Duke or Dartmouth

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hey, I was recently accepted to both Duke and Dartmouth, and I love them both. This is an extremely difficult decision, and I need help.
So, I'll say what my pros & cons are for the schools and hopefully you guys can help me decide which is best for me.</p>

<p>Location: Dartmouth wins barely, because it's farther away from home, and it's located in a town rather than Duke's urbanness. But Duke's not terrible because it's isolated from Durham.</p>

<p>Nature: Equal. Dartmouth has ski slopes, woods, etc... while Duke has its forest. Theyre both pretty amazing in this aspect.</p>

<p>Architecture: Duke. lol.</p>

<p>Strength in major: Equal. I feel like they're both pretty strong in economics/business.</p>

<p>Size: Duke. I feel it's big enough...and small enough for me.</p>

<p>Undergraduate Focus: Dartmouth.</p>

<p>Prestige: Basically equal.</p>

<p>Activities/Clubs/Interests: Equal. They both have a lot I'd like to do.</p>

<p>Financial Aid: Duke's is slightly better.</p>

<p>Some unique aspects about Dartmouth: </p>

<p>The D-Plan: Helps with internships.....but I feel like it hurts with social interaction among students.</p>

<p>Dartmouth Outing Club: The best thing ever. Excited for the first year trip if I go.</p>

<p>Study Abroad: I've always wanted to, and I know almost everyone at Dartmouth goes....but I'll be on nearly full financail aid so... I don't know if I'd have the money to go.</p>

<p>Some unique aspects about Duke: </p>

<p>Sports: I'm a sports fanatic.</p>

<p>Research: If I decide to go into science, Duke is better.</p>

<p>Weather: I love warmth.</p>

<p>The Focus Program: Sounds amazing.</p>

<p>Students seem really friendly TBH.</p>

<p>Cons about Dartmouth: </p>

<p>Cold: yeah.</p>

<p>Fratty: not sure if pro or con to be honest.</p>

<p>Less Diverse.</p>

<p>Cons about Duke:</p>

<p>Bad Surrounding Area:</p>

<p>Fratty: Again, not sure if it's a pro or a con.</p>

<p>so yeah, I need help deciding for undergraduate economics/business.</p>

2

<p>Ok I will weigh in. Duke son didn’t get into Dartmouth although he had a crush on Dartmouth.
We both loved the spirit that is present at Dartmouth but not so much it getting dark at five pm, and the lack of anything to do socially if you don’t spend your weekend evenings at Greek sponsored events. This is the down side of an isolated location. Still…
go green. We loved it there.</p>

<p>Duke’s greek life is very visible and a lot of activities are sponsored by them on weekends because Duke is not exactly in say…Nashville where Vandy is…but the Greek scene is balanced by the majority of student who are not active in it. There is no Greek Row or focus on hanging in Duke Greek houses,just some turf in dorms. </p>

<p>Now he says he is soooooo glad he went to Duke instead. Let’s just start at the top Duke sports.</p>

<p>Repeat
Duke sports.</p>

<p>It is impossible not to care since your own guy and girl friends are playing their hearts out in Division One teams. You have never seen so many true student athletes in one place…OK, maybe at Stanford. Their commitment and sacrifice is noble and you gotta support them. </p>

<p>Duke sciences. Science Row. </p>

<p>Duke grad schools!!! this adds to the campus it does not DETRACT at all. The grad students only wish they were undergrads ha…when it comes to seating in Cameron Stadium. Yeah Dartmouth has a couple fine grad schools but location location location. </p>

<p>Duke is young at heart and it is innovative.</p>

<p>The freshman campus on East is a huge huge PLUS. Everyone loves this year and is sorry to see it end (OK most if it is not airconditioned)…so you know it must be a happy home for freshmen if they put that negative out of their minds.</p>

<p>The South. Durham is on the interstates that connects up with many cities with fine economies. </p>

<p>The food. Off campus is a real foodie subculture if you know where to go.</p>

<p>Chapel Hill. All Dukies appreciate this town, one of America’s happiest college cities.</p>

<p>Duke alum network. It is AWESoMe. Boston, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta are only a few places with major Duke Alum clubs. Definitely helped re getting a job. Son goes to events all the time as an alum and enjoys his life as an alum. Think ahead.
Dartmouth feels more isolated and more like a liberal arts education. Dartmouth kids in my view were really amazingly diverse and friendly and interesting people.
I love Dartmouth’s campus. </p>

