<p>I love being a Duke student more than anything else in my world, but it’s a stretch to say it’s worth $46,000 a year (in reality, closer to $50). The experience may be “priceless” to me but it certainly is not to those who pay my bills. There’s a lot of talk about financial aid at Duke, but at the end of the day my family receives no aid whatsoever and we’re taking out every single penny of that $46,000 in loans. If I knew my family would have had to do that (or even borrow half of that amount) to bankroll my education here, I would have gladly attended UNC instead. It’s a good school, with quality academics and a fun lifestyle. I’d have missed out on the small community feel of Duke, the tradition, the unique social life, and the diversity of the student body, but for $120,000 less (possibly even more with UNC’s generous merit scholarship money) UNC is definitely the smarter value for someone who doesn’t have money overflowing in his bank account or in financial aid. Duke is a better school than UNC, I don’t hesitate to say it with pride, but it isn’t a good fit for you if $200,000 causes stress in your family.</p>