Devils fulfill this for him.
Do you expect the school paper to have good sports coverage? My son is very advanced in a couple of academic arenas that his friends could care less about…but he has found mentors at Duke in his personal intellectual avenues…however he likes to chat about sports and attends at least half the basketball games at Duke with a lot of enthusiasm…and follows a few other Duke sports, particularly if someone from his freshman year is doing well now and needs some cheering on…</p>
<p>I never read the sports pages…and second son doesn’t follow sports with much avidness either…and second son did not apply to Duke…
Do you like sunshine? Short pants? (Durham and the Triad do have cultural outlets and good food but just on a smaller scale…) People are outdoors A LOT at Duke…grounds are very lovely</p>
<p>or do you want to see major museums and attend big scale festivals at a whim in Chicago and find excellent ethnic food in a major American city…</p>
<p>The student body at Duke is intensely national and international…but the setting is not…it is regional. As Virginians, the culture for the setting of Duke is utterly familiar and simply was not an “adventure” for us…but it is a stitch to see the brave kids fly in from all over the world and discover southern culture. At the same time, my son “goes home” with his friends and enjoys seeing “their Americas” on holidays.
I had reason to find out where the most Duke grads are living…and the top four cities were New York Boston San Fran and Atlanta…I am too lazy to look up the order but that might even be correct. Alum networking is rather nice for the size of the school. We live in Hokie and Cavalier country…and the alum networking in those colleges is pretty amazing</p>
<p>Faline2 - Talking about the setting, I do prefer chicago. But Duke has a better wheather and environment. What about safety issues? And does alum networking help a lot? I am thinking now that what I have achieved myself is much much more important.</p>
<p>I can’t say if alum networking matters at all for you. I think my son enjoys knowing he will find Duke grads where he is living…and also scattered around the nation to visit in the future.</p>
<p>the settings of the two colleges are intensely different, a true urban setting is the hallmark of a University of Chicago social life. </p>
<p>Durham is plagued with some poverty and drug and crime problems. Duke students off campus must be vigilant and use good judgment especially at night but either my son exercises good judgment, always is with a small group, is never walking home at night solo or after using alcohol…or is just lucky…I am a Mom so I will “never know.”</p>
<p>you will also exercise vigilance in Chicago as a student but hopefully it won’t slow you down. you will be out and about.</p>
<p>He is fond of Durham and is out and about as a volunteer and as someone who frequents Durham places of business and restaurants with friends. He likes the sunshine and weather. </p>
<p>he would also have deeply appreciated Chicago and had an entirely different life there I am sure with experiences you can’t find in Durham.</p>
<p>go where you feel happiest…and give your future alma mater 100%.</p>
<p>Thank you, Faline2!</p>
<p>They are both terrific schools. A cliche, I know, but true!</p>
<p>If I could do it again, I’d be at U Chicago. A close relative is there now. Son, an engineering student (no engineering at U Chicago) is at Duke.</p>
<p>I think the atmosphere at U Chicago is more deliberately (and even self-consciously) intellectual. The Duke students (every bit as intelligent as their U Chicago counterparts) seem to make a point of being not so theoretical, though they can handle the theory. Does that make sense?</p>
<p>I find myself quite pre-professional… Maybe I will prefer to be not so theoretical…</p>
<p>tk21769: D is at Northwestern’s med school campus which also encompasses the law school and MBA programs (plus a number of other graduate-level disciplines). In a phenomenal location, but pricy to live nearby. D has a tiny apartment but she can see Lake Michigan from her bedroom window! She absolutely loves Chicago even though she’s a southerner and had to build a winter wardrobe from scratch. </p>
<p>For her, it was a great choice–for her it feels like NYC without the attitude and edge.
(Although she loves NYC too–and also looked at Columbia).</p>
<p>Duke has terrific programs too, but some of the program differences and the city location were the factors that tipped the balance to Chicago.</p>
<p>It all depends on personal factors. I am a Duke alum. Hyde Park is nice, but it is truly surrounded by awful environs. I enjoyed running (I am from Chicago and was a member of the U of C track club), and Hyde Park was awful for running. Lots of pavement, and lots of neighborhoods to avoid. No comparison to Duke Forest, which extends for miles to the west of campus (Duke runners used to meet Carolina’s in areas of the Forest that few ever saw). And the golf course is fantastic as well. And Duke’s physical beauty is unparalleled. No Duke gardens in Hyde Park. </p>
<p>Very few from my top notch Chicago area high school went to U of C - no doubt a great school. But it students had a bit of an odd reputation - and it was viewed as a place to go to graduate school. If one really values a quantitative education - and I mean really values it - U of C is likely a better choice. </p>
<p>But the way, all of this talk about a finance career makes me chuckle. Do well wherever you go to school - and if there are any healthy financial institutions standing - try and get an entry level position. But things like a CPA are better entrees to a financial job than ever. And one doesn’t need to go to U of C or Duke to get that. And moreover, if I were interested in finance (and had the brains to get in Duke or U of C), I would spend my summers studying for the CFA - getting that credential earlier than most would be a leg up in what looks like a depressed finance market for years to come.</p>