Where should TJ go: Duke v. Kellogg v. MIT?

oh wow, I've never seen a 3-way tie this close before!

Ya not exactly a very helpful sampling haha. After admit weekends you might have a better idea. All three will give you great opportunities, one might just feel like the right place for you to be.

At least the results are showing me that my angst over this decision isn't unjustified and there isn't one clear answer

I wanted to put the word out there to see if there was an aspect of any of the programs that I hadn't considered that could impact my decision, but it seems, as I suspected that they come out pretty even.

I think I will have to make my decision before the AdMIT weekend because it isn't until early May and by then both the Duke and Kellogg deposits will have been due. One thing that has been on my mind is my culture fit with MIT. All of my experiences at Duke and Kellogg have been extremely positive and I feel that they are both places that I could really thrive. However, they're both known for their collaborative, team-focussed cultures and I'm not sure how this compares to the environment at MIT since I only visited it once very briefly for my interview. With ~43% engineers and a quant/analytical focus to their academics I'm wondering how this affects the general feel of the school and whether it creates a competitive, individualistic atmosphere or whether students are still willing to help one another out and leave egos behind.

MIT all the way TJ. Granted Duke is located within the Research Triangle of NC, the Boston area is second to only Silicon Valley when it comes to innovation within the biotech space (some would argue that Southern California might contend as well). In any case, the ability to cross register for courses at Harvard at no additional cost, along with the fact MIT has the Biomedical Enterprise program along with numerous other joint health-related ventures going on with Harvard, would allow you to network, learn from a diverse array of people, and really learn a lot. I think MIT's rigorous curriculum is also well-respected within various professional circles, and the Sloan name is extremely strong (granted most people claim to think of engineering when they think MIT).

HEY TJ - The results of this poll tell the whole story. When do you need to make your (deposit) decisions by?

Deciding between these schools is like choosing between Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, and Angelina Joile. They all have different things going for them, but in the end, all three are highly desirable. Take them out on a date and find out which one turns you on the most when you meet in person. I suppose in the case of the schools, your dates will be the admitted student weekends.

All the best,
RG

Sounds like a great life. How do I join THAT club?

I voted for Duke, but I may be a little (or a lot) biased

You can't overestimate the significance of cultural fit. I'd be very curious to hear about how MIT feels to you. I haven't visited there, but I can only imagine that it's not going to feel much like the group at Fuqua. The way I see it, any of these schools will open doors, but which one will you enjoy yourself most at? Tough decision, but we'd love to have you at Duke!

haha..thanks for the post ryguy. Except for me the choice would be more between Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom

I absolutely agree about the importance of visiting the schools and I've just come back from a great weekend at DAK. Going into DAK I was debating whether I would also head back east in 2 weeks for the AdMIT weekend on May 1st but now I really feel like I have to go. So I'll be heading out there and have set my own personal decision deadline in 2 weeks!

MIT

So TJ with admit weekends out of the way...where are you leaning these days? If you go to Kellogg that will make an even dozen of us there and a 50/50 split of M/F.

Better late than never with this post I guess

Shortly after attending the AdMIT weekend in May I decided to attend MIT Sloan. Visiting campus again, meeting my future classmates and getting all my remaining questions answered really helped to make my decision. Shortly afterwards I headed off for holidays overseas...which is where I have been since mid-May (and which is why I haven't posted since )

Thanks to everyone for your input and support...and Good luck to the Class of 2010!!

TJ

congrats TJ!!! hopefully we'll see you on the forums helping out the MIT applicants this year.