<p>I’m getting sick about making a choice. Michigan will be the cheapest since I live in Michigan but I don’t really want to go there. It’s my parents’ choice. Kentucky and Indiana aren’t that far from home so there is a comfort level about those two. I love Boston and BC and how metropolitan the city is, the mass transit, the history. I have never been to Duke and won’t get the chance before May 1st. I like the idea of being in a warmer state not to mention the first class reputation of Duke. Any thoughts you can offer are really appreciated.</p>
<p>What are you looking for in a school?</p>
<p>Are you talking about Michigan State or University of Michigan?</p>
<p>Sounds like you really like Boston College! Since you didn’t really leave us that much info and it’s kind of hard to tell how important money is.</p>
<p>My order for you…</p>
<p>BC = Duke > Michigan > Kentucky or Indiana</p>
<p>Reasoning: If you really want the city feel then Boston is where it’s at. I might have split BC and Duke if I knew more about your situation so that’s why I set them equal. Michigan is a great school even though I’m not a huge fan of Ann Arbor. (I’ve been there twice) Not really familiar with Kentucky and Indiana so…</p>
<p>Well good luck and tell us if you got any financial aid.</p>
<p>Duke > Michigan > BC > IU > Kentucky</p>
<p>duke is definitely the best school, but personally i would have a very hard time going to a college without visiting. it sounds like you dont want to go to michigan though so i wouldnt. it is a great school but you would do just as well at BC and Duke</p>
<p>Michigan=Duke>BC>IU>Kentucky. Ann Arbor is a fantastic college town, certainly better than Durham. I doubt the OP has evereven visited it since no one calls U-M by the name Michigan University. The PA scores of Michigan and Duke are exactly the same, 4.4 and they are peers.</p>
<p>If all of those schools will be at full cost and your parents are not very wealthy, Michigan (assuming you are referring to Ann Arbor) is the easy choice. If money is not an issue, Duke or Michigan would be excellent options, depending on your personal preferences.</p>
<p>I meant University of Michigan, my parents went there and they call it MichU. They are excited about visiting me frequently so I’m not too crazy about going there.</p>
<p>I think I want to persue either medical research, pre-med or something else in the science field. That makes Duke the logical choice but since I haven’t been there I don’t know if its the place for me. With everything going on this year in school I just ran out of time to get there.</p>
<p>What is Raleigh like? Is a car necessary, is there much to do around the campus, etc? As far as financials are concerned between scholarships and loans I can go to any of these but I will have to pay my parents back for half of their costs.</p>
<p>I don’t see why Duke is the “logical” choice. Duke and Michigan both have excellent medical schools and undergraduate research options.</p>
<p>Actually Duke is in Durham, it certainly would be a great choice. Duke does have its effect presence in Durham, which is also very close to Chapel Hill ( consist of UNC- Chapel Hill) and Raliegh ( NCSU). Unfourtanely if you really like Duke it may not be affordable as your describing?</p>
<p>Do you have any questions about Duke that’ll help you make your decision?</p>
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<p>They went there and call it the incorrect name? Makes a lot of sense…</p>
<p>Have you applied and/or been accepted to any of these schools?</p>
<p>I’m starting to understand why people on CC are resentful of the “Michigan Mafia.” The OP states that that he doesn’t want to go to Michigan, and doesn’t want his parents so close they visit him frequently, and he likes a bunch of things about Boston (none of which are present in Durham), and you guys STILL insist on pushing him towards Ann Arbor, with grudging respect to Duke.</p>
<p>It’s not like the OP is unfamiliar with U of M, or is operating under erroneous assumptions about it…he just doesn’t like it. Is that so hard to understand?</p>
<p>Well the OP did mention Michigan in his/her opening statement, so I suppose fans of U-M shouldn’t comment at all? Talk about a “Mafia” mentality!</p>
<p>It seems as though your choice is really about midsize private (<10,000 undergrads) or state-uni huge (>20,000 undergrads). Which do you prefer? </p>
<p>If you don’t like Ann Arbor as a college town then you won’t care for Bloomington, IN (which to me is Ann Arbor Lite) or Durham. On that score BC leads, (Boston is probably the best city in the country to be a college student in). </p>
<p>For research opportunities, it’s Duke and Michigan; they exist at IU and BC but from talking to other parents, Duke and UM are clear leaders in this category.</p>
<p>Weather: Duke then IU.</p>
<p>Cost: Obviously in-state MIchigan wins, you haven’t given us enough details about your other fin-aid packages to properly advise you on this front.</p>
<p>To summarize: No one has stepped up to promote Kentucky, so unless you’re getting a loan-free free ride I think you have better options on your list. After that it gets cloudy quickly. If you’re thinking about med school I’d be very wary of too many undergrad loans; it’s just a burden that will effect your grad school options. </p>
<p>As for not liking Michigan because it’s been rammed down your throat, I fully understand. We live in Ann Arbor and my youngest son refuses to consider UM even though on every practical level it is the perfect place for him. He runs around campus like it’s his personal playground but can’t imagine wanting to go there. My point is not to try and convince you to go to UM, it’s to make sure you give it a fair shot. If it wasn’t for your parents being able to visit you easily, would UM be a viable option? The truth is your parents are probably not going to visit you nearly as much as you or they think they are. That doesn’t eliminate your concern, just don’t overstate it either. That said, during our visit we found IU to be a sensational environment, so if you want the whole “Big Ten” thing I think it’s a great place and they do seem to offer good merit packages (something you probably qualified for if you were smart enough to get into Duke or BC).</p>
<p>I leaning toward BC as the choice for you followed very closely by Duke. Both are smaller but not small; both are geographically distant but not horribly far away. For me BC wins because of the college-city atmosphere and opportunities. As far as weather goes, I don’t think any of your options are far enough south to make a huge difference in your decision making.</p>