<p>Thank you for so accurately representing the antipathy that Duke and U North Carolina and their students/alums feel toward one another. For anyone not directly familiar with this scene, trust me when I say that they are not making this stuff up. </p>
<p>As for the schools themselves, I think nearly all outside observers would give a pretty clear nod to Duke for attracting a superior student body and having a stronger national/international reputation. After HYPSM, Duke is perhaps next in line among top students nationally (although this would not be the case among students coming from the northeastern prep schools, otherwise known as the Ivy breeding ground). </p>
<p>But does saying that mean that U North Carolina is an inferior place? No, at least not to the educated folks of this world. U North Carolina students can have an exceptional experience in and out of the classroom. That truly is the beauty of both places and is part of how they differ from the Ivy colleges and many other top ranked colleges. Duke and U North Carolina are among the very best balanced undergraduate experiences in the USA, combining first-class academics, outstanding social life and competitive/nationally relevant athletic life (for this thread, Vandy is also in that class). If a student wants that balance as part of his/her undergraduate experience, then both Duke and U North Carolina are superior choices to Cornell and Wash U. </p>
<p>As for college towns, Duke defenders are stretching a bit. Durham ain’t great while Franklin Street in Chapel Hill can be an absolute blast for students. </p>
<p>Oh, and I agree with that frequent voice of reason (midmo) who advises visits to each college. Doing so will pretty clearly differentiate which place is right for a prospective student while also helping to dispel some inaccurate perceptions about the current environments on these campuses. </p>
<p>Anyway, sorry to interrupt all of the fun between Duke and U North Carolina. Delicious stuff. Please continue….and someone pass me the popcorn.</p>
<p>I will third the suggestion that visiting the schools is key to fully grasp the environments, along with researching the academic offerings of each school. </p>
<p>Midmo, the reason I said WashU and Vandy don’t attract the same students is because of their VASTLY different atmospheres. St louis and Nashville are comparable, and both schools have a work hard play hard mentality, but the similarities end there.</p>
<p>Lindsay - I’m interested in the fact that you put Cornell on this list, even though you said that nearby access to a city was important. So something about Cornell is so compelling that it stays on the list even though it’s very far from urban. That something must be pretty significant to you.</p>
<p>I’ll throw in my 2 cents with regard to the OP’s query. I’ve lived in the neighborhood adjacent to two of the four schools – Cornell and WashU.</p>
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<li><p>School spirit – Cornell is D1 with hockey and lacrosse being the big sports. Campus and town go crazy over these events. Cornell is the big fish in a small pond (Ithaca) so everything happening on campus gets attention. Not so at WashU. Dlll sports quietly happen each week, but nobody outside of campus pays any attention. </p></li>
<li><p>Both schools work hard but my observations of the neighborhood after a weekend of play suggests that Cornell students play ‘really hard.’ WashU is quiet in comparison. But my observation of east coast culture vs. midwest culture is that everything is more restrained here.</p></li>
<li><p>Cornell is very intense. As a former student and faculty member I feel comfortable with this statement. I’m neither at WashU, so cannot make a comparison, but generally get the impression that there is a better sense of balance and cooperation, however, i may be wrong – remember, this is only 2 cents worth of information. May I also share that I’ve known several faculty members at both schools and it seems the intensity level at Cornell is also quite high.</p></li>
<li><p>Can’t really answer the ‘pretty campus’ question. I mean, Cornell is sitting on top of a hill overlooking Cayuga Lake and an amazing variety of buildings and architecture. I think it’s lovely walking about the acres and acres of campus, looking at the waterfalls, buildings, trees, vistas, and textures. WashU is situated within a few urban blocks. There is a regularity amongst the architecture and materials of each building. They are certainly beautiful inside, if a bit regular on the outside. Landscaping and outdoor spaces are fantastic simply because the weather supports more outdoor time. It feels ‘safe.’ Both schools have rebuilt their dorms in the last few years. I suspect that students at either school will be spoiled by their surroundings;-)</p></li>
<li><p>Clearly, WashU is in a big city and situated right next to the Metro which makes it quite easy to get downtown. Cornell, not so much though Ithaca is surprisingly cosmopolitan and may in fact be more so than StL. NYC is four hours away, Syracuse is one hour–for what that’s worth.</p></li>
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