<p>Outdoors club at Duke is awesome. Seriously. Duke son’s first roommate was head of the rock climbing club and was gone scaling mountains a lot. All the time actually. He was a very bright guy and did pullups in the doorway the day we met him. The weather at Duke is stunning if you like to see bare legs, shorts almost year round. </p>

<p>Duke is all about the outdoors and the campus. You have won the lottery with the campus alone.</p>

<p>Son went to Russia for free with his FOCUS program. They have good field trips that do not cost a dime extra. He did junior year abroad in a top notch stunningly well run program with excellent teachers that Duke operates but there are a thousand ways to go abroad. (He remained friends with FOCUS and with Foreign Study students and teachers all four years…these are just examples of how Duke can also feel like a cozy liberal arts college)</p>

<p>Duke has a superior fine arts budget for Performances. Son saw an array of talents normally reserved for European and top American performance venues…Duke Performances are there for the Triad to enrich it.</p>

<p>Duke is a Regional Powerhouse that serves all the states nearby in every field of study and of course in medicine. Few institutions do more re public service and cutting edge medicine. </p>

<p>Going abroad. Put together a decent proposal and the Gates Foundation will likely fund your trip or studies if there is a service component. There are many funds for foreign study for need based students. Seriously. You have NOTHING to worry about re going abroad. It is more than possible.</p>

<p>Diversity…as good as Dartmouth’s only bigger bolder re size of student body. </p>

<p>Rigor. Duke is rigorous! Your classmates are full of unique talents</p>

3

<p>You hit many of the key points, but there’re some things I’d emphasize to you about Duke.</p>

<p>Don’t underestimate the importance of weather. Being able to enjoy the outdoors virtually all year at Duke has been crucial for me as someone who doesn’t like being cooped up indoors. </p>

<p>Dartmouth is WAAAYYY frattier. Duke’s greek participation is around 34%, while Dartmouth’s is about 60%. Whether or not you’re see Greek life as a pro or con, it’s easier to choose your own path at Duke. </p>

<p>You’re not going to notice Duke’s semi-urban location unless you make an effort to go into Durham. It’s a small city with some quality restaurants, movie theaters, and a couple of malls. Being near civilization has it’s advantages for when you want a break from the Duke bubble, but the urban atmosphere isn’t dominant by any means. </p>

<p>Good luck, you have two excellent choices!</p>

4

<p>By the way, Faline2 nailed it.</p>

5

<p>Everything you posted indicates that Duke is the better fit for you academically and socially. The two things holding you back from enrolling at Duke is the presence of the Dartmouth Outing Club and a greater undergraduate focus at Dartmouth.</p>

<ol>
<li>The first concern isn’t even a legitimate one since Duke offers four separate Pre-Orientation programs that will all place you outdoors in some capacity: [Project</a> WILD : Pre-Orientation Trip](<a href=“http://www.duke.edu/web/pwild/preorientation/signup.html]Project”>http://www.duke.edu/web/pwild/preorientation/signup.html)
[Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | New Student & Family Programs | Project Waves 2011](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)
[Project</a> BUILD - Duke Community Service Pre-Orientation Program](<a href=“http://www.duke.edu/web/build/]Project”>http://www.duke.edu/web/build/)
[Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | New Student & Family Programs | Project Search](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)</li>
</ol>

<p>Pick the one you like best and enjoy! P-Waves and P-Wild especially are supposed to be great bonding experiences.</p>

<ol>
<li>It’s possible that Dartmouth is slightly more focused on undergraduates than Duke but the latter is no slouch in this regard. You can easily arrange to have lunch with all of your professor, do a service project abroad, do science research from the get go, and take seminar style themes classes as part of a structured program your freshman year. If you’re interested in premed, there’s the Cardea Fellows program as well as the Howard Hughes Research program.</li>
</ol>

<p>Here are all the relevant links:</p>

<p>[Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | OSAF (Office of Student Activities & Facilities) | FLUNCH](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)
[Duke</a> University | Trinity College of Arts & Sciences : Cardea Fellows Program](<a href=“http://trinity.duke.edu/cardea-fellows-program]Duke”>http://trinity.duke.edu/cardea-fellows-program)
[Research</a> Fellows Program](<a href=“http://howardhughes.trinity.duke.edu/research/fellows]Research”>http://howardhughes.trinity.duke.edu/research/fellows)
[Duke</a> Engage : Home](<a href=“http://dukeengage.duke.edu/]Duke”>http://dukeengage.duke.edu/)</p>

