Duke or Amherst?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Less than a week until decisions must be made at this point in time, and I am utterly torn between these two schools.</p>

<p>I won't go into too much detail. I am a prospective history major, absolutely will attend graduate school. My concerns deal mainly with social life, location, and the perceived benefit of an LAC education over that of a research university's undergrad program of study. I have visited both schools, both are gorgeous in very different ways; admittedly, however, I prefer Amherst's location to Duke's. I have reservations about living in the South, but honestly it would be good exposure/a welcomed (?) change. The city of Durham seems...pretty bad, from what I've gathered, but I feel that because Duke is so big and there's so much to do that may not be important.</p>

<p>Duke and Amherst are both highly respected names, but Duke is DUKE, you know? Would I be stupid to pass an opportunity like that up? On the other hand, would I be stupid to pass up an opportunity to attend Amherst?</p>

<p>Cost is negligible at this point in time, as I have won enough outside scholarships to cover my first year at either school (although Duke is offering me a VERY nice FA package that is about $7000 higher than Amherst's, but Amherst's does not include loans). I intend on doing work study and potentially finding another part-time job outside of school for supplementary funds.</p>

<p>How do resources and opportunities look for a prospective student of history at both schools? I've done my research, but haven't really been able to get the good feel I was looking for from either school.</p>

<p>One last concern: when I visited Amherst, the students seemed friendly, friendlier than some I encountered at Duke. Duke students, in my opinion, seem to be very self-important, and there is a sense of elitism present on the campus, which isn't surprising. It's an amazing school. I know I'll find that at Amherst, but the sense was overwhelmingly pervasive on the Duke campus. That's probably just because it's so much larger than Amherst.</p>

<p>What do you think? Which do you prefer? ANY comments at all are appreciated. Thank you kindly in advance.</p>

<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I927 using CC</p>

2

<p>Okay, one more concern, then I’m done. I am a first-generation student, and when everyone in my family, including my extended family, found out that I was accepted to Duke they pretty much lost their ****. This may sound terrible or stupid, but I feel somewhat obligated to pursue the big name. I know I would not be unhappy at Duke, I would be receiving a world-class education with unparalleled opportunities at my fingertips. It’s just the little things that seem to add up, based on my personality, that suggest Amherst may be a better fit. But I know I would be more than happy at Duke.</p>

<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I927 using CC</p>

3

<p>You seem to like Amherst better, don’t worry about how prestigious Duke is to the common person, Amherst is just as prestigious a name to Employers and graduate schools.</p>

4

<p>Amherst is ranked #**2 **among National Liberal Arts Colleges, how much more prestige do you need?
Perhaps there are regional biases as to which of those two is more prestigious?
Remember that the people who are reacting to those names are not the people who about to spend 4 years there and spend many thousands of dollars to attend! You are! Pick the one that speaks to you the most.</p>

5

<p>Amherst is looked upon more highly by graduate schools. Duke is overrated. My cousin got into 1 med school even though he did well at Duke and got a 36 on the MCAT.</p>

6

<p>@Vikingprime</p>

<p>You think it’s wise to make a sweeping generalization based on one anecdote?</p>

<p>To the OP: follow your heart. Both are amazing schools and employers will look favorably on you (assuming good grades) no matter where you go.</p>

7

<p>Duke is ranked high, but it does not have the prestige of the schools which are close to its ranking ie. Dartmouth, Cornell, UPenn… Prestige is usually determined by how long a school has been difficult to get into/the quality of its grads. Schools like UC Berkeley have more prestige than Duke for that reason even though Duke is NOW harder to get into.</p>

8

<p>Easy choice, in my opinion. Amherst is the way to go. I know a person who is about to attend in the fall and she chose Amherst of UChicago. Why? Because you are given the education tantamount to Harvard in a classroom setting smaller than a half filled bus. </p>

<p>Amherst, from everything I heard, is the school of pretty much anyone’s dreams. </p>

<p>I know a girl who just visited Duke for admitted students, and she’s chosing Yale over Duke because she felt like Duke’s environment wasn’t welcoming.</p>

9

<p>Duke has great prestige and for the 25-30 years of US News rankings Duke has been ranked between 4-8. The Duke campus, weather, research opportunities and national alumni network and the Duke name offer more than Amherst College which is dominated in size by the nearby UMass-Amherst campus.</p>

10

<p>Also strongly disagree with Vikingprime. Duke is heavily recruited by consultancies, IBs and very well respected by grad schools. Berkeley is somewhat higher ranked among the majority of its grad programs, not relevant to the discussion here. </p>

<p>Having defended Duke, Amherst is a very connected school with a devoted alumni base and kids fare very well with grad schools. Frankly, from a “when everyone in my family, including my extended family, found out that I was accepted to Duke” point of view, it should be considered a wash in terms of job/grad school prospects. </p>

<p>I’ll also warn you’ll likely find a lot of “entitled” types at Amherst just as you did at Duke. But at both, you’ll also likely find a lot of first generation never entitled types as well. </p>

<p>I’d suggest you follow you heart, but if that takes you to Amherst, don’t screw up!</p>

11

<p>I don’t think choosing Yale over Duke is an indictment of Duke at all, but to each their own.
Duke is prestigious nationwide and to employers. Amherst is prestigious to employers, but not as much nationwide due to LAC.
But again, prestige doesn’t matter in this case. Choose on fit/weather/etc.</p>

