incollege88

It sucks to have to make a college decision based on finances when you are an 18-year-old who has worked really hard to be able to go to your top choice school but trust me, you will be okay. If you got into Duke and got those scholarships at UMich you will likely be a top student there and will have little problem rising to the top of your class. Once you are there, you will find that there won't be anything holding you back from doing whatever you want (whether it's med school, wall street, or whatever) because UMich is a great school and people know that around the world. Sure, you are right that there are differences between UMich and Duke but UMich has tons of great students you will get to know and amazing resources you'll get to exploit. Start thinking about that and get excited for four years at an amazing school. Don't look back!

DukeEgr93

Well - definitely look back. Then let out a barbaric yawp that you really did make a great decision

Predator

incollege88, thank you! I am actually 17 though haha...I turn 18 this November, I am young for my grade.

I am so impressed with the responses I'm getting in the Duke forum. Makes me feel even more proud that I got in at least!

K9Leader

Predator:

Michigan is among the very best of the public universities. And, they want you big time. Duke is a good school, and they'd be happy to have you attend but not enough to sweeten the deal -- they've got plenty of others on the waitlist who mean the same to them as do you.

Also, I know it's hard, but try not to get caught up in the rankings and reputation/prestige thing. Repeat after me, "The rankings are only a guide. The rankings are only a guide. The only ranking that really means anything is how I would rank them if I didn't already know how they were ranked." The overall difference in quality of education, if there actually is any, between the Top 20, or Top 50, or Top 100, etc. is neglible, if not nonexistent.

The financial considerations are also huge. I was surprised when you said OOS at Michigan was in the mid $40s -- that sounded high for a public. I thought my son's OOS at William & Mary of about $35K for T&F + R&B this year was high for a public, but I checked out Michigan and it's about $39.5 for T&F + R&B. I also checked out UNC (about $30K), UVa (about $35K). I generally leave all the other expenses out when doing comparisons as I've found many schools have very different ways of calculating books, travel, and personal expenses, which muddies the comparison. So, in fairness to Duke, it is "only" $45.5K for T&F + R&B. Michigan's $39.5 is fairly consistent with the other publics that are its competition - a little higher, maybe due to cost of living in Michigan(?).

Anyway, the cost difference between your two choices really is significant, and that significance will become more apparent to you in time. At 17, it is really hard to appreciate just how significant.

Now,a disclaimer: We visited Duke recently with my D, a HS junior, and were very turned off by what we have now learned from relatives who live in NC (and all went to college in California and/or Pennsylvania so have no UNC/Duke bias), is known as "the Duke Attitude." Frankly, we got the same feeling that I got from reading about your situation -- the attitude was a sort of arrogant indifference, "There are so many who want us that we don't feel like making a fuss over you." The day after we visited Duke, we visited Elon and my daughter loved it. Total opposite feeling -- they made everyone feel welcome and wanted. We're still a year away, but Elon shot to the top of her list. Duke is off the list.

Contrast your situation with my cousin's daughter, who is a HS senior, who has been treated by Duke (and Columbia and Notre Dame and several others) the way you were treated by Michigan (flew her down on their dime, keep throwing money at her, offering to rename a building in her honor, etc.). If you go to Duke, you pay a lot more to go there, and you are not as important to them as the top 1%, like my cousin's daughter. You go to Michigan and you are the top 1%.

Good luck!

K9Leader

Shecallsmedad

K9Leader: >>Now,a disclaimer: We visited Duke recently with my D, a HS junior, and were very turned off by what we have now learned from relatives who live in NC (and all went to college in California and/or Pennsylvania so have no UNC/Duke bias), is known as "the Duke Attitude." Frankly, we got the same feeling that I got from reading about your situation -- the attitude was a sort of arrogant indifference, "There are so many who want us that we don't feel like making a fuss over you."<<

Especially for someone from outside of the state of N.C., you hit the nail on the head K9. Your N.C. friends are right. My high-achieving d didn't want to apply to Duke, much less go there, basically because of that attitude--and she's a child of an alumnus *and* a N.C. resident.

evil_asian_dictator

May I ask what exactly you perceive "the Duke Attitude" to be K9Leader and Shecallsmedad?

incollege88

I don't know about this "Duke attitude" thing. Personally, when I was looking at schools of Duke's caliber, I wasn't expecting them to treat me like royalty...I was just hoping to get in the door. I think this is just the reality of the situation, both before and after you get accepted--it is a fact that there are thousands of kids of equal merit who would be willing to take your place if you turn Duke down so it is not desperate to attract you specifically. That said, when I visited the people I encountered were more than friendly and made every effort to show me a good time and share what they liked best (and least, which is also important) about Duke.

