Stanford vs Duke (full ride merit scholarship) for undergrad

Stanford. You can get any job you want from there even if Duke has a stronger path to finance. No recruiter will say “nah, let’s not give the Stanford kid an interview”.

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Yea that's a tough one bro. The Robertson scholarship is pretty dope. I'm quite familiar with it. But maybe Stanford due to better weather lol.

You're from London and you're not set on finance? Come on. Take Stanford. To put this in UK terms, this is like asking if you should take Oxford or Exeter.

I love Duke, but since money isn't an issue-or at least wouldn't represent any hardship to your family-take Stanford. If you can afford a mega brand do it. You'll have all the career optionality you want wrapped up in a bow if you perform well enough.

As others have noted above, since money isn't a limiting factor here, Stanford over Duke 100% no questions asked.

Perform well, be curious, involved, and interested in whatever you do. The Stanford brand will automatically open the first door every single time. After that it's on you to perform well and sell yourself.

I would say that being a Robertson Scholar at Duke is quite prestigious. Do you want to be a regular student at Stanford or be treated special at Duke? That's the choice you need to make as the Robertson provides countless opportunities beyond just the money.

Given that money isn't a limiting factor, I'take Stanford - especially if tech interests you at all in the slightest bit. That said, I have no idea what benefits being a Robertson scholar provides.

Stanford network and name is best known in Europe, should you want to come back later on in your life. Stanford is in an area which is much better than North Carolina, both for professional and travelling reasons. Stanford would open any door, across sector (i.e. including consulting, tech, finance) on both sides of the pond. On top of that, you will put on your CV a label that people will always see and recognize. You will never have later on a "brand" issue on your CV, and no one at any assessment center would ask "If that guy is that good, why he didn't go to Harvard, Stanford or Princeton?" and you will not be in the room to reply "I had a full ride and I was a Robertson Scholar". I have been in a lot of assessment centers and, as a fact, all else being equal, university brand gives comfort to the assessor. On the MBA question, it may be tricky, as MBA admission office may be aware of how selective the Robertson Scholar thing is, but I am pretty sure Stanford is on the safe side also for this, especially if you later want to do an MBA at LBS or INSEAD where people may not be that familiar with the US scholar system.

Choose Stanford and never look back.

Stanford, hands down. My girlfriend went there -- feel free to PM re any questions you have.

Unsure if you already made a decision, but reach out to stanford to see if they would be willing to come down on the cost of attendance give your situation. Had multiple friends get full rides elsewhere but go to stanford because stanford was willing to give them a discount

Stanford if money is not a factor which it seems is not the case for you. Remember, your undergrad brand stays with you for the rest of your life.

If money is truly not a factor, then Stanford does have that extra little bit of preftige if that's what you're after.  That said, I don't think Duke holds you back from too many opportunities in finance.  If the $300k is even slightly helpful to save for your parents, take Duke.  I think you'll have a great experience at either school- I know graduates from both, more from Duke but that's because I live on the East Coast probably.  

GO TO STANFORD!!!! It will be so so worth it even if you have to pay. Duke isn't that strong tbh

Dude definitely Duke--the Robertson Scholars program is insane. If you're interested in Finance Julian Robertson hits you up with his connects for internships etc. I think it's a no brainer for Robertson for the full ride, fun activities, and connections from Alumni

Devils advocate reply here - why not choose this Robertson Scholarship at Duke and ask your family to invest the ~$250k for you instead? That way you get a full-ride and money invested for you.

Also, regarding the MBA it depends how spectacular you'll be during your time at Stanford and what you do once you leave. Admissions tend to look for evidence of exceptional achievement or capability and to me being an average student at Stanford is trumped by being a Robertson Scholar at Duke because it shows you are extraordinary amongst your peers from 1. The U.K. and 2. The other students at Duke. Just food for thought

Yeah these comments show no one really understands the Robertson Scholarship. Duke itself is an incredible T10 school so while Stanford edges it out it’s not like there is a massive difference. Add in an incredibly prestigious scholarship known nationally and funded by Julian Robertson, and Duke is the no-brainer. Employers will recruit Robertson Scholars just to tell people they have a Robertson.

Dude the name value of Stanford cannot be overstated. Automatic credibility, absolute top tier. Most selective institution in the world. Duke is great but frankly just not close to Stanford/Harvard level. 
 

you won’t have a hard time recruiting for IB from Stanford, and you probably won’t want to. Lots go direct to buyside or VC. too smart for this excel shit

A lot of people talking about Stanford will get you anywhere but not sure what job they're talking about where someone would look at a Duke resume (with a full ride) saying "what a retard"... Lol

Girlfriend got Robertson's and then turned it down for HYPS...stanford doesn't seem to different a parallel.

She isn't super interested in finance(more vc stuff) and the opportunities are crazy. Esp considering the amount of fun and lack of recruiting prep you have to do for ridiculous roles.

Duke is great but going to arguably one of the 5-7 best universities in the world has whole different level of opportunities associated with it.

What did you end up choosing? Guys this is from 2019.

Unless you have a significant trust fund set up, I think graduating Duke with $280K in your pocket is better than graduating Stanford with nothing. I can’t think of any major IB/consulting firm that doesn’t have significant Duke representation. If you want to stay in California or do tech/VC maybe it’d be worth the extra $280K. And while a top name brand increases your chances, kids from lower ranked schools beat out those from top schools commonly - do well at Duke and you’ll be beyond fine

Easily Duke.

Find it kind of hilarious that people think Stanford is a "tier above" Duke or would have any meaningful difference on your resume getting a look. Maybe its because I'm from the west coast and know plenty of Stanford grads but I can tell you we view candidates from those two schools in the same tier 1 bucket. Add in the individual distinction that comes with that scholarship and your interest in finance and I would vote in favor of Duke.

You surely can't go wrong, but I am surprised that people perceive Stanford (undergrad in particular) as somehow on a separate plane.

EDIT: just did a cursory look at admission stats to make sure I wasn't going crazy--Duke actually has slightly higher average test scores, higher % from private schools, etc. Standing apart from that group with that scholarship would be invaluable imo.