Duke vs Barrett Honors College (ASU)

Colleges & Universities Arizona State University
1

I was accepted at Duke ED for the class of 2020 which is what I have been dreaming of for the past 6 months. However, due to my family’s financial situation, I would hypothetically end up with over $20,000 of student loans at the end of four years. As a proposed biophysics/physics major, I will need to go to graduate school (probably in engineering…?) before getting hired into industry. Graduate school may cost a great deal more money, who knows? I would like to go to a top grad school but I’m not sure if accumulating debt at Duke is worth it.
On the other hand, I was accepted at ASU’s Barrett Honors College which has offered me a generous scholarship. Due to my family’s unique financial situation, I would be 100% debt free at the end of four years at Barrett. The honors college claims to send many students to top grad schools and have many opportunities, plus it is seemingly a better choice financially.
I’ve visited both schools and feel that Durham is more desirable than Tempe, but that I could live either place if needed.

Does anyone have advice about which investment is better? Does Duke’s name/prestige carry enough weight to make $20,000 in debt worth it? Is grad school so much more important that I should attend Barrett and save money for later in life?
Thanks in advance.

2

Also, the $20,000 is only in student loans, and my family will have to contribute $128,000 over the course of four years to Duke. My family and I think this is doable, but should we save this investment for grad schools?

3

First,congrats about your acceptance to Duke and Barrett, The Honors College. I guess It’s all about whether you think it is worth it, really. I am also in process of waiting to hear back from Barrett, and I’m glad to hear you got a good scholarship. I would say go with Barrett because you have that strong financial investment, and I have also heard many students from Barrett end up at the top Grad schools. So you can attend Barrett and then enjoy your chance to go to Duke, as you have already earned an admission, so the Honors College will definitely help with that. If you do decide to go to Duke, always look for other scholarships. There are many out there, and it sounds like you are well accomplished and can definitely earn scholarships to get you through your education at Duke. Good luck! Let me know what you pick! :slight_smile:

4

Based on your post, I’m guessing that you’re thinking Barrett will somehow make an ASU degree comparable to one from Duke. I happen to think ASU is a great school and fantastic value. With good grades, adequate involvement and internships, a lot of Fortune 500’s will eagerly recruit a qualified ASU graduate. Plus, when it comes to science/engineering, alma matter is less emphasized.

With all of that said, it’s important to remember that ASU and Duke are polar opposites. Every employer/grad-school will know that. Think about it from the perspective of your college applications now: if you were applying to Harvard, and ASU or Duke were your High School, which would give you an edge? Obviously, Duke. The good news is that your success isn’t predetermined by where you went to college. For example, getting a 4.0 at ASU is probably easier than getting 3.7 at Duke. There are trade-offs everywhere.

Now, let’s get down to it:
Barrett isn’t remotely as recognized as ASU would like you to think. It’s irrelevant to 99% of employers, and potentially very-marginally helpful for some grad schools. When it comes down to career or grad school, your statistics are the #1 screening tool for hiring/admission. Being in Barrett is not going to make or break an application – most people will only look at the institution you came from and not the individual college.

Why does Barrett get to boast great success stories for grad school? Because ASU has 80,000 students and Barrett has 6,000. Those 6,000 students self-selected into a cohort of like-minded people. Kids who were in Barrett and got into grad school will attribute that to having been in Honors College. A similarly qualified “regular” ASU grad who got into grad school will attribute that to having earned good grades, involvement, a high GMAT, etc. Just as being an IB student, or taking 34 AP classes doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into Harvard, graduating from Barrett and admission to grad school is not synonymous.

Conclusion:
Barrett is, perhaps, a good opportunity. However, ASU ≠ Duke, even with the added plus of Barrett. Given your desired career, I’m not certain a prestigious degree is nearly as important as grades, internships, etc. From a practical standpoint, $20,000 may not be a necessary investment. But that amount is relatively low in comparison to the debt most students take on. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to borrow the 20k just so I could go to such a great school. Whether or not that’s wise or prudent is up to you. ASU is a great place, but this comparison is apples to oranges, or perhaps, Chevrolet to Porsche. Both will get you there, one’s just a heck of a lot flashier.

5

OP You should not even be asking this question. I would read that binding ED contract you signed very carefully. Almost any college’s financial aid is going to include the max in student loans so that should have been expected. Even if you didn’t realize that, when you yourself say, “my family and I think this is doable” with regard to the Duke financial aid offer, even considering trying to get out of the ED contract sounds very unethical. You definitely need to talk to your high school counselor about this.

6

Go to Duke, hands down. It’s a well respected school nationally and you’ll find far more success in attending a good school for your graduate studies. ASU is the largest (and one of the least selective) public universities in the United States and is considered a “party school”. Like other posters have said, Barrett isn’t known by, or even important to 99% of grad schools or employers. I say this as an Arizonan who lived 10 minutes from ASU.

7

If you check out other posts that I’ve made you will see that I’m a big fan of Barrett Honors College. I won’t repeat the substance of those posts here.

I will repeat a bit of what I’ve said about undergraduate education. If you are planning on going on to professional school (Medicine, Law, Business), it won’t make much where you went to college. If you work hard, get good grades, and do well on the entrance exam, you will get into a good professional school, regardless of where you went to college. And after you start your career, where you went to college matters little. Nobody cares where their doctors went to college.

Finally, graduate school is very expensive! If you help out your parents by saving money on college, they may have more money to help with graduate school.

Also, I see that you are interested in engineering. All ABET-accredited colleges provide about the same undergraduate education and its a difficult major wherever you go. Duke is ranked 18th in engineering, while ASU is 41st. Both schools offer 4+1 Masters Degrees. Engineering is the most popular major for Barrett Honors College students. https://engineering.asu.edu/tour/barrett/

So, on balance I’d agree that Duke > Barrett/ASU, but is it $168,000 better for you and your family?