Duke vs. Brown Undergrad?

Wasn't sure where to post this, but it looks like it's been moved to the b-school forum. This is for undergrad!

I'm a HS senior who committed to Brown for college, but I recently got off of the Duke waitlist, so I'm wondering if I should go there instead. I'd be majoring (probably) in applied math and economics at Brown, and in economics at Duke. I'm not exactly sure where in finance my interests lie, and I plan on spending my time at the beginning of college figuring that out, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on which place would maximize my odds at either IBD or management consulting roles. Financial aid isn't a factor - it's a clean head-to-head school comparison.

Ideally, I'd like to work in either NYC or Houston after graduation - NYC because it's NYC, and Houston because I'm from TX and I think I want to eventually go back full-time in either case, and because my sister is starting her MD/PhD in Houston.

I talked to one of my sister's friends who graduated from Brown this year and is starting as a business analyst at MBB in NYC, and she says that Brown students generally do really well in finance/consulting recruiting, but I don't have any similar friends/connections at Duke that I could ask about how their undergrads do.

Fit-wise, I really like Brown based on what I've learned about since getting admitted, and Providence seems like a cool city, but I don't really know anything about Duke, so it's hard to compare on that front. I know that I'd miss the traditional college sports campus vibe that Duke apparently has if I went to Brown though. Regardless, I'm sure I'd have a good time at either school, so I'm not too worried about fit.

Duke seems like a really great place, but I'm kinda leaning towards sticking with Brown because it's just a bit more familiar to me. If anyone has any insight on literally anything regarding either of these schools (especially Duke), or if you feel strongly that there's a clear better option here, I'd really appreciate anything you have to say!

 

Idk you are right where both of them are very different. Duke will have more of a finance culture (more people trying out for finance) where at Brown you may be one of the few people you know going for IB (MBB at both is really popular / competitive). Duke will definitely have stronger IB recruiting and more of a traditional college sports experience. Duke will also probably carry more name recognition in Houston (as someone from TX). However, Brown def has a very unique culture and fit really is the #1 criteria. Though, I would imagine you would find your clique at either school. Just talking about finance though, Duke will have much more OCR and a deeper finance network.

 
Most Helpful

Brown for sure. It’s all about fit. Brown will also provide you extreme grade inflation - a very overlooked component. Plus, it’s an ivy, so make of that what you want ;)

 

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