<p>So I'm deciding whether to apply ED to Duke or not....</p>
<p>I was just wondering which of these 3 schools is strongest in engineering: Duke, University of Washington and Cal Poly SLO?</p>
<p>I would either major in electrical or bioengineering. I know Duke isn't the strongest in engineering but I like the idea of taking a 1/3 of your classes in humanities and I would possibly double major with econ. I'm instate for UW. Is Duke really worth 50,000+ or is UW or Cal Poly a smarter choice?</p>
<p>I’d say Udub is strongest, then Duke, then CalPoly. However, all three are very good schools and all have somewhat different purposes. Udub is a very large state flagship with a number of strong programs but a particularly good engineering school. Duke is a top-notch elite private university with much less of a focus on engineering, though it is certainly still very good and is outstanding for biomedical. CalPoly is less prestigious overall, but it has a good reputation in the West. I get the feeling that it has a slightly more career-focused feel vs. pure academic training, which could be either good or bad.</p>
<p>EDIT: I think you posted some additional info. You should absolutely apply to all three; I would not recommend ED. Your additional humanities interests make Duke somewhat more compelling, but Udub engineering at in-state rates is hard to turn down. Bottom line: all three deserve consideration. I wouldn’t lock yourself in now.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your response. I absolutely love the UW campus and everything and I’m a die-heart husky fan but I don’t like the size and the proximity to home. Would it be dumb for me to apply ED to Duke because I have a much better chance than if I applied RD?</p>
<p>Can your family afford $50K+ without batting an eye? If so then Duke is fine. Otherwise it’s wasteful and self centered.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say without batting an eye but they wouldn’t have to make any serious sacrifices to send me to Duke. I was hoping that I could find scholarships to cut down the cost to ~35K and get some money from Duke since I have a brother who is also in college. Is there a cutoff to who get aid?</p>