I got liklied by Cornell two days ago so Now in a big decision. Cornell or duke?
@jacobson123 I received a likely letter from Duke, no word from Cornell though. First of all congrats! That’s a great decision to have to make. I personally would pick Duke over Cornell if I had the option. I Know Cornell is an ivy and it’s an amazing institution but Duke is amazing in its own right and the social atmosphere there has no comparison. The basketball games will be an amazing time along with other athletics and the academics will surely be at least on part with Cornell’s. However it ultimately comes down to you and how well each of these schools fit for you. Best of luck and congrats!
@jacobson123 Duke. Better academics, better weather, better sports, better social life (doesn’t revolve entirely around the Greek system as it does at Cornell). Of course, I’m biased 
"Of course, I’m biased "
Yes you are. The greek system at Cornell is quite evident for those in it, and for freshmen being recruited. After that, the 2/3 of the student body who are not part of that system generally has little or nothing to do with it. Social life for upperclassmen typically revolves around the private (no RAs) rental housing where students live together, many in collegetown just off campus. House parties and small groups going out together.
I never had such decision, back in the day, because I would never apply to Duke. I don’t share the political or religious views of the majority of southerners. When I looked into it, at that time, there were reportedly only 5,000 co-religionists of mine in the entire state of North Carolina. My sister-in-law is actually from NC, and she does not recommend it for “my people”, based on her observations growing up there. Plus I was interested in physics and engineering, and those programs were much stronger at Cornell. IIRC, at the time, Duke didn’t even offer one of the major branches of engineering, chemical engineering, at all. What if I wound up getting interested in that? It felt to me like one of those schools where most engineering students don’t really want to become engineers.
But that was me, a long time ago.
People into spectator sports at Cornell wind up adopting hockey, and are generally satisfied with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ2lOEYJM0A
YMMV.
^ ^ ^ ^
Of course, many individuals are biased. Some, for example, retain archaic religious and geographic prejudices, decades after they had any validity (I did note, however: “But that was me, a long time ago”). 
You’re right. As for what is archaic and what is still accurate, that is something people may investigate and decide for themselves.
I don’t think people typically think of a “weed out” course as a course meant to get certain students to leave a school. its meant more to determine their academic fit for a certain major.
@CHD2013 (re post #26):
With respect, you are (at least in part) wrong. There are two legitimate meanings for the term “weed out courses,” one you’ve suggested (#26) AND the other I have (#15). In fact, it was extremely common for some public flagship universities to have one or several “weed out” courses, specifically intended to flunk out large numbers academically unqualified freshmen; this was especially true when state legislatures REQUIRED the flagship to accept EVERY in-state high school graduate who applied. While that statutory practice is now not as common as it was a generation or two ago, it is incorrect to suggest that “weed out” courses refer ONLY to academic concentrations (pre-med is the “textbook” example).
I’ll provide a pertinent example. For many years, Ohio State was – as a matter of law – required to accept any Ohio high school graduate. Further, at that time there were few, if any, “satellite” OSU campuses, which meant matriculation at the main Columbus campus. Many of the kids who were admitted due to this legislative mandate were simply unqualified for undergraduate school. Ohio State had one or two freshman English courses (although many freshmen were not required to take these, due to their high school records and SAT results) that had at least a 50 percent failure rate – and if you failed this/these required English course(s), you were immediately academically dis-enrolled. That’s the other – far more long-standing – meaning of “weed out courses.”
I don’t doubt that many individuals currently use the second meaning of the term, but the first and primary meaning remains entirely correct. My post was intended to emphasize the fact that we clearly do not have such practices at Duke.
I do not see a meaningful distinction. For the most part the required math courses at Duke are poorly taught and very difficult. Add to this the grades are put on a curve when most in the class had perfect or close to perfect SAT and AP scores. Curved results in my opinion are inappropriate for an elite school. It should be the grasp of the subject matter, not a 46% gets you a B. Not privy to the intent but a number of students leave Pratt because of the math courses. Whether you do or do not consider them weeded out, they are out. My only non A’s through 24+ credits are in the math courses and I studied my tail off. IMO if you don’t have to take a math course don’t.
@tennisforall:
This is not new for Pratt; it dates to the 1960’s, probably earlier.
While I understand your concerns and frustration, roughly what percentage is “a number of students” who leave Pratt for Trinity? I believe that’s an important question because – even at a university with Duke’s admissions standards – some individuals select concentrations that prove to be inappropriate, that they simply are not fitted to pursue (whether that’s engineering, or economics, or chemistry, or music, or humanities, or sociology . . . ).
To illustrate, if (perhaps) 15 percent of a Pratt class transferred to other majors (due to math and MANY other reasons), that might (?) be typical at Duke and at many other first-tier universities, but if 40 percent did so, it might be “weeding out.”
For me the percentage isn’t important at all. The way the math classes are offered are inconsistent with all the other classes I know of at Duke. If you are leaving Pratt because of the math courses you may very well still like engineering. You just maybe don’t want to take the GPA hit if say you are looking at med school. I don’t know of anyone who thinks the way the math classes are presented is appropriate. Then again as you say it has been this way for ever. So the powers to be, for whatever reason, are allowing it to continue. Whether it is weeding out or unintended consequences to me is a difference without a distinction. If it is 1% or 49% it is a situation that should have long been corrected if not intended. If intended it is weeding out.