<p>I like the small schools better, but I know Duke has the big name recognition going for it. What would you guys decide? I know they are all academically strong- I worry that Haverford is too small, Bowdoin is too cold, and Davidson is too southern. I'm interested to hear the opinions of others!</p>
<p>Hey! I would pick Duke... although I will probably be headed to Davidson. Duke is a fantastic school all around: academics, spirit, athletics. And then, I also think Davidson is awesome. I am currently trying to decide between Colgate, Davidson and William and Mary... any thoughts?</p>
<p>If you really like the environments of small liberal arts colleges, then don't just go to Duke because of the "prestige." Duke is agreat school, but so are all your other options. Bowdoin, Davidson, & Haverford are all top-notch elite liberal arts colleges of pretty much the same quality & prestige... but they are all very different from one another. You really should visit if you can. I don't know much about Bowdoin & Davidson specifically, but I know quite a bit about Haverford. Haverford has VERY CLOSE ties to Bryn Mawr socially and academically, so it is effectively larger than it first appears. Plus, students can and often do ocassionally take classes at both Swarthmore and UPenn which are both less than half hour away. Haverford is only 20 minutes outside Philadelphia. Bowdoin is more rural, but offers a phenomenal, intimate education... it is definitely well-known on the east coast.
Davidson, though relatively more southern, still attracts alot of kids from the northeast because of its excellent reputation. You just can't go wrong with such wonderful choices. You have to make your decision on best fit... there is no right/wrong answer, and what is "right" for you will not necessarily be "right" for someone else.</p>
<p>here at Davidson, our Lacrosse team can not compete with Dukes.</p>
<p>compete with Duke's team on the field or in the criminal court room?</p>
<p>Seems like most of the advantages of a small college would also be present at a small-ish university like Duke. It's probably at the much-bigger-than-Duke universitites that the 500-seat lecture halls and I'm-just-a-number atmospheres are a problem.</p>
<p>Duke's much larger than Davidson, so if size is of matter and you want small then Duke might not be a good fit.</p>
<p>Of course Duke is a top ranked University, whereas LACs might not have the wow factor besides the few top ones.</p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>Duke offers much more.</p>
<p>Duke seems to be the exception to your other schools.</p>
<p>If you prefer a LAC go with one of the first three. If you like a larger university, go Duke.</p>
<p>You can't go wrong, unless you don't pay attention to where you best fit.</p>
<p>duke has a very different environment than the small schools, although i think haverford and bowdoin are more similar to each other than to davidson. i had friends at bowdoin who got into duke and who i can't really imagine going to a large, southern university. duke is prestigious, certainly, and its students are bright, but the students are bright at LACs, and you should really decide based on your intended academic interests and your personality.</p>