Duke or Michigan? Forum

[NorCalBruin]

I'm mostly concerned about quality of life, social life, quality of city, etc... It seems they are basically peer schools job wise, so i'm not too concerned about that.

Some additional information:

1.) I will basically be paying sticker at either.
2.) I don't mind the cold, but don't love it either.
3.) Big college basketball fan, and as the son of a Duke alumnus, grew up rooting for Duke.
4.) I love being social, making lots of friends, doing everything possible, etc.
5.) Love the outdoors, namely hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.
6.) I do care about the quality of facilities.
7.) Quality of town is also important.
8.) Hesitant to go to a public school where the economy, lack of tax dollars might induce budget cuts, increased tuition, or a drop in the ranking (like it has arguably affected UCLA).
9.) Also enjoy college football.

Thoughts?

[lakerfanimal]

I'm mostly concerned about quality of life, social life, quality of city, etc... It seems they are basically peer schools job wise, so i'm not too concerned about that.

Some additional information:

1.) I will basically be paying sticker at either. draw
2.) I don't mind the cold, but don't love it either. duke
3.) Big college basketball fan, and as the son of a Duke alumnus, grew up rooting for Duke. duke
4.) I love being social, making lots of friends, doing everything possible, etc.draw
5.) Love the outdoors, namely hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.draw?
6.) I do care about the quality of facilities.depends on your preference
7.) Quality of town is also important.haven't visited either, ann arbor has a better rep though
8.) Hesitant to go to a public school where the economy, lack of tax dollars might induce budget cuts, increased tuition, or a drop in the ranking (like it has arguably affected UCLA).i don't think you should worry about this, but duke is private
9.) Also enjoy college football.michigan

Thoughts?

Duke looks like it's ahead for you. You should visit both though, because the areas/schools seem very different, and only you can determine what fits you better.

[AreJay711]

1. -
2. Duke
3. Duke
4. Michigan
5. Duke (because longer outdoor season)
6. Michigan
7. Depends
8. Seems to be a wash if you believe what Michigan says.
9. Michigan

So it looks like a tie so it depends whether you like Ann Arbor or Durham more.

[Bosque]

1. -
2. Duke
3. Duke
4. Michigan
5. Duke (because longer outdoor season)
6. Michigan
7. Depends
8. Seems to be a wash if you believe what Michigan says.
9. Michigan

So it looks like a tie so it depends whether you like Ann Arbor or Durham more.

Lol at Michigan winning 6. It depends on what you like. I cannot work in buildings like those at Cornell and Michigan. Sure they are pretty to look at, but that style of architecture makes me want to curl up and fall asleep in a nook somewhere, not study. I LOVE the building here at Duke. The abundance of natural light is fantastic, and the building is still pretty imho (just sleek instead of intricate). And if I ever want to see a grand impressive building, all I need to do is walk down the street to the chapel.

That said, I pretty much agree with the rest (although I would say 4 is a wash too, I think we have plenty of social interaction... just not as many people). But really, none of us can tell you which is going to feel like a better fit to you OP. You need to visit for yourself.

[FlightoftheEarls]

But really, none of us can tell you which is going to feel like a better fit to you OP. You need to visit for yourself.

/thread

[GMVarun]

You definitely need to visit both schools but (1) shouldn't be a draw. Even though sticker is a large number at both, and this difference in itself shouldn't make the difference, Michigan's total cost is lower than Duke's. If everything else is equal, 3K/yr is no small amount of money.

This is copied from another thread.

Berkeley (2010-11): http://www.law.berkeley.edu/6943.htm $72,446
Stanford (2010-11): http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/tuition/jd/ $71,535
Columbia: http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applican ... ns/tuition $71,000
Yale (2010-11): http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/costs.htm$70,450
Harvard (2010-11): http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/ ... udget.html $70,100
NYU: --LinkRemoved-- ... /index.htm $70,050
Cornell (2010-11): --LinkRemoved-- ... penses.cfm $69,750
Northwestern: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissi ... getJD.html $69,237
Georgetown (2010-11): http://www.law.georgetown.edu/finaid/fo ... 010-11.pdf $68,000
Virginia: --LinkRemoved-- ... uition.htm $67,700
Duke (2010-11): http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/tuition $66,610
Chicago: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective ... aid/budget $66,342
Penn: http://www.law.upenn.edu/prospective/jd/financing.html $65,610
Michigan: --LinkRemoved-- ... ition.aspx $63,710

[NorCalBruin]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[Fresh]

Michigan.

