Deciding between Duke and Ross undergrad
Having a tough time deciding between both. Are they considered equally prestigious for IB? Dukes admission rate was 6% and Ross 10%. Should this factor into my decision? Cost is the same for both.
At Duke I would have to major economics with a finance concentration. Finance classes don’t start until junior year bc of the amount of core classes I would need to take. From what I gathered, the major is very competitive and I’m not really interested in Econ. At Ross, I can concentrate on finance courses earlier and the grading seems to be much more friendly. Socially-I like Michigan more (visited both). Would my chances of landing a BB or elite boutique be comparable?
Go where you feel you can do best and enjoy school. Analyst can come from any school. You have two great schools to choose from and the major does not matter. The street hires people with history degrees and other liberal arts majors. Everyone is smart and smart people can learn anything.
In a Duke vs Mich debate, I'd take Duke every day. However, given what you describe to be your preferences, I think those could be enough for Mich to usurp Duke. Personally, I'd always take the better school, but we don't necessarily share the same values.
Thanks for your reply. Do you think they would place equally well in BB or elite boutiques? Would a higher GPA at Ross translate to more opportunities?
As has already been said, go to where you feel the most comfortable. This isn’t a decision about a for profit online university vs Princeton, it is two top schools with similar opportunities. You are focusing on the wrong thing (will there be slightly more opportunity here vs there?). These are 4 important years of your life, you need to feel comfortable at the school and comfortable with the social aspect. College is more than prestige and grades, don’t be too focused on that. Enjoy the time, take courses outside your comfort zone, and actually learn. With that you’ll be in a good spot.
Thank you
Went to neither. Know for a fact both you will be able to get where you want to go. They are excellent schools and IB recruits from them. These would fall in the category of: “no matter where you apply, they are targets because everyone knows they are great schools”
Duke is ranked higher, but the pre-professional power of Ross is significant. I wouldn’t underestimate the school and furthermore think in terms of undergrad b schools minus Wharton it is one of the best places in the country to be (could group Notre dame and Georgetown in there as well).
Going further, the size of Michigan means you will get the feel of a state school/ have real college bars, big time sports, and more attractive women than peer schools. If you have any desire to have a normal or fun college experience, I think Michigan gives you one of the best blends in the country.
Cant choose wrong congrats!
Thanks so much. Definitely Michigan (Ross) has it all (except weather)…visited and I immediately felt it was the right fit. If opportunities are comparable it’s a no brainer. I also think not having to suffer through Econ is big plus. I can study what I actually enjoy and will help me once I start interviewing/working. I don’t mind rigor but Econ is theoretical and imo boring vs more practical classes.
One data point - friend took Ross over Duke. Think it comes down to mainly business vs econ and the non-academic differences of the schools, especially because strong candidates make the difference when it comes to interviews and networking. Congrats.
Thank you
Congrats to you! Ross would make for a more fun 4 years socially, fewer hardos, and at least the same or better outcome.
Both good. Probably Duke if you want to impress people outside of finance.
del
What's ASOF
What groups at BX?
Corp PE, REPE, BREDS & SP
Agreed — also at Duke. Multiple MS M&A, GS FIG, GS TMT and Bx placement. EB placement is lacking
Would still say it’s decent. Solid pipelines at LAZ/CVP, and incoming summers/analysts at PJT (M&A and RX), Moelis, PWP, EVR. Each bank isn’t significant by itself, but once you add up the numbers, starts to become 20+ people spread across two grades going to those firms. Add that to the BB numbers stated above and the buyside representation and it becomes a good amount of top seats.
Duke EB placement is lowkey lacking. I'm really interested in EB and I found that even Emory had better/similar EB placement as Duke. Though definitely smokes it with BB/PE but was surprisingly low for EB
Emory is Duke without the basketball team and in a better city for opportunities.
very true...as a sophomore going to an EB from Duke (had to accelerate and fight tooth and nail to get a look)
Appreciate your reply. I’m trying to visit Duke again before commitment day. I really loved Michigan and the frat scene. How are the frats at Duke? Fun parties?
Definitely considering a stats major/finance minor instead of Econ. How competitive do you find grading? I’m afraid I’m going to compete with students who are up all night studying, when I really want a mix of both. (I heard Econ with finance is curved to a B- which won’t cut it for interviews). Sounds like Duke is placing kids really well from your post. Is this through OCR? I’ve also heard a lot of students at Duke are interested in finance, do you find that to be true? What percent who are interested do you think are landing these elite jobs?
thanks so much for your help.
del
Both schools have very similar outcomes. Pick the one you think you’ll enjoy more, the one you see yourself being a proud alum of 20 years down the line. Seems like it’s Michigan for you but I think you should do some more research on Duke first before you decide. Duke also has a huge Greek scene, is extremely fun and is arguably easier to get good grades at (culture is more collaborative than UMich, there are a good number of snakey finance hardos at Ross).
They’re both going to be fun. Duke has a slightly better reputation and is smaller and more intimate. UMich has a slightly stronger network and is a large state school (comes with the pros and cons of being at one).
