<p>Threads like this on CC are crack me up to no ends…Countless debates about Wall Street placement, CEOs by institution, Nobel prizes, etc. Both Chicago and Duke are great schools and neither will give you a considerable advantage over one or the other. Anybody who tells you otherwise is, frankly, misinformed. While I’d agree that “conventional” wisdom says that UChicago is better for economics grad school placement, and Duke is better as a pipeline to Wall Street, in the end it’s going to matter 1000% more about what you do and how you perform rather than what institution you chose to attend. Yes, UChicago has great economics and math faculty who have won numerous prizes (more than Duke’s). You really think Duke’s faculty is chopped liver? Of course not; they’re still incredibly impressive and you WILL be prepared and learn from great economic minds. i have two friends getting Econ PhDs who went to Duke. Where are they at? Stanford and UPenn. You think Duke really held them back? Conversely, yes, Duke probably has a few more high-profile CEO’s and a larger i-banking presence, but you really think a recruiter is going to turn down a high quality double major from UChicago because there aren’t as many UChicago grads as Duke ones? That’s a complete joke. They’re both AMAZING institutions and you would be well served at either.</p>
<p>In my opinion, focusing on all this minutiae is misguided and instead you should focus on general fit. I think a lot of high school seniors are completely engrossed in department/major rankings and recruitment, when they should take a larger picture. Most likely, based on statistics, the OP is not going to be an economics/math major. That’s just the nature of the beast. College is a time to grow and many people’s interests change. It’s quite common.</p>
<p>Having said all that, I’d ask the OP where does your gut tell you to go? Where do you think will challenge you socially and intellectually? Do you like sports? Is being in a major city one of your main criterion? Is weather important to you? **Where do you think you will be happiest?<a href=“And%20while%20I%20think%20this%20is%20exaggerated%20based%20on%20stereotypes%20that%20no%20longer%20hold%20true%20as%20much%20as%20they%20used%20to…Do%20you%20see%20yourself%20at%20an%20intellectual,%20quirky%20institution%20or%20a%20more%20pre-professional,%20outgoing,%20party%20and%20sports-heavy%20school?”>/B</a></p>
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<p>You seem to be very well-versed in industry and certainly know a lot, but those numbers are ridiculous. You think over 500 Duke students a year go into IBanking?!? I’d say 25-35% of Duke students go into finance and consulting in total, they are just the more high profile students/recruiters on campus so it seems like a lot more. Duke’s #1 employer? Teach for America…(Although #2 I think was Goldman Sachs…)</p>
<p>FIT is key in this decision. I wouldn’t decide based on major(s) in this circumstance. I would choose the place that would make me proud to say “I’m a graduate of there.” And give me an experience I’d never forget. Now the OP just has to decide what that place is.</p>