In before quakeroats.

[Bronte]

Visit to make your decision. I will add though: Michigan has the Lawyer's Club, which is a dormitory for 1Ls in the Law Quad. It's great for first year in terms of meeting people and not having chores (e.g., cooking, cleaning, paying bills). Also, Michigan is building a brand new facility across the street from the existing facility (http://www.law.umich.edu/buildingprojec ... /home.aspx).

Edit: I believe the new building is scheduled to be finished after the first semester of next school year.

[AreJay711]

1. -
2. Duke
3. Duke
4. Michigan
5. Duke (because longer outdoor season)
6. Michigan
7. Depends
8. Seems to be a wash if you believe what Michigan says.
9. Michigan

So it looks like a tie so it depends whether you like Ann Arbor or Durham more.

Lol at Michigan winning 6. It depends on what you like. I cannot work in buildings like those at Cornell and Michigan. Sure they are pretty to look at, but that style of architecture makes me want to curl up and fall asleep in a nook somewhere, not study. I LOVE the building here at Duke. The abundance of natural light is fantastic, and the building is still pretty imho (just sleek instead of intricate). And if I ever want to see a grand impressive building, all I need to do is walk down the street to the chapel.

That said, I pretty much agree with the rest (although I would say 4 is a wash too, I think we have plenty of social interaction... just not as many people). But really, none of us can tell you which is going to feel like a better fit to you OP. You need to visit for yourself.

I visited Duke. The buildings were really nice but working in construction I appreciate old, intricate buildings though the new building isn't built the same way but just built to look the same. I guess when you gut enough old buildings, you learn to appreciate them but it definitely depends on personal preference.

[FlightoftheEarls]

In regards to the new building, here's a little computer rendered tour of the building and the new commons area that should be finished after your first semester (although there were rumors they might actually be done by the end of this summer). Embarrassed to admit it, but I'm a pretty big fan of the musical arrangement they put together for it, as well.

http://www.law.umich.edu/buildingprojec ... media.aspx (Click on "3-D Animation of New Building 2010").

[Tanicius]

Michigan.

In before quakeroats.

+1 on both.

[FlanAl]

My girlfriend went to duke ug so i've visited a few times. the last time was during the iceland volcano so my ended up being there for 3 weeks. The biggest thing I would consider is the necessity of a car there. If you live off campus sure you can ride your bike but lugging books and getting groceries and the lack of bike lanes would probably get more than annoying. Everyone I met there drives everywhere, so if thats not your thing I'd add that to the list.

Two other things that probably won't matter too much but you might want to think about are

1) Duke UG is definitely not your parents Duke at all any more. If not the majority then a really substantial minority of the students there are completely stressed out uber competitive nerds who have a chip on their shoulder for not getting into HYP. I really hope that the law school is not like this.

2) their alumni list on wikipedia, haha this definitely doesn't matter but it is kinda funny to see some of the dudes that duke turned out

[Bosque]

1. -
2. Duke
3. Duke
4. Michigan
5. Duke (because longer outdoor season)
6. Michigan
7. Depends
8. Seems to be a wash if you believe what Michigan says.
9. Michigan

So it looks like a tie so it depends whether you like Ann Arbor or Durham more.

Lol at Michigan winning 6. It depends on what you like. I cannot work in buildings like those at Cornell and Michigan. Sure they are pretty to look at, but that style of architecture makes me want to curl up and fall asleep in a nook somewhere, not study. I LOVE the building here at Duke. The abundance of natural light is fantastic, and the building is still pretty imho (just sleek instead of intricate). And if I ever want to see a grand impressive building, all I need to do is walk down the street to the chapel.

That said, I pretty much agree with the rest (although I would say 4 is a wash too, I think we have plenty of social interaction... just not as many people). But really, none of us can tell you which is going to feel like a better fit to you OP. You need to visit for yourself.

I visited Duke. The buildings were really nice but working in construction I appreciate old, intricate buildings though the new building isn't built the same way but just built to look the same. I guess when you gut enough old buildings, you learn to appreciate them but it definitely depends on personal preference.

The bolded was my point. I should have said "winning 6 for everyone," but it sounded unwieldily when I wrote it out. I appreciate old intricate buildings. I just cannot be productive in them.

