<p>I have the option to apply early decision to either Duke or Vanderbilt but I am so split, I can't decide. Duke has amazing academics, a great reputation, great sports, and some of the best resources. The town of Durham is not great however, and the social scene is good but lacking. Vanderbilt on the other hand has great academics as well, not as large of a reputation, many resources, and a great social scene. Plus Nashville is a great town with amazing music and fantastic nightlife. Sports are also impressive at Vandy. I've seen both schools but still can't decide. PLEASE HELP.</p>
<p>I’m a senior too and have visited both schools. In my opinion, I think Duke would be the better of the two (assuming that you think you could get into either–Duke is much harder to get into). The research triangle has one of the highest concentrations of college students in the U.S. (maybe excluding California). From what I saw, Vanderbilt was basically the quintessential southern country club University–it is lacking in diversity and a large number of people (not all) are stuck up snobs (these may be too dramatic stereotypes, but I think they’re fairly accurate). Although Duke may have a little bit of the same problem with the stuck-up-edness, it’s not as bad as Vanderbilt and definitely has more diversity. Duke’s academics and sports are also much better. The Duke campus is also a lot prettier and more outdoorsy than Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Let us know what you end up deciding on!</p>
<p>If you have great stats and awesome essays/recs/ECs, forget Duke and apply to Vanderbilt!
Then I’ll have less competition. :D</p>
<p>Haha jk. I think. Well which school would give you the best education/experience in regards to your major or career?</p>
<p>looks like you like vandy more</p>
<p>apply there ED1</p>
<p>or just apply to both RD</p>
<p>I personally like Duke more because it has less of a Southern feel and its athletics are better. In terms of reputation, don’t worry. The same opportunities will be available to you at both schools, unless you want to work in consulting or investment banking where Duke will have an advantage. I would also argue that Vanderbilt’s campus is nicer, but that’s just my opinion. Vanderbilt’s also more diverse than people claim with only 53% of the student body listed as caucasian compared to Duke’s 48%. The social scene and surrounding city are better at Vanderbilt too. Now, you just have to recognize what’s most important to you.</p>
<p>I have a son starting at Vandy this year who did not feel comfortable/matched at Duke, and didn’t apply and a son who just graduated from Duke and says all his children will be Blue Devils.<br>
You should consider career path if you have one when evaluating where to go ED. IE if you are interested in slugging it out in the number 2 ranked Biomedical program in the USA go to Duke where that pathway is tops.<br>
If you want to study more of a prebusiness track, I think Vandy has more to offer in traditional prebusiness/management courses along with the HOD track. Duke has a Marketing and Management certificate but Dukies are more likely hard core classic economics majors before they apply for the banking industry entry level jobs. Economics at Duke requires high math and is serious business.<br>
When you get down to the differences in the two schools, Duke may have more kids funneled to tip top grad schools according to stats, but standouts at Vanderbilt have all sorts of exciting offers. That is the key word. Standout. You really can take yourself forward at either school if you max out the potential of the institution. Vandy has wonderful access to their hospitals and research. Duke has tons of hard core research dollars.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with your perception on this point: re Duke: the social scene is good but lacking</p>
<p>The social scene at Duke is extremely fun and high spirited and full of young adults who have a lot of academic talent to burn but who take time out for school spirit and tons of other activities. The social scene at Duke is outstanding. The weather is great and fun is highly valued on campus.</p>
<p>What is different is how the Greek life at each college is expressed and how it impacts the non Greek students. In my opinion, non Greeks at Vandy have more opportunities in walking distance off campus to distract themselves if they bypass Greek life by choice. Nashville and Vandy have an outstanding town gown relationship. </p>
<p>That said, indepedent students at Duke still have an amazing universe on campus and Duke’s international placements via Duke Engage etc are second to none. My son went overseas twice during his four years at Duke and mastered a new language. </p>
<p>It is important no matter where you apply for you to have a realistic idea of Greek life and your personal expectations and to have a sense of your ability to join or to create your own social world outside of it. I would never let the rep of any campus Greek world stop me from attending any top institution if I was going independent. That would be shortsighted. Everyone at Duke in my view was something of a rugged individual and an interesting person no matter which direction they went on this point. Duke also has a strong alum network across the country.</p>
<p>That said, my son enjoyed Durham very much despite the crime near campus issues, the Duke campus is so fabulous you really never need to step off of it, and Duke has a major global impact in many of its sub schools and graduate schools that is exciting. Duke is changing all the time and is both innovative and young at heart and has a pace that is a fit for a digital age and flattening world. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt arts and sciences admissions was only a smidgen less selective than Trinity admissions last year. (we were told under 18% got into Vandy Arts and Sciences…isn’t it 16sih at Trinity?) Vanderbilt’s student body is more and more able and this year was the second of two watershed years. My son’s class at Vandy is full of talent and he is soaking up the many pleasures at his feet in Nashville.</p>
<p>Go with your instincts and don’t look back. The work is hard everywhere but the rewards are great at both institutions.</p>
<p>It should really depend on what YOU want. From your post it sounds like you are leaning towards Vanderbilt more.</p>
<p>But then again, you’re on a Duke forum. ;)</p>
<p>Duke’s social scene is actually pretty good. There are LOTS of parties on campus and you can just tell that everyone’s having so much fun. COME TO DUKE! :D</p>
<p>I got into both, and chose Duke. </p>
<p>Regarding academics: It’s hard to fairly compare the “quality” of two schools, especially when drastic fluctuations in quality exist between departments of each school. However, I feel very comfortable in saying that Duke is much harder to get into than Vanderbilt. While that may seem irrelevant at first, once you visit, you’ll see how this difference reflects on the student body. To me, this was a big deal. Once I began forming study groups, needing to ask peers for help, etc., I realized the importance of having peers that I can consistently admire.</p>
<p>durham is creepy and sucks.<br>
its so scary.