Basically, I don't think Duke has an attitude about admissions that is unique to Duke but rather common among highly selective schools as a whole.

Predator

K9Leader, Duke offered to rename a building in the name of your cousin's daughter? What did she do...cure cancer or something? That sounds almost amazingly ridiculous lol

incollege88

yea i think that was a joke--that doesn't happen unless you drop at least 7 figures

Predator

Haha yeah that's what I figured. I'd also be really surprised if Duke paid for a student to fly down there, haha...

Shrinkrap

I'd also be really surprised if Duke paid for a student to fly down there

It happens......

Duke Up Close

mafool

Somehwere in the back of my brain...I recall that some finalists for scholarships are flown to Duke.

Shrinkrap

Some more on

Duke Up Close

"I got an invitation to this, April 2-4...it says, "Duke Up Close is a program designed for a small number of exceptional students applying for admission to Duke University. This program will allow you to experience the extraordinary academic and personal opportunities available at Duke....We will be happy to arrange, at no cost to you, travel, dining, and overnight accommodations."

K9Leader

The "Duke Attitude" was, as I said, almost an indifference, as in there are so many qualified students clamoring to get into Duke that they don't feel like they have to go out of their way to interest any but the top 1 or 2%. This will definitely show my age, but on the 1960s comedy show Laugh In, one of Lily Tomlin's bits was as a telephone operator (Earnestine?) for the phone company, which was a monopoly in those days. Her catch line was "We don't care. We don't have to - we're the phone company." That was the feeling we got at Duke.

It was not overt, but we definitely got the feeling. My daughter saw another student from her high school at the info session and a few days later he told my daughter that he and his parents had gotten the same feeling. Aside from a quick minute or two "hello" before the info session, he and my daughter had not spoken since seeing each other at Duke, so his take was totally on his own.

There were a number of things that, each one on its own seemed inconsequential, but when added up, turned us off. For example, all the guidance counselors and other advisors say that indicating your interest to a school is very important, that you have to show how interested you are. So you should always fill out the interest card every time you visit or see them at a college fair or at your school. The Duke info session presenter just basically said, "We don't keep track of whether you visit or if you call" and gave no explanation, the impression being that they don't do it because they assume everyone is drooling to get in to Duke so they don't have to bother. Again, "We don't care. We don't have to - we're Duke."

We also didn't like being hit over the head repeatedly with all the things that are so great about Duke. Between the video presentation, the info session guy, and our tour guide we had to hear about the world-leading lemur facility at least six times (we stopped counting). We also got tired of being reminded that Duke has a basketball team. Again, between the video, the info guy, and the tour guide, we were practically beaten into submission with the revelation that they have a basketball team. There were others but those were the two that most irritated.

And, no this attitude is not something we have experienced at other schools, including Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford. Now, we toured Stanford almost five years ago, before either of my children were ready to look at colleges, but we were visiting family in the area and did the tour. Penn and Princeton were three years ago, when my son was looking. Yale was this past summer, but my daughter was not interested -- my son (a sophomore at William & Mary) and I were interested in checking it out as we were passing by on our way back from a vacation in Mystic.

I've talked with others about this and gotten mixed reviews. My cousin and her daughter were very impressed, but, of course, they have been given the royal blue carpet treatment because my cousin's daughter is the top 1 or 2%, even at Duke. Another friend whose son went to William & Mary was similarly turned off as we were when he toured back in 2002.

Whatever the reason, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and Duke blew it with my daughter. Now, she is not the top 1 or 2% like her cousin, but she is pretty high up there and well qualified for Duke. Now, I know that with the fierce competition for the top schools, being well qualified does not guarantee an acceptance. But this isn't acceptance, it's only the attracting applicants part of the process, and even Duke should know you shouldn't drive away the qualified students -- someone's got to make up the other 98% of your student body.

--K9Leader

Shecallsmedad

Basically arrogance with a touch of narcissism, dictator.