[Bosque]

Michigan.

In before quakeroats.

+1 on both.

Also do we have to turn every Duke thread into a thread about quakeroats before he even arrives? Can this please stop?

[Bosque]

My girlfriend went to duke ug so i've visited a few times. the last time was during the iceland volcano so my ended up being there for 3 weeks. The biggest thing I would consider is the necessity of a car there. If you live off campus sure you can ride your bike but lugging books and getting groceries and the lack of bike lanes would probably get more than annoying. Everyone I met there drives everywhere, so if thats not your thing I'd add that to the list.

Two other things that probably won't matter too much but you might want to think about are

1) Duke UG is definitely not your parents Duke at all any more. If not the majority then a really substantial minority of the students there are completely stressed out uber competitive nerds who have a chip on their shoulder for not getting into HYP. I really hope that the law school is not like this.

2) their alumni list on wikipedia, haha this definitely doesn't matter but it is kinda funny to see some of the dudes that duke turned out

Last response for a while, Duke game is coming on soon and I need to get some reading done before then.

I will agree about the car. Durham is sadly not friendly to those without motor transportation. You could make due with a motorcycle or scooter, but you will be miserable in the winter. And as a current Duke law student, I think I can speak to the 2 other points you raised as well.

1. No, the law school is not. I know what you are talking about with the undergrads (although from my observation it is only a moderately large minority), but Duke law students are incredibly friendly on the whole. Very collegial, very few people with chips on shoulders or any other other body parts. I don't know why this is for sure, but I think it might be partly a result of how small the school is.

2. Hey, Nixon opened up relations with China! And screw Tucker Max, he is not representative of our school. Besides, if you want to play that game Michigan gave us Ann Coulter, so I consider it a wash.

[ATR]

You definitely need to visit both schools but (1) shouldn't be a draw. Even though sticker is a large number at both, and this difference in itself shouldn't make the difference, Michigan's total cost is lower than Duke's. If everything else is equal, 3K/yr is no small amount of money.

This is copied from another thread.

Berkeley (2010-11): http://www.law.berkeley.edu/6943.htm $72,446
Stanford (2010-11): http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/tuition/jd/ $71,535
Columbia: http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applican ... ns/tuition $71,000
Yale (2010-11): http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/costs.htm$70,450
Harvard (2010-11): http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/ ... udget.html $70,100
NYU: --LinkRemoved-- ... /index.htm $70,050
Cornell (2010-11): --LinkRemoved-- ... penses.cfm $69,750
Northwestern: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissi ... getJD.html $69,237
Georgetown (2010-11): http://www.law.georgetown.edu/finaid/fo ... 010-11.pdf $68,000
Virginia: --LinkRemoved-- ... uition.htm $67,700
Duke (2010-11): http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/tuition $66,610
Chicago: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective ... aid/budget $66,342
Penn: http://www.law.upenn.edu/prospective/jd/financing.html $65,610
Michigan: --LinkRemoved-- ... ition.aspx $63,710

This is an excellent list. Definitely tagging.

OP, it seems like you would prefer Duke from your first post.

[vamedic03]

I'm mostly concerned about quality of life, social life, quality of city, etc... It seems they are basically peer schools job wise, so i'm not too concerned about that.

Some additional information:

1.) I will basically be paying sticker at either.
2.) I don't mind the cold, but don't love it either.
3.) Big college basketball fan, and as the son of a Duke alumnus, grew up rooting for Duke.
4.) I love being social, making lots of friends, doing everything possible, etc.
5.) Love the outdoors, namely hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.
6.) I do care about the quality of facilities.
7.) Quality of town is also important.
8.) Hesitant to go to a public school where the economy, lack of tax dollars might induce budget cuts, increased tuition, or a drop in the ranking (like it has arguably affected UCLA).
9.) Also enjoy college football.

Thoughts?

(8) Is not an issue - Michigan, like the other T-14 public schools, only receives minimal public funding. Apparently they only receive 2% funding from the state.

Also, Michigan, the state, has had economic problems for decades, yet Michigan, the law school, has been a Top 10 school for decades.

At the T-14 level, there is no difference between public and private.

[prezidentv8]

Michigan has the Lawyer's Club, which is a dormitory for 1Ls in the Law Quad. It's great for first year in terms of meeting people

Duke has Pinnacle Ridge.