<p>Hey fellow CC members!! This is my first experience with posting on College Confidential, but I have an extremely tough decision to make this week and would like as much and as varied input as possible.</p>
<p>So I have recently been awarded the Jefferson Scholarship at UVA, which is a full ride plus summer experiences and other benefits.</p>
<p>I have also been awarded the B.N. Duke Scholarship at Duke University, which is also a full ride plus summer experiences and other benefits.</p>
<p>AND I HAVE TO PICK ONE THIS WEEK!!!:O So I would love to hear everyone's input on both the scholarships and the schools as a whole. How they compare, for both the undergraduate experiences and the opportunities they will afford you after college in graduate school and the workplace. Any help is appreciated, I want to make as informed decision as possible. Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>The student experience at the schools are substantially different. What are you looking for in that regard? Also, what are you looking to study? </p>
<p>Those would be key factors in my decision between the schools.</p>
<p>It’s great to be in a position where finances aren’t a factor in the college decision. Congratulations!</p>
<p>You obviously already visited Charlottesville since you got the Jefferson. I’m going to assume you had to visit Durham as part of the other scholarship. Which felt right? I often tell students in this position (where the tuition cost is removed from the equation) to go where they feel they will be happiest. If you’re happy, you’ll be engaged, involved, and probably learn more. :)</p>
<p>Good luck! I’ll check back in to see if you have more questions later.</p>
<p>@Dean J: Thank you very much! Yes I have visited both towns, and they are both unique and seem to be fun places to live. In the end, I will have to go with my gut. It is too bad I can not attend both Universities! After I have made my decision, I know I will be happy at either school I choose.</p>
<p>@AVA55 I am tentatively planning to double major in philosophy and neuroscience, but I should strongly emphasize the word tentatively. I plan to explore my freshman year to discover what I am most interested in and passionate about!</p>
<p>Both schools offer superior educations. You are clearly an accomplished student who will make the most of the opportunities provided by the scholarships you have been offered. There are some marked differences between the schools, for you to consider</p>
<p>As college towns go, Charlottesville is clearly a nicer place than Durham. Within Charlottesville there is more to do, better restaurants and far better shopping. It is, however, further to a major airport and further to a metropolitan area. </p>
<p>Likewise there is a difference between a “Duke” experience and a UVa one. And it mostly has to do with the size differences in the two schools. Duke has big time athletics, even its football team has been improving. But do you want to camp outside in the winter for basketball tickets? Also, while bright students attend both schools, there is more of an air of intellectual snobbery at Duke than at UVa.</p>
<p>From observations, UVa is less “radical” than Duke. Both schools attract a wide variety of students with a wide variety of political and social views. Likewise, the faculties are also diverse in their views. However, the most hard left students and faculty at Duke tend to control the campus. At UVa, different cultures and views seem to co-exist more peacefully. </p>
<p>The biggest downside to Duke, in my opinion is the cavalier way students are treated there. The horrible way the administrators and the faculty at Duke handled the false rape accusations against their students a few years back totally soured me on Duke, and the worst offenders are still at the school. My experience with the student affairs folks at UVa and with President Sullivan convinces me that UVa is a much more student-centric place than Duke. At Duke, the focus is much more on Duke as a “brand,” than as a center for learning.</p>
<p>If it means anything, I just picked between the same two schools (albeit without the scholarships) and chose UVa. The campus culture and the city of Charlottesville appealed to me far more than the culture or city around Duke, and the academics seemed comparable. Plus, since you’re a Jefferson scholar, I’m going to assume that you’re also an Echols scholar, which comes with awesome perks (and awesome dorms).</p>
<p>What’s great about the Jefferson Scholarship Program (beyond the free ride, close camaraderie amongst the scholars, and the enrichment programs both on Grounds and oversees) is the exposure that Jeff Scholars receive. It seems to me that the Duke Scholarship is very undergraduate & [url=<a href=“http://bnduke.duke.edu/about/benjamin-n-duke-scholars-program/]Carolina-centric.[/url”>http://bnduke.duke.edu/about/benjamin-n-duke-scholars-program/]Carolina-centric.[/url</a>] Jeff Scholars come from all over the United States as well as other countries. Plus, Jeff Scholars also heavily interact with the Jefferson Fellows who are graduate students at UVa that often mentor the undergrad Jeff Scholars. </p>
<p>Both programs are great, but I’d pick the Jefferson Scholarship.</p>
<p>My daughter was a Jeff Scholar who is still involved in the regional interview process. Apart from the scholarship itself the camaraderie as mentioned by Globalist has simply been unbeatable. Moreover, having been involved with several of these kinds of scholarship programs I have to say that I don’t think there’s an institution in the country that does does a better job of selecting, assembling, and nurturing scholars than the Jefferson Foundation. They have a knack for picking people who are not just talented in so many ways, but truly good people to be around. </p>
<p>And btw, I say that as someone also very familiar with Duke and its program which I greatly respect as well. However, I think Globalist hit it on the head as far as the key distinctions.</p>