Crazy for turning down ivies??/ Columbia vs. Duke

College Search & Selection
1

So, I have been very fortunate with my college acceptances. I was accepted into all 14 schools I applied to, including the one Ivy I applied to: Columbia. I don’t know why, but through extensive research, I found that I could not see myself at any Ivies except for Columbia. However, after weighing all of my options, it appears that the best school for me is Duke. People at my ultra-competitive, ranking-obsessed high school constantly tell me that I’m crazy for turning down an Ivy for a “second-tier school.” I used to pride myself on not caring heavily about college rankings and prestige (some of my other top choices were the University of Alabama and the University of Oklahoma) because, truthfully, I believe that there is no such thing as a bad college, and, in most cases, what you do with your degree is truly what matters as opposed to where you get it. Ironically, the school that I found to be the best match for me just happens to be a very prestigious, fantastic university that I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to attend. The barrage of comments from my peers and on CC forums, however, have me second guessing myself. Should I heavily consider going to Columbia because of its prestige and Ivy-status???

I love Duke’s school spirit, campus culture, heavy research (which is great for me because I plan on majoring in bio and being pre-med), and setting in a relatively small town. Staying on campus for a few days was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Before visiting, I was aware that Duke is a fantastic school academically, but the social environment turned out to be a great match for me.

Columbia, on the other hand, has a distinctly different social environment according to what I have read. I have never visited Columbia, so I can’t speak from experience. Its urban setting could be advantageous for opportunities such as internships, but I personally would prefer living outside of a big city. Also, I have read that there is not a lot of school spirit. Although I am going to focus on my academics, I would enjoy going to sporting events and having a strong sense of community on campus.

Sorry for this rambling post, but if anyone could give me their perspective on how important the ‘Ivy-league label’ truly is, that would be great! Also, I would love it if anyone who chose Duke over Columbia or Columbia over Duke could tell me why they made their choice. Thanks!

2

The net price is not significantly different? Saving money on undergraduate may be quite helpful if you go to medical school to reduce the debt load by the end of medical school.

3

Do not listen to anyone but yourself. You have found your ‘fit’ in Duke and it will give you superb opportunities. It is not second tier by any standards other than a bean counting hair splitter who does not have your best interests at heart. Those people will change their minds when they grow out of HS obsessions. You do not need to know why other people whose choone over the other, they are not you or have your likes and wants. You have already made your decision. My opinion is that you should accept Duke asap as once your decision is made public, only a turd would continue to second guess you. Don’t invite those other opinions in.

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Duke. Duke Duke Duke. 10000000%. Duke. You are 100% right in your reasoning, and Duke sounds like a wonderful fit for you. Plus, that school is nothing to scoff at in the first place, there are people in my area DYING to go there! When you’re 40, what will matter more? The prestige of your college or your experience there? Follow your gut/heart. If you lived in a world without internet forums, you wouldn’t even be debating haha.
Stand by what your gut tells you! :slight_smile:

5

Lol first of all, Duke is NOT a “second-tier” school. Check USNews to understand what “tier” means in its context. Geez, this isn’t a matter of SEALS vs ROTC.

Seeing as you want to do pre-med, I don’t think Columbia offers anything better than what Duke would offer its undergrads who are on that track. Columbia’s location is something else… and one that makes choosing to reside there for four years a tough decision. But again, for pre-meds, location shouldn’t be a huge factor. In fact, I’d say Durham and its surrounding areas will offer more than NYC.

That being said, both will be very, very cutthroat within courses that are required for med school admission, but that’s expected. However given the quality of the students that attend these schools, chances are almost every single one will work their butts off to get into med school.

Nevertheless, it’s more about how you perform than the name of the school you attend, especially if the two schools differ by a single-digit ranking.

6

WAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!

I take back everything I said. You didn’t mention here, like you did in your other thread that Duke is unaffordable to your family circumstances and will put near retirement parents into deep debt.

