Hey Everyone, so I got accepted to both Dartmouth and Duke(as a Karsh Scholar) and am currently deciding between them. Considering that I’ll be going for Engineering/Computer Science, which option would be better for me, and why? What are the major negatives of each of the universities? What are their positives? @ucbalumnus @mom2collegekids
Did you get any money from Dartmouth? Considering you got a full ride to Duke and getting a BE (bachelor of engineering degree which is accredited) at Dartmouth takes 5 years while at Duke it is 4, I think this is a no brainer for Duke. (You can get a BA in engineering at Dartmouth in 4 years, but I don’t know why anybody would do that really – it’s not an accredited engineering degree).
On top of that, Dartmouth doesn’t even have engineering departments, you just major in general engineering. Their engineering curriculum is simply not as deep as Duke’s – it’s more of a broad engineering curriculum that is “focused on energy technologies, complex systems and the interface between engineering and medicine.” Not as many course options. Being in a Scholars program at Duke also give you additional benefits, and will prepare you well for research opportunities.
Comp Sci is also top notch at Duke, where they’ve staged a high profile “hackathon” in recent years, perform well historically at the worldwide collegiate comp sci competitions, and have some very illustrious alumni and professors. Dartmouth gives its students a great liberal arts education and does really well at getting its students to Wall Street, but isn’t really a power when it comes to engineering…
Thank you for your response! I received full rides to both the institutions actually.
Dartmouth: cold, snowy, great skiing nearby. Duke: relatively temperate, great beaches nearby.
Dartmouth: great liberal arts and med school. Duke: also well known for science and engineering and med.
Dartmouth: Ivy league. Duke: Top rated basketball program 
Dartmouth: Country setting, small state… Duke: Close to major urban Centers.
Dartmouth: 6k students. Duke: 14k.
If you are looking for a quite buccolic place. Dartmouth. If you want a more social, sports-oriented one: Duke.
I would chose Dartmouth.
The post above is actually pretty terrible.
Beaches really aren’t that nearby Duke (2-3 hour drive, not that anyone really goes to those beaches except after finals). Duke’s undergrad population is 6.5k students, and then there are about 8k grad students, but for the most part there isn’t much interaction between them as grad classes tend to be held elsewhere (for the most part).
Dartmouth and Duke’s academics are pretty similar, while Dartmouth is part of the Ivy League sports conference, both schools share similar prestige.
The Karsh Scholarship also opens up a lot of opportunities for you on top of the merit aid.
@vhopts: quiet not quite
OP: Duke is less homogenous than Dartmouth. If you truly want to broaden your horizons, you should strongly consider Duke.
Duke hands down. Better school. Better academics. Better weather. Not to mention you have the research triangle here.
Both are wonderful, first-tier, greatly esteemed institutions. Over the years, I have spent many months on both campuses and I respect both schools immensely.
So, @HeyStranger, first – and most important – deep CONGRATULATIONS to you on these superb acceptances and financial packages. However, I’ll briefly offer two thoughts for your consideration:
- A Karsh Scholar receives a good deal more than a financial full-ride; there are many non-monetary advantages that also apply.
- I wouldn’t pay ANY attention to rankings or to other comparative comments; both Dartmouth and Duke are so close in prestige, in student- and faculty-quality, in stature, and in the enduring advantages you’ll attain that to do so is fundamentally foolish (e.g., is a Lexus or a BMW the better automobile?). What I would truly focus on is YOUR individual fit with each institution’s “culture.” You really should spend a few days on each campus, living an undergraduate’s life, attending classes, participating in “bull sessions” in the dorm at night, having a few informal discussions with professors, randomly joining a few students for lunch or dinner, and MUCH more. This may well be THE crucial information required to decide which school – and its community and constituencies – really feels “like home” for YOU.
Quick answer, but @toptier is right about comments made.
Kiplinger’s (Feb 2015) listing on the top 50 private lists Duke at #5 and Dartmouth at #10 - they list out quality and financial measures in the detail. Dartmouth has a smaller UG env’t (4276 VS 6646) - both schools have 87% graduation rate at 4 years.
