I am a good athlete. I have option to go to both places. Which university is better valued for an student-athlete in terms of job opportunitties after my undergrad? I’ll want to study economics combining it with the sport. If I don’t turn pro after my undergrad, I would like to get into investment banking and consulting (goldman, jp, morgan stanley or mckinsey, bcg)
Both universities are outstanding for your desired career goals. Since Columbia University is located in NYC, internships might be easier to get & more convenient.
Columbia is known for undergrad economics leading to firm work like you described. I’m unclear what Duke offers. Might be good too.
Go to columbia
The question is moot until such time as you have an acceptance from both colleges and can compare the costs of attendance of the 2.
I have to disagree with skieurope. The student may want to decide which to apply to in the ED round. in which case advice to wait for acceptances isn’t relevant. And, the cost of attendance, which is a concern for many, isn’t always a concern. I know plenty of families who have enough resources that a 20K difference/year would be nothing. I would love to be in that boat. I’m not. But there are plenty who are. Given that, the OP may want to consider the differences in the teams (outcomes for previous seasons), coaches that he or she would be interacting with most and the history of players going pro-if that is a major consideration. Along with that, the settings for the 2 schools differ radically-one southern and less urban-one northern and about as urban as you get. Does that matter to OP?
I agree in this case. My objection was due to the OP’s phrasing: "I have option to go to both places. " Perhaps it’s because the OP’s native language is not English (not a criticism; it’s not mine either). So currently, he has the option to apply to both places (or to one for ED and one for RD), but he does not have the opportunity to **go<a href=“unless%20he%20means” title=“visit” vs. “attend”>/b until he has an admissions offer from both.
They are both great schools and both will provide excellent educations and opportunities. I would look at a few things:
Finances – Duke gives athletic scholarships and Columbia does not. Will you get a full athletic scholarship at Duke? Will Columbia be a financial burden for your family?
Athletics – The level of athletics are different with Duke generally being at a higher level of competition. Likely Duke athletics will require a higher time commitment. What sport do you play and do you think you have a serious chance to go pro? For example, if you are a basketball player and hope to go pro and have an opportunity to play for Coach K at an elite level that may be your best bet. If you don’t expect to go pro or if you play a sport Duke doesn’t excel at then it may be more even in this regard.
Location – Do you prefer urban or southern?
Academics – What do you plan to study? Are you OK with the extensive core curriculum at Columbia?
Bottom Line – Congratulations on putting yourself in a position where you have two amazing options. Pick the college that suits your needs and interests best at an affordable price – there is no wrong answer here.
Well the northern one isn’t as “urban as you can get” as the neighborhood has a lot of green space. Downtown NYU is more urban and loud. CU area has parks on either side, a central green campus with lots of grass to hang out on, river nearby, ten tennis courts in the woods at 120th street, bird sanctuary. It’s easy to get to the super urban areas – just a few blocks walk – but the area itself is pretty staid and quiet compared to the rest of NYC.
Efectively, Im not native from US. I am visiting duke next week. I’ll get in in january. In Columbia it will be for fall 2019. I want to study economics and I play tennis. I have a 80% in duke and columbia coach assured me that if wait till fall 2019, they’ll push to admissions office to allow me getting in. I have a 1240 in sat. So he said that’ll be enough. Anyway, I am more excited for the duke option I think the psck student-athletic life fits better for me, and academically it is even better than some ivyies and tier with Columbia (for what I heard).
An odd juxtaposition since “urban” and “southern” aren’t mutually exclusive, but yes, there is definitely a difference between Columbia’s 36 acre campus (essentially one quad) and Duke’s sprawling 1000 acre campus and the adjacent 7000 acres of university-owned forest. Columbia certainly feels like an urban school, however close Central Park may be.
NYC has long been the most popular city for Duke students after graduation, and finance and consulting are most popular career paths after CS and healthcare/medicine. (They were the most popular career paths until about 5 years ago.) Duke students have no problems getting internships and jobs on Wall Street.
Assuming that you can afford the other 20% ($14k), I would go with Duke with an offer in hand. I wouldn’t rely on the ability of the coach to get you in with a 1240 SAT.
Dustyfeathers: about my comment “one southern and less urban-one northern and about as urban as you get” Of all the statements I made, I was thinking nobody could object to that characterization. Really? Why? But ok. I’ll clarify. By “About as” I meant “close to being” or “one of the most” or “among” or “around”. And while there are parks and trees, in NYC, most people would agree that Columbia is located in an urban area. {NYC is among the most citiest of cities, wouldn’t you say?}. And about your comment, “but the area itself is pretty staid and quiet compared to the rest of NYC.” Maybe so, but the comparison was to the area Duke is located, which is not in NYC. Most people who have spent time on both campuses would agree with my statement. But you are welcome to disagree. I’m just not sure what the point is in doing so.
Especially if Columbia isn’t a 100% sure thing yet, why not just get the show on the road and enroll in Duke for Winter/Spring 2019?
There is no clear-cut, reliable answer. Maybe in your home country, one or a few universities lead to clearly better opportunities, but it doesn’t quite work the same way in the USA. A lot depends on YOU, not the school brand/reputation. Regardless, Duke and Columbia are peer schools. Furthermore, if you aren’t a US citizen, you can’t count on being able to stay in the USA and work here after you graduate.