ye…nashville…is uhhh-mazing!
home of country music. </p>
<p>id do vanderbilt.
but apply to DUKE RD.</p>
<p>I decided between Vanderbilt and Duke as well (though for grad school, not undergrad). I felt that Nashville was a cool town but the Vanderbilt campus was in an urban area whereas Duke’s campus is set in a more suburban area. I liked Durham a heck of a lot more than Nashville as Nashville has godawful traffic and parking issues in their downtown whereas even the most densely packed areas in Durham eg. Brightleaf has free and plentiful parking. Also, I have not yet been in a traffic jam in Durham and I have been here for three months.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to the academics or social scene but I think that Duke has an edge over Vanderbilt based simply on location.</p>
<p>Your personality greenman obviously would be better with vandy. Trust me I have went to both.</p>
<p>i’d do vanderbilt as well greenman</p>
<p>A few quick points:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Define the “goodness” of one’s “social scene.” If all you want is ultra-Southern, frat-tastic, prepster hoedowns, Vandy’s your place. If you want a significant presence of that, ALONG WITH tons of other social opportunities and demographics, Duke’s for you.</p></li>
<li><p>Vandy has terrible sports. This is not debatable. Football and basketball are both abysmal there, whereas Duke has a legendary basketball tradition and an amazingly improved football team (sitting on a 4-3 record, 2-1 in the ACC, at the moment and hoping for a bowl game), as well as lots of other sports that are less recognized, but outstanding (lacrosse, tennis, cross country, etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>Nashville may have a better nightlife than Durham, but you will rarely (if ever) enjoy it until you’re 21, unless you have: A) an amazing fake ID or B) a vagina. Sure, you can drink underage almost anywhere on Duke or Vandy’s campuses, but city cops and bar owners outside the pearly gates don’t mess around.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>As far as I can see, you have Duke beating Vandy in academics, reputation, sports, and resources, and Vandy ahead of Duke in social life (depending on my previous explication) and music in Nashville (bars/nightlife not counting for the above reason). I see.</p>
<p>P.S. I was accepted to both, so I may be biased, but I’m biased for a reason. I didn’t choose Duke over Vandy by accident.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>For the incoming class, Duke’s and Vanderbilt’s acceptance rates are 17% and 19%, respectively. (These do not include students admitted off the waitlist.) Both schools have yield rates of approximately 40%.</p>
<p>In terms of selectivity, Duke is closer to Vanderbilt than it is to Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, etc.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Uh, no. US News and World Report selectivity rankings: </p>
<p>12 Dartmouth
13 Brown
14 Pomona
15 Duke
…
35 Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Edit: That was from a list somebody put together combining National U’s and LACs. Duke is tied with Dartmouth at 11th according to USN&WR official National U list; Vanderbilt is 27th.</p>
<p>^ The US News selectivity rankings are notoriously unreliable and problemmatic. 40% of the selectivity index is based upon the percentage of hs students who graduated in the top 10% of their hs class, without taking into account any differentiation between high schools.</p>
<p>Besides, are you sure you want to cite US News as your source? According to their college rankings, Duke is closer to Vanderbilt than it is to HYP.</p>
<p>Columbia ~10%
Brown ~11%
Dartmouth ~12%</p>
<h2>Penn ~17%</h2>
<p>Duke ~17%
Vanderbilt ~19%</p>
<p>Penn ~65%
Columbia ~60%
Brown ~55%</p>
<h2>Dartmouth ~50%</h2>
<p>Duke ~40%
Vanderbilt ~40%</p>
<p>Please ignore interestingguy everybody. He’s derailing threads all over the place with his opinions on schools he has no experience with. [Interestingguy’s</a> post history](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php?do=finduser&u=289318]Interestingguy’s”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php?do=finduser&u=289318)</p>