*Completely* agreed. Especially as someone from the Triangle and who has seen both schools.
The money is definitely a big draw that you have to consider. If you're going into a lesser paid field -- non-profit, govt, NGO -- then UNC would be the better choice for that reason as you'll have no debts to pay off. If you're going into a competitive field -- the MMCs and BCGS -- then Duke is hands down more worthy. Assuming you do well and get promotion as desired, you'll pay the money you owe back in a few years.
There are many other confounding variables obviously. An average Fuqua grad is probably not as impressive as a KF top 1% person. And maybe you can really do well at a large, prominent place like the UN and then move into consulting making even more than some in private industry. You never know. But given a baseline assumption, I think Jennifer is right....
jenniferbloom wrote:
becnil wrote:
Hello,
I need a little advice from you. I have an Admission offer from Duke Fuqua, and another from UNC Kenan-Flagler. Duke did not offer me any assistance, whereas UNC is offering me a $30,000 per year Fellowship.
Could you please comment on how I could decide among the two? Also, is it possible that I could talk to Duke Fuqua with this update and request them to reconsider some financial aid for me?
I have visited Duke and loved it - I did not visit UNC yet. Chicago Booth was my top choice where I was waitlisted in R1 and then rejected. Duke Fuqua was my second choice after all my visits. My career goal is international consulting, focusing on infrastructure & public sector.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Niladri.
Hi, Niladri. Congratulations on the admissions offers and scholarship money. Yes, you can certainly ask Duke to consider giving you financial assistance to make your decision easier. That is no guarantee, obviously, that you will receive anything. So here are some things to consider: according to the Financial Times
https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings-2011, there is nearly $22K difference in post-graduation earnings between grads of Duke and grads of UNC, meaning it would take you less than 3 years to make up the $60K you turn down from UNC to attend Duke. If you are planning on entering a lower-paying industry (ie., not finance or consulting) in which the name and reputation of the program matters less, then in my opinion you are probably better off choosing UNC. However, if you are going for the heavy hitters, recruiting is going to be a lot easier for you at Duke.
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28 Mar 2011, 12:47
