<p>My son is also trying to decide between Duke and Vanderbilt. I realize this is the Vanderbilt board, which I would anticipate would be biased toward Vanderbilt, 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 ranked #2)
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 having trouble 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) but I also think Vanderbilt is a really fine school 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 Duke board as well.</p>
<hr>