<p>You’re a sports fanatic and want to go into business or study biology? Come to Duke!:)</p>

6

<p>There really is no contest. sorry! :slight_smile:
Just remembering my son going to lunch with Professor Bonk his Chem Prof. Yep! And my son was making a C…that was his best effort and the grade he earned. Bonk used to coach Duke tennis and wrote the old textbook…the class was called Bonkistry at the time. He has since retired.<br>
the reason the two of them went to lunch was to gab about classical music…both my son and Bonk love classical music very much.</p>

<p>just wanting to give an example…Duke can be cozy if you make the effort to love your alma mater…it will love you back!
second point. Duke is really so much more than a school with a world class sports program. Duke is full of artists and scientists and engineers and writers as well</p>

7

<p>You seem like you would be a great fit at either of those schools, almost the archetype of the Duke/Dartmouth student. </p>

<p>My cousin, a freshman at Dartmouth, laments the dominance of fraternities and drinking in Hanover social life. I think Duke has more opportunities for diverse social expression not founded on alcohol and blackouts. </p>

<p>I think talking to students will be most helpful for you. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Faline2, yeah, the getting dark at 5 thing sounds terrible to me. haha. And so Duke’s frat scence is less prevalent than Dartmouth’s? And that’s good about the Alumni presence, because I was stupidly believing Duke’s alumni usually stayed in the south so it’d be harder for me to get a job in, say, NYC. And, about the free trips with the Focus program, I was really worried about paying for study abroad, so that’s definitely a + in Duke’s favor. And I just love how outdoorsy both colleges are, but I do think I’d be able to enjoy it more at Duke.</p>

<p>Londongentlemen, I know!! It’s 65 degrees currently where I live, and I’m sooo cold. I’d love for it to be ~100 constantly so, even though Dartmouth is amazing, I doubt I’d ever get over the weather.</p>

<p>goldenboy, Wow! thank you for those links! I didnt even know Duke had such a program. And the ‘flunching’ sounds pretty cool, too. I guess Duke does have the things I love most in Dartmouth, haha.</p>

<p>Faline, wow, that’s an amazing experience your son had. haha, I love tennis, so I’m jealous.</p>

<p>theqazqaz, haha. These schools really are the 2 most perfect for me. And I love that Duke students can have fun without constantly drinking, so that’s good.</p>

<p>And I’m going to Blue Devil Days on April 9-10 and Dimensions on April 19-21, so I’ll be able to talk to students there.</p>

9

<p>goldenboy::: Project Wild is amazing. Definitely doing that if I go to Duke.</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>NYC is ALWAYS the #1 destination for Duke grads. </p>

<p>Top 5 cities for Class of 2011:

  1. New York, NY
  2. Washington DC
  3. Raleigh/Durham/Cary, NC
  4. San Francisco Bay Area, CA
  5. Boston, MA</p>

<p>Atlanta and Houston are the only two other cities that have made appearances in the top 5 in the past four years.
[Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | Career Center | Senior Exit Survey Results for Undergraduates](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)</p>

<p>And yeah, Duke is really strong in the business world. Look at the top employers on that list:</p>

<p>Top 5 Employers 2010:

  1. Teach for America
  2. Goldman Sachs
  3. Morgan Stanley
  4. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch
  5. Accenture
  6. Google
  7. Deutsche Bank</p>

<p>Top 5 Employers 2009:

  1. Teach for America
  2. Morgan Stanley
  3. Bank of America
  4. Goldman Sachs
  5. ExxonMobil
  6. The Boston Consulting Group
  7. Barclays Capital
  8. Microsoft</p>

<p>Top 5 Employers 2008:

  1. Teach for America
  2. Bank of America
  3. Goldman Sachs
  4. Deutsche Bank
  5. Accenture
  6. Merrill Lynch
  7. Microsoft
  8. Cisco</p>

<p>Sounds like you’d be a good fit for Duke!</p>

11

<p>thanks for those statistics, bluedog. It looks like I can basically go anywhere with a Duke degree.</p>

12

<p>the greek scene at Dartmouth is all encompassing…sorry…the only one like that in the Ivies…leftover from the all male history and isolated location.<br>
there is a likely very unfair article on excesses in Rolling stone recently…although I will add that they published an egregiously unfair article on Duke culture during the Duke lacrosse nightmare period…when my son was a freshman.<br>
it is very hard to overcome a heavily greek scene when it is so much a part of alum memories at Dartmouth…and my Duke son went Greek but maintained in many other groups on campus as well</p>

