<p>Our son got into Duke and UNC (he’s in state). Thanks to Duke’s incredibly generous scholarship/financial aid package, it is costing us a little less to send him to Duke than UNC. I think huge generalizations about aid are not helpful. Each case is individual and you won’t know until you try.</p>
<p>My son loves Duke and he got to choose the smaller, more geographically diverse campus he wanted. All that being said, I think he would have done fine at Carolina if that’s how things had worked out. Both schools provide you with a tremendous education. Both places have enormous school spirit and an engaged and involved student body. I find the Duke campus more beautiful, but Carolina is charming as well.</p>
<p>BTW, all this obsession about wealth, self-segregation, etc…I think is largely the obsession of outside “experts” who know nothing about life at Duke. My son has a wide variety of friends, some rich, some not. The only thing any of them are flaunting is their smarts–and they are doing that in a good way. My son’s friends come in all colors, faiths, and gender.</p>
<p>As one poster above noted, you can find pretentious jerks on any campus. The simple solution? Don’t hang with them. Choose your friends well, and you can be happy at Duke, UNC, or wherever you choose to go.</p>