<p>I was in a very similar situation two years ago (not waitlist, but had sent my deposit to Michigan in-state in November and got in to Duke normal decision) and chose to go to Duke. Mechanical engineering, not BME, which would make Michigan even more appealing compared to Duke. My $0.02:</p>
<p>I love Michigan. I have many friends there and visit often. I do not regret going to Duke one bit. Admittedly, I haven’t read much of this thread (I just stumbled on it searching something else) but here are some personal opinions that might help someone in the future:</p>
<p>The overall academic atmosphere at Duke is much more intense. Granted, I haven’t taken classes at Michigan; this is purely comparing my experiences to what I hear from my peers in Ann Arbor. When I say intense, I do not mean it in a negative way. Co-operation is key (and usually essential to success).</p>
<p>Michigan has a better party scene, unless you’re interested in really selective greek stuff. That said, you can still have tons of fun at Duke. Durham is no Ann Arbor, but Chapel Hill is close.</p>
<p>I firmly believe that Duke’s engineering program is better than the rankings suggest. An unusually large proportion of Pratt grads end up working for Goldman or McKinsey or something like that, so they aren’t out in the engineering community promoting their alma mater’s reputation. We have great facilities and the classes are incredibly competitive. It is definitely more theoretical than other engineering programs, so finding a way to obtain more hands-on experience is helpful. Michigan obviously has a wonderful reputation and a very highly ranked engineering school as well.</p>
<p>At Duke, engineers are more than just engineers. I think around half of Pratt kids study abroad, while the national average for engineers is well below 10%. Many engineers at Duke are double-majoring in another art or science. I’m currently in the middle of an engineering internship with a medical component design company, and quite a few of the other engineering interns from other schools seem rather one-dimensional. That’s a rarity at Duke.</p>
<p>These are just my experiences, they seemed pretty relevant. To anyone making this decision in the future: you’ll likely be happy wherever you go. I chose Duke, and haven’t looked back.</p>