PS that is the last time I am going to tell someone to run out and deposit. Having only part of the story seems par for the course with teenagers. Puttin yourself into deep debt changes EVERYTHING.

7

Duke and Columbia are very similar in terms of reputation and prestige and among a small group of the most elite research universities in the US. While the link below needs to be taken with a grain of salt it gives you a sense of how colleges are viewed from a “prestige” perspective.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/978040-ranking-colleges-by-prestigiosity-p12.html

Practically speaking the opportunities available with a degree from either university are roughly the same. The real issue between the two is one of fit, and it is clear from your post where you are most comfortable.

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NO YOU CANNOT AFFORD DUKE. $120,000 is far far far too much debt for an undergraduate degree, regardless of the name of the school. Go somewhere else and enjoy not being saddled with loans for the rest of your life.

You would be crazy to turn down your other affordable options for Duke.

9

IVY IS ONLY A SPORTS CONFERENCE.

This thread is mind-blowing and gives me a headache. Finances aside, Duke undergrad was once considered more prestigious than Columbia in the 1990s and even early 2000s.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070905010206/chronicle.com/stats/usnews/index.php?category=Universities&orgs=&sort=1983

Now they’re essentially a tie. All the people you speak to are idiots and out of touch with reality. The benefit of the doubt should be flipped on Columbia since as an 17/18 it’s not the greatest experience to go to school on a cramped campus in the middle of an impersonal city.

But when finances are considered and Columbia is the wiser option then I’d say go that route:

10

So, if the only choice were between these two schools and money were equal – then the parents here would say follow your heart and go to Duke. Going to school in NYC is great for kids who have visited and loved it, not for kids who have not stepped foot on campus.

However, according to your other thread, that is not the situation, as you have a wonderful range of acceptances with varying degrees of merit money. It is not reasonable to ask your parents to raid their retirement savings for one school when a number of others provide strong alternatives. Maybe if your parents were in their early 40s and had 20+ years to replenish their retirement savings, then the answer would be different. But apparently your parents are approaching retirement age.

From your other list, William & Mary would be a great option, as a smaller university, in a neat town, with lots of school spirit. If you are talking med school, then minimizing undergrad debt is a top priority and Duke should come off the list entirely.

You showed a lot of wisdom and maturity in applying to a range of schools that would offer significant merit aid. Try not to get your head turned by the lure of the big name – you had good reasons for developing the list you did, which was sensitive to merit aid and value.

Congrats on your great range of options, and good luck on your decision.

11

I am not going to address the financial issue other than to say that I agree that it is not worth going into debt if you have other excellent options, particularly if you are planning to go to medical school and incur even more debt. On Duke vs. Columbia, they are both “top tier” major research institutions. I’m not sure that there is a meaningful distinction in terms of ranking or prestige but they will be very different experiences and if Duke feels right, then (finances aside) go for it. We have a good friend whose son was deciding between Duke and Columbia a few years ago. His high school routinely had 10 kids going to Columbia (and similar numbers to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn). He chose Duke and never looked back.

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C O L U M B I A, especially if you want to read the “Great Books.”

13

Yes, you are CRAZY for picking Duke…because it would leave your family $120,000 in debt!! A Duke degree is NOT worth it. You’ve gotten into some amazing schools- Tulane, W&M, Rice, Bama- where you would either have no debt or much, much less. Is Duke (or Columbia!) really worth 120K more? NO. Don’t do this to yourself or your family!

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Also for pre-med - don’t spend all your money in undergrad b/c you’ll spend enough in med school. Where you go for undergrad is not as important for admissions anyways

15

Why is Duke even still on the table? Have you lost your mind? Go back to the list of acceptances, and run the financials for all of them. Any place that will leave your entire family in more debt than the federal maximums ($5,500 freshman year, $6,500 sophomore year, $7,500 junior year, and $7,500 senior year) should have been sent long ago to the recycle bin. Period. And doubly so for someone who is thinking about med school.

16

I’m not sure it’s even legal to turn down an Ivy.for a non-Ivy.