Value of a Duke degree as recruiting tool ?

[SmartDevil]

Does anyone know of any credible study demonstrating what a Duke degree means in $$$$ over a lifetime of earnings for graduates in general and athletes in particular?

Might be useful in recruiting.

[CDu]

Does anyone know of any credible study demonstrating what a Duke degree means in $$$$ over a lifetime of earnings for graduates in general and athletes in particular?

Might be useful in recruiting.

I suspect that most kids don't want to be told about their future away from professional sports. It might be useful in recruiting kids who aren't very good. But "blue-chip" recruits are likely to be more interested in their chances of making it to the next level - not the value of a degree from Duke.

That's not to say that, realistically, this is a credible point about one of the virtues of actually coming to Duke. But in terms of getting the most talented kids to come here, I don't know that it's the best sales pitch. It's pretty much in one ear and out the other.

[gep]

Maybe football is different, but I remember Coach Cutcliffe saying that when he walks in to a recruit's house, he walks in with gold... a Duke degree. He apparently feels that it is a big deal.

[dukie8]

Maybe football is different, but I remember Coach Cutcliffe saying that when he walks in to a recruit's house, he walks in with gold... a Duke degree. He apparently feels that it is a big deal.

it is different. out of the roughly 100 guys on a football team, how many are playing professional football after duke? out of the roughly 15 guys on the basketball team, how many are playing professionally (including overseas) after duke? you put the degree to use a lot sooner if you are a typical football player.

i don't think the duke degree means all that much to most basketball players. if it did, then why do most major in the easiest subjects and load up on guts? there are exceptions, like langdon or crawford palmer, but for the most part, basketball is their main focus.

[NYC Duke Fan]

A Duke degree is the equivalent of a Stanford and Northwestern degree but not as valuable as a Harvard, Yale or Princeton degree.

[Devilsfan]

Northwestern? Isn't that a school for future high school newspaper and English teachers? The value of a good degree must be meaningless to a PP.

[mgtr]

A Duke degree is the equivalent of a Stanford and Northwestern degree but not as valuable as a Harvard, Yale or Princeton degree.

In other words, it is pretty darn valuable, particularly in the South. But, when recruiting, the value is not perceived by the 18 year old kid, but by his parents. The kid, after all, has stars in his eyes, because he is the next Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. The parents (in, I think, most cases) are much more realistic. They realize that there will be life after basketball at some point. The kid may make it into the league (at least for a while) and then go play overseas for a while. Or the kid may go directly overseas for awhile.
Anyway, by about age 35 their basketball playing days are ending. They may end up like Spanky McFarland (from Our Gang), running a service station in Iowa, but they will probably want more.
Pro basketball will desert them in a heartbeat (what have you done for me lately?) Unless they become superstars, they will need something to fall back on.
A comparison not involving basketball. I got the job I most desired, working for a big new New York company in an important and powerful position. But by age 44 I was just tired of the rat race, and ready to move on. Because I had obtained the proper academic credentials, I was able to get a job teaching in college. In other words, in my first job I had no real need for advanced degrees (but they helped). In my second job they were essential.
As Archy McNally says, "One never knows, do one?"