<p>My son is also trying to decide between Duke and Vanderbilt. I realize this is the Duke board, which I would anticipate would be biased toward Duke, but here are the facts in his situation:</p>
<p>1) He likes both schools a lot and believes he would be happy at either place
2) He is majoring in engineering
3) He is looking at the overall college experience, not just the ranking of the engineering schools (i.e. he didn't even apply to MIT, Stanford, or Univ of Texas or similar schools which have stronger engineering programs but are not the type of school he is looking for)
4) He thinks he might be interested in Chemical engineering, which Duke doesn't have, but he is not certain on that specialty and would consider mechanical or possibly biomedical (in which Duke is superior)
5) He plays in the band and likes the idea of playing in college as a non-major. Both Duke and Vanderbilt have marching and pep bands, but Vanderbilt's music program and marching band are superior. He has met the Vanderbilt director and really likes him. We don't know much about Duke's band (except he would get into the basketball games without having to wait--a plus!)
6) He is a strong student and would do well at either school, but we are thinking he might be more likely to "shine" at Vanderbilt (he'd be more "average" at Duke)
7) Vanderbilt is giving him academic merit and national merit scholarships of $22,000 per year and Duke would be full price with no scholarships or financial aid. Duke and Vanderbilt tuition and expenses both run about the same--$44,000+ per year.
8) We can afford either school but we are not sure the Duke "name" and "experience" are worth the difference in cost. Both are good schools.</p>
<p>So, one would think this is a no-brainer, right? Logic and finances say to pick Vanderbilt, and my son says he is leaning toward Vanderbilt (I am sure because of the scholarship.) Well, the fact that he is still deciding makes me think that in his heart he wants Duke, and he has admitted that he just finds it heard to turn down Duke. I love Duke (I went there eons ago) so please understand that this is a difficult decision for all. Advice or comments? Please give reasons for one school over the other if possible. Thanks! I will post this on the Vanderbilt board as well.</p>
<p>How does he know they are not the type of school he is looking for? Did he even visit any of these schools?</p>
<p>Maybe your son feels like you would want him to go to Duke because you went there yourself. Make sure to let him know you want him to go where he will be happy. That is the best advice I can give.</p>
<p>Just a note about the music. The Vanderbilt music program is stronger because Vanderbilt has a school of music-the Blair School of Music. Thus, unless you audition and are accepted by Blair, there is little action for the non-major. Duke has a department of music-which lends itself to non-majors.</p>
<p>My S had same issue. 24Kx4 years at CASE vs Duke at sticker price. Both have good BME (his choice major) programs, he went to both places, and decided on Duke. I know 100K is a lot of money, but I left the decision process entirely to him. I hope kids at this stage are mature enough to make that call, they should realize, that even if parents financially help or support them, they have to live with their decision for 4 yrs, and afterwards. Ultimately, money is finite, and he will have to pony up by taking some debt for graduate school when the time comes.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I will try to address the questions.</p>
<p>beavercall--How does anyone select or eliminate schools? Reading about them, considering the majors offered, location, focus of the school,visiting, etc. He visited UT and even attended an honors colloquium there for a few days (too big, too urban, even though many of his friends are going there--we are from TX). As for MIT and Stanford--he had no interest and had to narrow the field somehow. He was looking for mid-sized schools with a well-rounded curriculum focus and one that he would be happy at even if he decided not to continur with engineering. What else can I say? Yes, he visited Duke and Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt twice). He visited and applied to Washington U in St. Louis, Rice, Tulane, and SMU. No, he is not just interested in Duke because I went there--he is getting no pressure from me on that one! Yes, we want him to be happy whereever he goes, not just select his school based on what he thinks we want.</p>
<p>jamishmo--Actually we met with the Dean of Music at Blair and learned that surprisingly there are a lot of opportunities for non-majors--marching and pep band have lots of non music majors, and I believe there is a concert band designed for non-majors that is available. Also, my son could audition for the wind ensembles if he wanted to--althought they are competitive, they are not just restricted to music majors. However, he is mainly interested in the marching and pep bands at this point so no need to be a major for those.</p>
<p>gursugar--yes, he will be making this decision but of course wants our input. He knows if he picks Duke more of his own personal funds will be involved, but that is part of the equation. </p>
<p>All--we have told him we will support his decision either way and help him work it out. He has already ruled out the other schools (some offering generous scholarships) and narrowed it down to these two. It would be easier if he didn't like both. I feel he can't go wrong with either school, but we are open for ideas of what to consider that we might have missed. Thanks for the input.</p>
<p>So, one would think this is a no-brainer, right? Logic and finances say to pick Vanderbilt, and my son says he is leaning toward Vanderbilt (I am sure because of the scholarship.) </p>
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<p>When I read the no-brainer comment, I thought you were going to say that Duke was the obvious choice.</p>
<p>If it were a matter of taking out loans, I'd say go with Vanderbilt. But if you have the money, this is exactly what I'd spend it on.</p>