Economics at Duke

[Anonymous]

I would say if you can afford it go for Duke! The degree will pay for itself and open doors and opportunities

[Anonymous]

In most cases, I don't think you should choose a college for a single liberal arts degree program. Well over half of undergraduates change their intended degree, and less than half of classes taken are typically in the major.

[Anonymous]

These program rankings are only meaningful if intending an academic career, or at the least, graduate school.

And yes, what was referenced is way off.

[Anonymous]

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/economics-rankings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello, did your dc do Econ at Duke. My dc has got in but it's ridiculously expensive.

If the alternative would be UMd. or UVA at in-state rates, you’re somewhat broke, your DC is very bright but not a miserably lonely child prodigy, and your DC could handle some bureaucracy, the state flagship would obviously be a better deal.

If you’re a little stingy but rich, your DC has never met an equally bright kid, your DC would get depressed at a giant school, and the best public school that let your DC in is on par with JMU, I’d lean harder toward taking out PLUS loans and saying yes to Duke.

Duke is a wonderful place. It is probably at least a T10 school. In the long run, a degree from there would probably pay for itself. A student who’s a good fit for Duke would have a wonderful time and priceless experiences.

But the good economics classes at UVa and UMd. would be at a great level, too, and a lot of students have a wonderful time there. Bankrupting yourself to send a typical bright DC to Duke instead of UMd or UVA would not make a lot of sense.

I wouldn’t do this for any degree from any school, and wouldn’t advise OP to either.

+1 never ever ever ever take out Parent PLUS loans.

You’re responding to me here. Based on standard financing advice and avoiding poverty, you’re right. I’m wrong.

But, if this were my kid, and I thought my kid really needed a school like Duke to thrive, I’d impoverish myself to send my kid there. I would take out the PLUS loan, the same way I’d take out a loan to pay for special support for a child who was blind or deaf, if that support seemed to be worthwhile.

But, obviously, that’s a tough decision. A parent who takes out a PLUS loan needs to understand that there are many possible bad outcomes. It’s the equivalent of agreeing to donate your heart to your child while you’re still alive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/economics-rankings

Note that, for graduate-level economics, UVa and UMd. are at about the same level as Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/economics-rankings

Note that, for graduate-level economics, UVa and UMd. are at about the same level as Duke.

That isn't what you are getting with an undergraduate degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello, did your dc do Econ at Duke. My dc has got in but it's ridiculously expensive.

If the alternative would be UMd. or UVA at in-state rates, you’re somewhat broke, your DC is very bright but not a miserably lonely child prodigy, and your DC could handle some bureaucracy, the state flagship would obviously be a better deal.

If you’re a little stingy but rich, your DC has never met an equally bright kid, your DC would get depressed at a giant school, and the best public school that let your DC in is on par with JMU, I’d lean harder toward taking out PLUS loans and saying yes to Duke.

Duke is a wonderful place. It is probably at least a T10 school. In the long run, a degree from there would probably pay for itself. A student who’s a good fit for Duke would have a wonderful time and priceless experiences.

But the good economics classes at UVa and UMd. would be at a great level, too, and a lot of students have a wonderful time there. Bankrupting yourself to send a typical bright DC to Duke instead of UMd or UVA would not make a lot of sense.

I wouldn’t do this for any degree from any school, and wouldn’t advise OP to either.

+1 never ever ever ever take out Parent PLUS loans.

You’re responding to me here. Based on standard financing advice and avoiding poverty, you’re right. I’m wrong.

But, if this were my kid, and I thought my kid really needed a school like Duke to thrive, I’d impoverish myself to send my kid there. I would take out the PLUS loan, the same way I’d take out a loan to pay for special support for a child who was blind or deaf, if that support seemed to be worthwhile.

But, obviously, that’s a tough decision. A parent who takes out a PLUS loan needs to understand that there are many possible bad outcomes. It’s the equivalent of agreeing to donate your heart to your child while you’re still alive.

I’ve seen this scenario play out so many times. I’ve also read countless stories on the StudentLoans subreddit (that is a very eye-opening place).

Here’s how it goes: Parent takes out parent plus loans for kid with the oral agreement that the kid and the parent will pay them off together (or sometimes, the agreement is just that the parent will pay it off). Kid graduates, or worse, does not graduate/drops out. Parent starts to get old & sick. Parent can’t make payments anymore & goes into default. Then kid is left holding the bag for their aging parent, on top of their stafford loans. The situation is even worse with private loans (which are usually in the students name, with the parent as the co-signer) like Sallie Mae because there is no PSLF, PAYE, or IBR for those. You either pay or you default and get debt to collections to settle with an enormous hit to your credit.

[Anonymous]

Top tier state school with full ride (i.e. UVA/UMD) hands down unless you are rich enough/get tons of financial aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s gotta be career center data somewhere

It’s confusing for me as a parent when there are direct admit undergrad biz schools, application-only biz schools, BS Econ, BA Econ, MBA ugh

Being an Econ grad is not the same thing as going to business school (although it can be a good starting point if you want to work in business). Economics is a social science... I can't tell if this question is from the OP. But if you are confused as a parent, I can see why (not being mean here) - you probably need to research economics as a field and how it can be used in a wide variety of careers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello, did your dc do Econ at Duke. My dc has got in but it's ridiculously expensive.

Honest question - if you don't think Duke's price tag is worth it, why did you let your child apply? I don't see how economics as a major has anything to do with that. It's a strong major that would support many different paths moving forward.

[Anonymous]

Economics education -- in terms of what gets taught in the classes -- is pretty uniform across universities. There will not be much of a difference in quality across the top 100 schools. Teaching undergrads at top schools (including Duke) is often handed over to teaching assistants - at least for the for two years of classes. Lower ranked schools and SLACs often do a much better job putting actual profs in front of students. Differences in ranking only really matter at the grad school level. Duke, of course, has an excellent name brand. Only you can decide if it is worth it given the alternatives.

[Anonymous]

No doubt Duke Econ is one of the best tickets to top consulting, finance, IB, etc with top $$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top tier state school with full ride (i.e. UVA/UMD) hands down unless you are rich enough/get tons of financial aid.

UVA Mcintire would be comparable to Duke Econ.
However UVA Mcintre is not guranteed unless you got a guranteed admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top tier state school with full ride (i.e. UVA/UMD) hands down unless you are rich enough/get tons of financial aid.

UVA Mcintire would be comparable to Duke Econ.
However UVA Mcintre is not guranteed unless you got a guranteed admission.

The equivalent to Duke's Econ degree would be the UVA Econ degree via liberal arts.....