Duke vs UNC and $18k difference?

My disclaimer is that I don't know a whole lot about UNC. What I can say though, is make sure you know what you are getting into by attending a large public institution. Know what you are getting into in terms of the kind of attention you will recieve from professors, career services, employers, ALUMNI, etc. I went to UCLA for undergrad...a good school yes, but massive. When it came time for job hunting, I wish I had been attending USC. There is a certain disconnect that I noticed with students who attend a public school...a lot less loyalty to their school..and subsequently the alumni. This is not quite the case with private schools...especially when you are talking about a school like Duke. just my off the cuff two cents...good luck!

While VictoryMBA is right about public schools, most business schools are run like "private" schools even at the public universities. UCLA Anderson and Berkeley Haas actually "shields" you from a lot of the school's bureaucracy and have dedicated career centers that help you look for jobs, specifically for MBAs only. Ross and Darden have very good career placement stats that only work with the business school.

the key to look at is whether companies you want to work for recruit at UNC and Duke, and if so, how many students they usually hire, what are their perceptions on students from both schools, etc... Talking to each school's career management people will definitely help.

I have in state tuition at UNC which makes the degree about 40k or so cheaper than Duke. That being said, I am def. going to Duke. I have visited both schools quite a bit and have been more impressed with Duke. The 40k over the life a career is meaningless. I guess my point is to go where you like best. If you want consulting however, I think Duke will open more doors.

Duke, no doubt about it.

Another comparison:

Cost of living (Durham wins)
Interior Decor (UNC wins, no question - I love their building)
Case Method (UNC is 100% case, I believe. Duke is not)

Yeah, that's right. Business school is nothing like undergrad. Students are separate from the general population and the various business schools have more in common with their peers than anything with the undergrad schools they are attached to. The only real difference I can see is that sometimes business schools attached to public undergraduate schools might have to conform to some type campus-wide initiatives. For example, I think Anderson and Haas have always had abnormally high average GPAs because of UC-wide standards for grading. Another thing to look at is endowment - some of the public schools have much smaller endowments, which can affect the scholarships they dole out, the facilities they can build and the professors they can attract (Darden and Ross have outsized endowments though).

Care to elaborate on the UC standards for grading? Do you mean UC systems require higher grades to get into b-school, or do you mean something else? Just curious, that's all.

Yeah, Ross and Darden have tons of moolah! I think Haas and Anderson are trying to catch up now with the increases in tuition and freedom to do whatever they want with their money.

Yeah, I think that as part of the UC system, Berkeley and UCLA have to meet some sort of requirements for incoming students. By having their own money, they can gain more power over the decisions that they make.

Thanks ..I think the difference in opportunities given by both school is not much and $18k is also not much ..so I should follow my heart ..

You can never go wrong with that reasoning. Let us know which you choose.

I believe that that offers should be judged on the merits of the program itself, as opposed to financial aid. As you seem to allude to, in the long-run the value of the 18k will pale in comparison to having attended the program with the better "fit". My personal feeling is that Duke offers you the better opportunities, but if your heart says UNC (independently of the 18k savings), you can't go wrong with that.