Alexandre

As cliche as this may sound, it boiled down to fit. I really loved the Michigan campus and Ann Arbor. I was not as impressed by the Duke campus and I really did not like Durham. Although I found the Duke campus impressive architecturally speaking, something about neo-gothic design in the Carolinas just didn't ring true! LOL!

Also, I am international and Michigan has an excellent repuation internationally.

You have to understand that when I chose colleges, there was no CC. For advice, I turned to my parents and highly educated family members and family friends. By and large, I got the same advice I give to students here on CC. If universities have similar academics and reputation, go for fit. Academically and reputationally, Michigan and Duke are at the same level. By and large, corporate recruiters from exclusive companies and/or graduate school adcom from elite programs are not going to favor a Michigan alum over a Duke alum, or vice versa, based on where they went to college. Those two schools are viewed as peers. Every single survey conducted by academe and industry clearly shows that. The top graduate schools and most exclusive companies accept/hire students from both campuses in great numbers. So I went for fit. Michigan was a better fit for me.