By far the best aspect of this program is that it has allowed me to take classes from the Economics department, the Political Science department, the Math department, the Fuqua School of Business, and the UNC Kenan Flagler School of Business. I think that this program offers many of the same advantages of a MBA or a MFin, but it does not limit students in any way. This flexibility has allowed me to explore new interests, and it has forced me to confront new challenges every semester.

Come ready to work. There is no transition period, and your first semester is likely going to be a trial by fire. That being said, make sure that you don't become obsessed with Economics. Take time out to do fun things and make friends. Grad school only accounts for a fraction of your life, so make sure that when it is over you can take something with you (aside from the books, notes, etc). Also, if you don't drink coffee get used to it. Or tea.

This program has some exceptionally bright students. At the same time, I don't think anyone is quite bright enough to make it through alone because the content is so difficult. As a result, I have been able to collaborate with very intelligent people every single day, and we all have learned how to apply our strengths in order to solve very difficult problems.

In my opinion, it is the premier program in America. In fact, it was the only program I applied to. The name is great, the teaching is top notch, the facilities are beautiful, and the content is challenging and flexible. Duke has a great career center and a very strong alumni network. Since I am not pursuing a PhD, those were both very important to me.

If I do anything with finance or modelling, I will use my tools every hour of the day. If I decide to transition to another segment of the job market, then I still believe that a solid understanding of economics will allow me to gain unique perspectives on many strategic decisions. Economic thinking entails being able to reason analytically, create best responses to any situation, and then arrive at optimal outcomes. Name one job where that kind of thinking is not valuable.

Durham Bulls minor league baseball games Duke sporting events: everyone knows about the basketball games, but try going to tennis matches, etc. Wilmington has some nice beaches and is only 2 hours East Beach and Sugar Mountains are 2.5 hours West, and they get a little snow during the winter Kerr Lake is only an hour north, and it has good fishing, boating, etc UNC has great nightlife: I probably spend more time in Chapel Hill than I do in Durham Raleigh has good nightlife, too (I was surprised, but it is true) The airport has lots of flights and you can get to most big cities for very reasonable prices. Also, Raleigh has an Amtrak station and you can get pretty much anywhere on the East Coast for $50-75 round trip.