13

<p>Yeah… that is something I’m very worried about, just because I don’t know if I like frat life or not yet…</p>

14

<p>Hi Alovondrice, </p>

<p>I went to Duke (as did my husband who responded to you on the Dartmouth thread.) Our oldest son is a sophomore at Duke. Our middle son will be a freshman at Dartmouth next year. If you want, I can PM you a beautifully written email I got from a current Duke student who I interviewed for Duke when he was a high school senior. He came down to a Duke/Dartmouth decision and chose Duke (even tho his big brother LOVES Dartmouth.) I’d love to share his thoughtful reasons for picking Duke. They actually helped my middle son choose Dartmouth because he honestly delineated the differences between the schools for us. </p>

<p>I don’t think Duke or Dartmouth is better. I think one is BETTER FOR YOU, perhaps. </p>

<p>Here’s how I see some of the differences. Academically, Dartmouth seems to be more intimate than Duke. I think there are more apparent close relations between profs and students. That’s not to say that these same relationships don’t happen at Duke. I just believe that at Duke the student dictates whether or not to pursue the relationship, while at Dartmouth, it just is part of the fabric of every day life. I think of Dartmouth students as being true learners and real intellectuals who are interesting and creative and engaged in life outside of the classroom. I see Duke students as being very engaged with their academics and also outward thinking about how to better and contribute to their communities. Duke has a terrific Duke engage program that funds community service anywhere in the world. Dartmouth has a better study abroad program. Dartmouth OWNS many of their own programs which means they have quality assurance over the various programs, and the amazing Dartmouth learning takes place abroad. I think that Duke students usually go on programs sponsored by others-- someone correct me if I’m wrong. </p>

<p>Dartmouth has a unique foreign language program. </p>

<p>Duke’s research opportunities are unparalleled with the Duke hospital right there and all the graduate programs that welcome undergraduate researchers. I don’t know about Dartmouth in this respect. I bet they also have great research opportunities. </p>

<p>Both schools are very interdisciplinary. They have somewhat similar music programs. </p>

<p>I say Duke houses students in a far more thoughtful way than Dartmouth. I LOVE that Duke freshmen live on East campus. You are correct that Focus groups are amazing opportunities. Dartmouth doesn’t seem to have given their housing set up as much thought. There is much criticism about how Duke is re-structuring their housing, but at least they continually try to create living/learning opportunities. </p>

<p>Duke has simply tons going on in the community. As a bigger undergraduate school and then also with its thriving graduate schools, Duke is filled with things going on all the time. It still has the feel of a close-knit campus. Kids at Duke are happy and LOVE Duke! The only place where I’ve ever thought the kids might love their school more is DARTMOUTH!. You can’t go wrong, really. I’m not so sure there is as much to do at Dartmouth, but it’s a thriving wonderful place too. Dartmouth is WAY more outdoorsy. Duke is in a beautiful setting, but who really ever goes into the Duke Forest. Dartmouth kids are outside a lot. Which I can’t understand as it is so cold that it hurts. </p>

<p>Do you really understand how cold Dartmouth is and how the cold lasts until June? Duke is already enjoying great weather. </p>

<p>Dartmouth’s fraternity scene is different in that twice as many people are a part of it. Our tour guide at Dartmouth told us that most kids aren’t interested in Greek life when they apply to Dartmouth, but they decide to join when they see that fraternities are a bit more inclusive and varied at Dartmouth than at other schools. (Do not be swayed by that Rolling Stone article. The full story isn’t out yet. Duke has just as many supposed skeletons. The same woman wrote the Dartmouth article as wrote the Duke lacrosse article 6 years ago. Don’t be swayed negatively by what you read by nay-sayers.) There are substance free frats and co-ed frats, traditional frats and all kinds of differently focused groups. Duke’s Greek scene is pretty ideal I think because you can really take it or leave it. Maybe it’s slightly harder to be independent at Dartmouth, although all the kids there say that is not true. At Duke, you can join a frat and be totally involved in it. Or you can be independent and never once miss it. Kids at Dartmouth say the same thing. It seems like there is a real specialness to Dartmouth’s Greek life too. </p>

<p>If you pick Duke and go to a home basketball game, you will not be able to believe you ever considered going somewhere else. </p>

<p>Did you know that Dartmouth very well might match Duke’s financial aid offer. Definitely write them a letter and include a copy of Duke’s award and see if they can help make your dream come true (if indeed it is your dream.) </p>

