Applying early to Duke or Stanford?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hello! I'm currently a junior who is trying to figure out where would be best to apply early next fall. My two top choices as of now are Duke and Stanford.</p>

<p>Just for some background information:
White/Female from California
UW GPA: 4.0
W GPA: 4.55
ACT: 35 Composite 36 R, 35 M, 34 Writing, 35 Science
ECs: Junior Class President (and 3 yrs in ASB leadership), Tennis team captain, Lacrosse player, Founded my own non-profit business and raised $10,000 so far for my school (and now have been created the first student member on our school's board), Math tutor, Website manager for local business, and I will be taking a CS class at Stanford this summer and hopefully programming an iPhone app!
Hooks: Female applying (maybe) to engineering, Stanford legacy (and my parents know a LOT of people at stanford, deans and professors, that they can set me up to interview with)</p>

<p>How I feel about duke: I love the school spirit, social student body, great weather, research opportunities, small classes, great BME program (major I'm considering), out of state (want to experience a new environment), amazing campus, greek life</p>

<p>Stanford: More prestige and connections with jobs in Silicon Valley (for after college), great weather, great engineering programs, school spirit. (but the drawback is it's literally 15 minutes away and I would be staying in the same area I've known my entire life...boring) </p>

<p>I think I would probably prefer having my college experience at duke, but I guess I worry about regretting losing some of the connections I would get at stanford. Do you guys think the prestige gap is really that big? For those of you who know both schools, can you help me hash out why you think one or the other is better? </p>

<p>I really want to apply early to the school I believe is my #1 choice. Let me know your opinions!</p>

2

<p>You will get a much bigger boost in the admissions process at Duke (I was under the impression that Stanford has a reputation of being pretty ruthless in the EA round, but I could be mistaken). If I were you, I’d definitely apply ED at Duke if I was planning on getting a graduate degree (which I would try to get from Stanford!). If you aren’t thinking about grad school, you may want to try your luck at Stanford. </p>

<p>Good luck with everything :)</p>

3

<p>Hey, I would totally ED duke if I were you. You sound like you want to explore, have a great college experience, and try something different. That’s DUKE!!!</p>

4

<p>You’d be a great candidate for ED. It gives a huge boost on your chances too, which EA at Stanford doesn’t do. </p>

<p>Both schools are great, but you definitely wouldn’t be losing connections and opportunities if you went to Duke (eg Tim Cook and Melinda Gates are two pretty important Duke alums). There are a lot of alums who go to Silicon Valley for jobs after graduation, and if you look on LinkedIn or something you can see that that is the case. Duke also offers a Duke in Silicon Valley program if you ever wanted to take classes near your house for a semester that helps you build these connections.</p>

5

<p>Patriotsfan is right. Apple for example is full of Duke alums (Jeff Williams and Eddie Cue among them). Microsoft’s CFO is a Dukie (Amy Hood). Cisco’s CEO attended Pratt (John Chambers). etc. etc.</p>