Duke vs. Emory (full-ride)

NorCalDad
Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:15:25 +0000

dna3,

Having grown up in Raleigh, so close to Durham and Duke, it makes it difficult to detach from the emotions that have been embedded for so long. You have developed a strong comfort level and bond with Duke, I can see.

By contrast, Emory and Atlanta are much different. There is no school spirit of the kind engendered by the Duke Blue Devils playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium and vying every year for an NCAA championship in Div. I basketball. I suspect that deep down in your heart, you will know the importance of this – and know whether it’s worth the extra $104-140K over 4 years time. If you do decide on following a pre-med track and applying to med school, you know what this money represents in paying for med school.

Obviously the choice is not easy. Being a parent, I know that I always want what is best for my daughter, including enabling her dreams and aspirations. I know that my daughter felt similarly about UC Berkeley and her Cal Bears (we live only 15 minutes from Berkeley) or rooting for our other Bay Area teams (i.e., Stanford). Emory has none of the Div. I sports, but it has everything academically to prepare you well for the rest of your life. The opportunities to do undergrad research projects, perhaps find internships at the CDC, and engage with teaching-centric professors are excellent. As an Emory Scholar, you will be provided with opportunities that you should find stimulating. With my own daughter, she chose Emory because she felt at home, and truly, she didn’t want to stay that close to home. On the other hand, whenver she’s been in Berkeley since she’s been in college, she can’t get over how it feels so “at home” to her.

If my daughter were in the same situation, I know that I would urge her to take the money and choose Emory (which by the way, being a top-ranked national university, is not exactly like chopped liver in prestige). I have known of doctors who are well into the late 30’s before they are able to finally make that last payment for student loans. The opportunity cost for being a physician is enormous, and if you do choose that path, financial resources will be one of your first considerations.

Emory is offering a generous gift – one that Duke did not offer. I wish you could fast-forward how your life will play out, and if you could do that, you might be able to apply a different judgment to your choice. What is important to you now may in fact change. Unfortunately, none of us have crystal balls to know how or if our values will change. (BTW, my daughter has no problems rooting for her favorite college sports teams, even though she attends Emory.)

Good luck!