This thread seems to have a hard on for Michigan. Great school...but guys...it's Duke...take Duke...not a difficult one here imo.
WSO: Comparable schools man, go to Michigan and party hard, it’s a complete toss up.
Real world cross admits:
OP: I know everybody on WSO willingly went to their local state school instead of a top national elite private university, but in the real life that’s a rare event. Congratulations on two great schools, go Duke and never look back on this thread.
Thanks for the advice…but to be fair that’s comparing Mich vs Duke, I would take Duke if I wasn’t in Ross. Ross is a game changer.
how tf does parchment get this data? some of the stuff i’ve seen makes no sense, i wouldn’t trust it that much ….
I know it’s extremely hard for WSO to understand but there’s more to life than rankings. There is no job that Duke will get you that you can’t get from Michigan. Not to mention rankings change all the time and usually significantly over multiple decades who cares about them.
That being said, obviously Duke is a great school and it’s also fun as hell.
The obvious answer is Duke. Not sure what's going on in this thread.
.
Every Ross kid I know nepo’d their way into the spot (3 kids).
Duke, no comparison.
I had friends at both Duke and Ross that I couldn't imagine ever going to the other school and yet all have great finance jobs. I agree with most above that Duke tends to have a better "brand" outside of finance but both schools are looked highly upon and by nature of its size Ross may have more alumni in finance. I will say of the few kids I know at Duke most seem to be going to more "prestigious" roles, so take with that what you will. Both schools are fun but Ross definitely benefits from the bigger state school vibe. Conversely, Duke benefits from better weather and a more liberal arts-focused curriculum. In a case like this, I wouldn't pick a school based on perceived recruiting differences, go wherever you think you'll be happier->perform better->better recruiting.
If you are diverse or have connections in finance- Duke will get you looks at top tier opportunities (very hard if you're the standard white male without deep connections (i.e. Dad is an MD or key client) given that Duke isn't really target at EBs and GS and BX only take diversity and those very very connected).
If you are non-diverse without great connections- Grind hard and Ross will get you more shots on goal across the wide range of opportunities.
Source: Go to Duke and rejected from Ross so absolutely no bias here.
GS takes diversity and nepo everywhere. That’s a GS thing, not a duke thing. That said, they take about a dozen non diverse non nepo each cycle from what i’ve seen on linkedin.
school related data for IB recruitiing here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/resources/industry-reports/investment-b…
So, you want to go to wall street, but you're still in high school. Well so much can change in the next few years, but I can offer this advice. Go where you will be the best version of yourself that you can be. A struggling student at a prestigious school will lose out to a successful, confident, and happy student somewhere else. That said, both schools are great. Duke might have a bit of an edge on name, Michigan is a state school and won't confer quite as much snootiness, but I've never heard anyone complain about the quality of Michigan graduates. My suggestion is, think about which school will do the best for you, and where you'll have the experience that will make you who you want to be.
Just want to leave this here - best of luck with your decision!
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/school/an-open-letter-to-high-school-seniors
Everyone and their mom went to Michigan and outside of IB, Ross is just a character on Friends. Go to Duke and thank me later.
You'll be in good position at either school – both will give the chance to place well and good social environments. Michigan might have a bit more of the full college experience but Duke will be great too. Duke is a bit more prestigious a name, but people regard Michigan/Ross well too. I go to Michigan (non-Ross) and am class of 2024, and myself and the rest of class placed great, with a lot going to top shops. Michigan will certainly give you looks at all shops, including EVR, PJT, CVP, GS, MS, etc. Duke will give you the same chances, so honestly assess factors like cost (if it matters a lot), social fit, campus vibe, etc.
Duke. Michigan is a state school, a good one, but it’s a state school nonetheless. A good state school does garner good alumni support, but you will be in massive classes with profs who don’t even know you and chicks up there are well…leave something to be desired. Both place well in finance, but Duke has a whole different cache. Plus, the south has better looking women.
Thanks for all the advice above. Duke Econ has 300 kids. At Ross total class size is around 500ish (half of which are in state) of which 40 percent are concentrating in finance. I’m placed in a cohort with 80 kids for three years. I’ve contacted students at both. Both place well but Michigans alumni network is huge and everywhere. Top kids place great at Duke, but the ones I’ve contacted through mutual friends are very disappointed with placement. Very difficult to be the top. One of whom you literally said “if I could transfer out of Duke and into Ross I would.” Spoke to three Wharton (recent grads for some unbiased advice) they all strongly pushed Ross…they are all working alongside Ross grads. I got rejected ED to Wharton.
Girls are undeniably hotter at Mich…
Committed Ross.
Econ is a low level course. We are talking about more senior courses being different , the prerequisite junior class courses are like that for most schools. can’t go wrong with the decision either way, best of luck!
Went to Duke. Michigan is awesome; but Duke is undeniably the better brand. There are lots of good looking girls too and you’ll stand if you’re not a nerd. Can’t go wrong in either direction here
On the last point, I don't vibe with the vocal-fry having, strong independent woman type, girl that populates Duke so I slide over to UNC for the women. Will say women in the Triangle area beat Michigan but head to head Michigan clears Duke.
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