12

<p>Go to Duke.</p>

13

<p>Thank you so much for the help. Can anyone comment on Raleigh-Durham, by any chance?</p>

<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I927 using CC</p>

14

<p>

Both are looked upon about equally by graduate schools.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.inpathways.net/top50feeder.pdf[/url]”>http://www.inpathways.net/top50feeder.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
Duke: #6
Amherst: #9</p>

<p>

Duke is one of the 5 most represented undergraduate schools at both WUSTL Medical School and JHU Medical School so its top graduates do just fine. Your cousin should count himself to be lucky to get admitted to even one medical school when so many students get rejected entirely every year.</p>

<p>

I see your biggest concern about Duke is the surrounding area; I want to better inform you about Raleigh-Durham since its one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country with cozy ethnic restaurants and nice thrift shops popping up everywhere. It is an extremely affordable area to live in and the demographic there is very young and liberal.</p>

<p>[4</a>. Raleigh, NC - America’s 20 Fastest Growing Cities - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45mhlf/4-raleigh-nc/]4”>4. Raleigh, NC - 2013-01-23 - America's 20 Fastest Growing Cities)
Raleigh is #4 on America’s Fastest Growing Cities.</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/10/americas_foodiest_small_town]America’s"&gt;http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/10/americas_foodiest_small_town]America’s&lt;/a&gt; Foodiest Small Town: In the Magazine: Bon App</p>

15

<p>I think both are going to serve you equally well. People who matter regard both equally, but it sounds like you’ll appreciate the tighter and friendlier student body at Amherst. It also sounds like you’ll really enjoy the smaller classes and more intimate atmosphere. I think those who are saying “go to Duke” don’t know Amherst well or aren’t in college yet themselves. Trust me, when you graduate, both will open the exact same doors.</p>

16

<p>Goldenboy graduated from Duke and is a huge fanboy at the expense of other, equally excellent institutions. </p>

<p>If you’re intent on graduate study you should look at opportunities for research with professors starting from freshman year. For the humanities, both schools are likely to have enormous opportunities for research, but with Duke you will compete with graduate students for a professor’s time. At Amherst, your only competition will be against other undergraduates. Also, I think your concerns about more limited course selection in history are a bit overblown. Here’s Amherst’s offerings for Fall 2013/ Spring 2014 <a href=“Courses | History | Amherst College”>Courses | History | Amherst College; These don’t include other classes you can take at UMass Amherst (extremely close by), or one of the other three schools in the consortium. It’s also extremely common for history majors to take a particular concentration with classes in the field. For instance, someone interested in American history often takes a few economic history courses to compliment their studies. Likewise, if you’re interested in Chinese history, you’d take a few Chinese culture/language courses to better appreciate the nation. </p>

<p>I’ve worked for engineering professors at a major research university (admittedly, not on the caliber of Duke) and currently attend a small liberal arts college. My current institution is somewhat unique in higher education as it’s a LAC within a larger university. I have many friends that started out at Emory’s main campus, and from what they’ve said, it seems they have, in general, less contact with their professors than I, and most of my peers, do. In my opinion, it’s far easier to connect with professors at a small LAC than a larger university. It’s certainly possible, but IMHO, the small intro classes, coupled with the lack of graduate students, make for better professor-undergraduate relationships. </p>

<p>You can’t go wrong with either choice. Just remember that, in terms of academic prestige, both are on relatively equal footing.</p>

17

<p>Based on your concerns about the weather and the student body, I would recommend Amherst. I love Duke, but based on the information you shared, I’m concerned that it might not be a good fit for you.</p>

18

<p>I don’t think that Vikingprime is right about Duke not being as prestigious as Penn or Dartmouth (he definitely seems to have an agenda). If anything, the opposite is true. If you are obsessed with prestige, you should go to Duke. Otherwise, choose the school you like more.</p>

19

<p>I don’t know why people are saying Duke is somehow more prestigious than Amherst, if anything, to the people who know colleges, it’s the other way around. Sure, the lay prestige of duke is higher - but how many people only know about Duke because of it’s sports teams? </p>

<p>The triumvirate of LACs (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore) is on par with HYPSM for educational quality without a doubt. Amherst benefits from not having graduate students, which means that professors will be looking to UNDERGRADS to assist with their research. Somewhere like Duke, professors will be spending most of their time and energy on the graduate students. </p>

<p>The PhD per capita production at Amherst (percent of students who go on to earn PhDs) is likely higher than Duke. You can find Amherst on the top 10 list for per capita production of PhDs in some fields. The rest of the triumvirate is very present on the top 10 lists for per capita PhD production. Duke is nowhere to be found. Amherst is ranked number 8 in the country for per capita PhD production in the humanities. </p>

<p>I would say Amherst for sure, no questions. Even if you’re ‘prestige obsessed’, I would still rank Amherst as more prestigious than Duke. Lay prestige (prestige among friends, family, the public who don’t know much about colleges or academia) is meaningless unless you’re trying to impress strangers on the street. The prestige of Amherst means more in most academic circles than Duke.</p>

20

<p>No contest on prestige. Amherst.</p>

<p>No contest on undergrad experience and undergrad teaching focus. Amherst.</p>

<p>And Duke has not been ranked between 4-8 for 25-30 years.</p>

<p>Edge to Duke in basketball.</p>

<p>My friend, this is not a close call, and your instinct from your own personal visit to Duke and the attitude there you should trust yourself on.</p>

<p>Amherst will provide you with the best undergraduate education that money can buy.</p>