Kiplinger’s top 50 ranked Duke #10 and Dartmouth #23. That list was over all colleges.
Money (Aug 2014) listed by ‘biggest bang for the tuition buck’ - listed sticker price (assuming in-state for the publics) and they used 17 factors reflecting educational quality, affordability, and alumni earnings. On their list Dartmouth ranked 24 and Duke was 32.
IMHO Duke has more name recognition nationally.
I also like the research park near Duke.
I have no ties to either school, however understand the benefits of the research park near Duke as I live next to Huntsville’s research park, and have worked for university cooperative education. Being where there is a concentration of CS and engineering can provide opportunities.
As a very top student, you will have good prospects from either school. Unless you ‘feel’ better about the Dartmouth options, I would advise my student to go to Duke. If you plan to go on for graduate degree, which seems to offer better preparation and have better prospects for grad school opportunities?
I do know a few students personally that went to Duke - all are successful, all have degrees and advanced degrees.
Since both schools have very high stat students attending (avg GPA for admission 4.5 and high ACT/SAT) one can expect good outcomes from both schools.
I agree that their prestige is basically the same for undergraduates as a whole and most should choose Dartmouth or Duke based on personal fit, but for somebody strongly considering engineering, I think Duke is a fairly clear choice given what I stated above. Admittedly, I don’t know much about Dartmouth’s CS program (outside engineering), however.
One thing to keep in mind is travelling back and forth between home and college. Dartmouth is in the middle of no-where. There is a small airport nearby (Lebanon) which has only a handful of flights/day. Otherwise you have to go to Boston Logan or Hartford which are nearly 2 hours away.
Unless you already live in the northeast, getting back and forth to Dartmouth can be a pain. You will probably need to make the round trip at least 4-5 times per school year. And I imagine your parents will want to visit too.
Getting in/out of Duke is much easier. RTP is a regional airport with dozens of non-stop flights from nearly anywhere in the US.
Someone above mentioned Dartmouth’s “great Medical School…”. Beg to differ. Duke Medicine is of a caliber and scope that Dartmouth can not even begin to compete with. Dartmouth Medicine is quite trivial to Duke, and were it not for the name, would really be totally forgettable.
@oliver007 I was thinking the same thing but was too lazy to say it. With the probable cancer breakthrough (through polio) in the works, Duke Med is further far and away in a different league than Dartmouth.
I am – for many years and for VERY sound reasons – a huge proponent of Duke Med, not just the Medical School pre se, but all things “Duke Med” (e.g., Nursing School, research, clinical specialities, doctoral PT programs, post-MD training of residents, leading hospital center, global outreach, and a good deal more).
However, I’d offer a caution here (re posts 11 and 12). Generally, medical schools are assessed twice: teaching for research and teaching for primary care. Duke, and all of its top Med School peers, rank high (Duke is #8) in the “research” elements of medical education, and that’s their traditioanl forte. However, Duke and Dartmouth are tied in the “primary care” medical education element (at #28).
Both are important. Unquestionably, research is the “leading edge,” it appropriately garners much notice, and it sets the course for medical care’s future. However, training primary care practitioners is significant (despite the competitively small “sizzle factor”). When you’ve reached my age, you truly begin to understand just how consequential it really is.
Therefore, let’s note that Dartmouth provide fine primary care training for future physicians.
Sadly, “primary care” excellence is achieved by many undistinguished medical schools which have no standing at the forefront of Medicine…often in rural states etc. Primary care demands little in the way of cutting edge science and hence can thrive at any medical center. In terms of advancing the science of medicine, and in providing tertiary care, Duke is far removed from Dartmouth. It is much closer to Harvard/Hopkins than to Dartmouth!
Both are great schools , congratulations on getting accepted. Think it through, in the end I doubt you’d regret either choice. You are in a fortunate position.
Hello Everyone! Thank you all immensely for taking the time to respond. I just wanted to let you know that I ended up choosing Duke after much deliberation and every single comment here helped me greatly in making the decision. Thank you again!
Congratulations and welcome to the Blue Devil family. I’m sure you’ll find Duke a nurturing as well as stimulating home for your 4 years.
Thank you!! @Jwest22