<p>From your post, I’d pick Duke for you. I think you’ll be over the moon happy at either one! </p>

<p>If my middle son is ever as happy at Dartmouth as my oldest is at Duke, I will be one lucky and thankful DukeMama–Shama!</p>

15

<p>Durham is not that bad or especially dangerous. I went to Duke for law school and always felt safe. Plus Chapel Hill is just seven miles down the road. I hope you choose Dartmouth to open up a spot on Duke’s wait list for my son, lol. But reading what you like I would suggest Duke. Both are awesome though!!!</p>

16

<p>DukeShama, thank you so much for your post and PMs. It really helped me differentiate more between the two. And, yet, I’m still not sure. One thing that sticks out is a paradox: dartmouth is more outdoorsy(major thing for me), yet it’s so cold! I’m from the south, so i dont even know if i can handle the cold. Both schools just seem so great for me… And I’m glad you included the part where the guide said that most people come to Dartmouth thinking they won’t do frat life, but end up doing it. I feel like that’s kind of like me.</p>

<p>But to Muckdogs and DukeShama, Why do you say I relate more with Duke?? That might help me.</p>

<p>And to Muckdogs, good luck to your son! I sincerely hope he gets in!</p>

17

<p>A couple of points that I thought of while reading all these posts. </p>

<ol>
<li>At Dartmouth, you can also have the same financial aid abroad as on campus. </li>
<li>At Duke you are not guaranteed a pre-orientation program. At Dartmouth 98% of the kids do them. At Duke, they randomly select who gets to participate. PWaves is particularly hard to get. </li>
<li>Duke does not really have a Southern feel on campus. The setting is southern, but the students are very international/national.</li>
</ol>

18

<p>Hi Alavondrice, </p>

<p>I picked Duke for you because of several things. First of all you said that you like Dartmouth’s town as opposed to Duke’s urban setting. Well, Hanover isn’t even really a town! It’s one little street with some shops and that’s it. It’s literally one block long. Durham is more of a town. It’s not really that urban. Where are you from in the south? I’m originally from Chattanooga. It’s smaller than Chattanooga. It’s smaller than Nashville or Birmingham (by a lot.) Durham has the nicest people in the world. They are the warmest and kindest group of residents. While Duke felt very sophisticated to me, I always felt a homey and cozy feeling in Durham-- which is a nice contrast to have. I guess you haven’t visited yet, but you’ll see that Duke is big and beautiful and it feels like its own bucolic township. You are going to love it. </p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong tho, Dartmouth is also lovely. I am so happy my son is going there. You just somehow sound Duke to me. (And I’d rather you go to Dartmouth because you sound nice and could be friends with my son maybe! :)</p>

<p>You also say you are a sports fanatic. You cannot imagine how great it is to be a Duke fan. The athletic programs are so well run and promote such wholesome sportsmanship. Duke sports are 100% fun (and I am NOT a sports person. Even I love Duke basket ball.)</p>

<p>The Duke focus groups are unique and you are guaranteed to get in one if you apply. They last all year. </p>

<p>You can have wonderful outdoor experiences at Duke too. The Duke gardens are perfect for casual football and frisbee. More serious outdoor adventure-- like rock climbing and rafting or whatever are farther away. I do think they are more accessible at Dartmouth. </p>

<p>I do need to warn you. I KNOW Duke 100 times better than I know Dartmouth. I’ve never met a student from either who would not fight for their schools. (Do you ever hear kids from other schools profess as much love for their schools) Your answer will be clear after Devil Days and Dimensions! Don’t go too much by what I say. I don’t know you. I’m kind of just guessing. Talk to as many current students as possible. And again, being on the campuses will tell you so so much. :)</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

19

<p>DukeShama, even though I live in the south, I’m not really a southern person, so that’s not a problem. Also, do you know if PWILD is hard to get into, because that’s the one Im looking into. And I’m from a town of ~5000 in South Carolina… so Hanover is about the same size. And I actually have visited, and I loved it! The campus is so amazing. haha, thanks again for your help, but my choice will probably come down to Dimensions vs blue devil days because both schools are just so great.</p>

20

<p>I’m not 100% sure but if you sign up for PWild when the app comes out you should be in. Duke really isn’t southern in my opinion though, it’s definitely got a bit of a northern feel. I’ve visited Dartmouth and liked the street full of shops (that really is all in Hanover), but thought that I’d get bored of it. Definitely check the two out though, two great schools.</p>