<p>Help me out, please! I won't be giving specific names of the two schools I'm looking into because I know there will be some bias in the responses I get but please, bare on.</p>
<p>An important piece of information is that I was recruited to both schools for track. One is a D1 and one is a D3... I visited both and can't decided which I like better. Money is not a factor as I have recieved very similiar packages from both schools. I will also be attending medical school if possible, so it may not really matter which I actually pick.</p>
<p>College 1
+Top 10 college "Big name college"
+Great school spirit; big sports school
+Great Premed program
-I would be living in the shadow of better athletes
-3 hour flight from my home </p>
<p>I feel like I would be missing out if I didn't pick this one... My interviewer told me only EIGHT out of 125 applicants were accepted from my state. Thats a 7 percent acceptance rate! When I visited, I had a good time and met people I could connect with. The only downside the homesick feeling I had at times on my three night visit.</p>
<p>College 2
+Top 30 college "More regionally thank nationally known"
+More personal feel
+Great chance to be an "All-American" Athlete (Top 6 in the nation)
+Good premed programs
-45 min drive from my home</p>
<p>This school was actually my second choice before I got the "homesick" feeling from college one. This school seems to want me more and know me on a personal level.</p>
<p>If the only downside is the homesickness, and not being the best athlete, I would definitely say College 1. You’ve been recruited, so obviously they want you.</p>
<p>However, if you honestly prefer College 2 after visiting and thinking about it- if it is the school where you can see yourself living for the next 4 years- then go to College 2. </p>
<p>It seems like you have two great options… I doubt you could go wrong with either one!</p>
<p>I’m going to take a guess and assume college 1 is Duke.</p>
<p>Anyways, go with the one you feel more comfortable at. Everyone feels homesick (well, most people) after leaving for college but just about everyone gets over it in about 1 month after making new friends, finding fund things, etc.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would choose College 2. You would receive more attention as an athlete, and homesickness would be less of an issue of it’s really that important to you.</p>
<p>There will be a real difference in time commitment for your sport at Div 1 vs Div 3. How intensively do you want to work at track? Is any financial aid tied to the div 1 college? If so, what happens to the aid if you get injured or want to study abroad? Have you looked into the 4 year graduation rate for the athletes? </p>
<p>I know a student who had to choose between div 1 and div 3 and he chose the div 3. He has played a couple different sports and has had coaches that truly put the academics first. Being premed you may have conflicts with lab times, study groups, exam stress. Maybe post a thread in the parents forum asking about the differences in div 1 vs div 3. There are some parents there that know quite a bit.</p>
<p>@two mules - No, the fin aid is not tied into my athletics so I will still get the same package if I were to get injured. And college 2 actually allows us to study abroad in the fall. College 2’s coach sounds like he really values academics and College 1 has actually won an award for having a high athlete graduation rate</p>
<p>Wait! I’m psychic just like Hope2getrice is. </p>
<p>Division III school with track and pre-med …</p>
<p>Davidson? Nope</p>
<p>Haverford College? Closer … the crystal is getting clearer … wait for it …</p>
<p>Tufts!</p>
<p>Man, I’m good. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Hopefully, ‘living in the shadow’ of better athletes is an overstatement. Since when has Duke been a factor in track & field? </p>
<p>I’m guessing that you live in southern New Hampshire as there is not a chance in God’s green earth that only 125 students applied to Duke from Massachusetts schools. That someone at Duke told you that … comes across as icky.</p>
<p>You’re scaring me dude. Yes, its Tufts and yes I’m from southern NH (Nashua)! And by “living in the shadow of better athletes” I meant I would be beaten by other athletes at other ACC schools, such as FSU and Clemson. I would be one of the best at Duke, though.</p>
<p>So we’ve basically cleared up that this a Duke vs Tufts thread with Duke being college 1 and Tufts being college 2. Should I just focus on academics since athletics won’t really matter after I get my degree? Will the “All-American” status be a big deal on my resume?</p>
<p>That was easy. You forgot that you posted about Tufts and Duke in your very first post on this board. The New Hampshire was a nice touch and I almost threw out Nashua but you could have easily been up Rt. 93 versus Rt. 3 so I passed. ;)</p>
<p>Would I hire someone that was a student athlete? It would be a positive on their resume but I’ve never hired someone because that was the deciding factor. Perhaps some would be impressed by All-American status (at any division level in a sport). Rightly so I guess as it shows a certain level of effort and achievement. I love track and field events but that someone can run, jump or throw better than someone else is not a factor in my hiring them. </p>
<p>Bottom line, go to the school that you see yourself going to.</p>
<p>my friend was in the same situation with duke and tufts last year - chose tufts and is in love with it. and if you’re interested in pre-med, tufts has an excellent pre-med track.</p>
<p>Both are fine choices but if you prefer being in New England over a warmer climate then Tufts is obviously your choice.</p>
<p>I would try to leave Track off the table and decide based on the academic departments you are interested in and the type of people you feel more comfortable around. Can’t say what the differences, if any, in the students at Duke vs. Tufts but perhaps you can get a feel for that here or elsewhere. Know similarly qualified students who are very happy at both.</p>
<p>Duke has a very nice campus but Tufts has Boston…and snow of course depending on how you like the cold.</p>