If costs are similar then how would you rank them and based on which factors would you do that ranking?
Anyone?
They are all good schools. I would research them outside of CC on factors that are important to my student, then ask CC about what I found.
Plus it depends on the major.
Undecided on major.
They are all excellent schools. You need to research what is important to you. My daughter did not like Duke- we all know it’s an outstanding school, just not for her. She liked Vanderbilt but did not like that it was 50% Greek. Again- these are all great schools and you need to judge for yourself what is important.
I would but hoping to hear why others like or dislike these colleges and why would they prefer one over other.
I’ve never visted Rice or Vanderbilt. I’ve known students who went to all of these schools. They are all fantastic. For ranking, the only useful way to rank schools (other than what paid services do) is based on the preferences of a specific student. Small things matter because fit matters most of all. For example, hate cold weather? NW is out. Hate hot weather? Rice is out. Those are just simple, but important, (dis)qualifiers. If you are asking for my personal opinion, I could tell you. But why would you want that? That’s my valuation, and it’s unllikely to have anything to do with what matters to you, or a particular applicant. Yeah, you can narrow things down like major, intended regional area of likely work, etc. If this is about 2021 admissions, wait for results. If it’s about the future, try to determine those general things that an applicant likes or dislikes (yes, weather can matter, says a person who hates heat and praises air conditioning). Apart from that, choosing from an abundance of riches like these colleges is like a dream.
If you are looking for (biased if honest) student perspectives on a school, niche.com can be useful.
@SugarlessCandy my D visited Duke twice and just didn’t “feel it.” When she had to write the “Why Duke” essay she told me she was dropping the school from her list because she couldn’t answer the question. She liked Vanderbilt but didn’t have the excitement there that she has for her current school.
My D’s friend is at NW. She likes it very much but says it’s intense.
I wanted my D to apply to Rice. After reading about it I thought she would like it. She started the essay and then somehow lost it and that was it… she refused to apply. After 19+ essays over a two month period of time she had enough. Now I am glad because it’s kind of far.
These are all outstanding schools but everybody has different likes and dislikes.
I think the overall difference in academic quality is paper-thin, as they’re all elite, but in my own undergrad academic groupings, Duke and Northwestern are one peer group above Rice and Vandy.
It’s almost silly to try to justify it, but if you look at overall program strength, I think Duke and Northwestern probably have greater breadth of program strength than Rice and Vandy. One can argue whether at the undergrad level, at four rich universities, there’s really going to be any difference in academic quality, and without attending all of them nobody would ever really know. But Duke and NW are great all over the map, by rep anyway, and I’m not sure the same can be said for Vandy or Rice. (I doubt either offers any low-quality programs, FWIW).
When four schools are relatively equally strong – and even sometimes when they’re not – i think you should decide based on fit and cost. What are some main fit variables?
- Academics: Class sizes. academic vibe (intellectualism vs. pre-professionalism), calendar, curricular style, majors and courses offered, etc.
- Environment: Location, city/town size and surroundings, weather, etc.
- Social vibe: party scene, political scene, sports fandom, Greek life, things to do.
- Dorms and food: Hey, you have to live and eat there. This should obviously just be a tie-breaker between otherwise equal schools...
And then comes Cost: run the NCP and make sure a school is affordable before applying!
Thank you for your post, it’s helpful. I read posters mentioning how U Chicago is more intellectual or Yale is more political or Princeton is better for undergraduate and Cornell has high rate of slides etc so aiming for similar information that differentiates these colleges from each other.
@SugarlessCandy what is your daughter like?
Since all four schools are of equally high quality, any ranking must come down to individual preferences. For example, if you want to study BME, then Duke. If you want to study media or journalism, then Northwestern. If you like hot weather and residential colleges, then Rice. If you like big-time college baseball, then Vandy. These are reductive examples, of course, and are used solely for illustration, not as legitimate characterizations of the schools.
^^I agree this. It’s hard to compare because it all depends on the kid. I would add that Vandy (and maybe Duke?) seem more Greek-oriented than the others.
I agree but obviously this thread isn’t going to be our only source of information.
OP, your question is too big. It is hard for people to give of their time without some input on the other side. Someone asked what is your student like…info like that creates a framework in which to answer the questions. Otherwise you are asking a lot of people that can’t be answered. This is like answering a chance me thread with no background data. Do you want to know which one has more trees? That may sound silly, but could actually be important to your student, but we don’t know unless you provide information.
FWIW, I went to parchment.com & ran a head to head match up to just get a sense of what a student with those 4 choices picks. It’s fairly interesting – but take it with a grain of salt – these are what others in your shoes picked, but the reasons (cost, location, major, etc.) are not discussed or weighted. It’s simply an up/down on which school enrolled the admitted student.
For example:
Duke vs Vandy = 68% choose Duke over 32% Vandy (of kids who are accepted to both schools, Duke wins 68% of the time).
Duke v NW = 89% to 11% (this is pretty surprising to me)
Duke v Rice = 74% to 26%.
So, of kids that get into these 4 schools, Duke pretty handily beats them in enrolling. So, I guess I’d ask why is that? I don’t think it’s name alone, only because all of these schools are top 20. And if I had to guess, Vandy is Duke’s closest competitor in head to head (compared to NW & Rice) because they have a similar Southern vibe – both are new in the “elite” university game. I think Vandy has only been in the top 20 for a few years.
The other matchups are interesting:
Vandy v NW = 39% to 61%
Vandy v Rice = 50% to 50%
NW v Rice = 44% to 56%.
Based on the enrollment yield of multi-admits, the schools are favored by the admittees: (1) Duke; (2) Rice; (3) NW; (4) Vandy.
^ the above post uses outdated, skewed info.
This info is from parchment and parchment used mostly in the south and west (with extreme underrepresentation of the midwest). And because Duke and Rice are respective “dream schools” for many, many top students in the south (where parchment is popular), the parchment data is skewed. In Texas, Rice is basically treated as Harvard. Even though Northwestern is a default “dream school” for many in the Midwest, that is not displayed in parchment’s data because it’s not used nearly as frequently there. AND if i recall correctly, that info is old (like 10+ years old), and northwestern arguably has gained more recognition/perceived prestige since then.
Arguably, in general Duke and Northwestern are considered better than Vandy and Rice. However, at the top 20 level, you’re REALLY splitting hairs and you should just choose more on “fit” at each school.
That’s good, because this thread isn’t a source of information at all, to be honest. Just a bunch of grasping at straws.
They are all top notch. Many students apply to all 4 and hope to get in one of them. D applied to 3 of the 4. She liked NW but eliminated it because of the cold weather. The nerdy/residential college/non Greek feel of Rice is very different than the preppie/frat/sorority/big sports feel of Duke and Vandy. Vandy and Rice are located in big cities with lots to offer off campus. NW is very close to Chicago and all it offers. Durham is a much smaller town.As others have said the fit at one might be a lot better for your child.