<p>I have already asked this question on the Washu forums, but I wanted to hear what people have to say on the Duke forums. I have heard Washu is a water-down version of Duke. I would love to go either school; however Duke seems to offer me more concerning my interests, especially their marine bio. research center. Additionally, I believe Duke student's know how to have a excellent balance between academics and social life, and I know some Washu students also have this "work hard, play hard mentality." My mother wants me to go to Washu because they gave me a great financial aid package. I would only have to pay about 4k if I go to Washu; if I go to Duke, I would have to pay about 8k. I think my final decision will come down to the level of comfort I have on each campus. I have to ask myself- Could I call [Duke or Washu] my home for 4 years?</p>
<p>Well, personally, I don’t know if 4k makes very much of a difference. Only you would know how much of an impact it would have on your family.</p>
<p>And I feel as though a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but I do think that Duke is just like WashU, only better. WashU has good academics and research opportunities, but Duke’s are better (after all, it is in the research triangle). WashU has the balance between sports and academics, but once again, Duke’s is better (I mean, look at its basketball team).</p>
<p>But, that’s just my opinion. Have you visted both school?</p>
<p>Yeah, I visited Washu last summer and Duke last week. I’m going back down to Washu in two weeks because, unlike Duke, I wasn’t able to see Washu during the school year since I went in the summer.</p>
<p>The Duke Marine Lab is very popular - I had several friends who took a semester there and loved it. WashU is…well…pretty far from the ocean…</p>
<p>It sounds like Duke has what you’re looking for academically. I agree that Duke students seem to find a great balance of academics and social life. It’s a tough choice between the two schools, and you can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>^^ Well, WashU is close to Mississippi river. hahaha
Anyway, WashU’s men basketball team won the national championship for 2 years in a row (2008 and 2009) and the women basketball team won this year’s national championship. So, it’s like Duke…but in Division III. So, I think the two schools are pretty similar and you should be happy at either one.</p>
<p>Duke’s basketball is unmistakably terrific, but it’s also really into frats. I think that’s an important piece of their “play hard” mentality. If frats are not your thing, WashU is a better bet. They also have frats, but it’s not a huge presence.</p>
<p>I’ve never been to WASHU, but speaking strictly on a number basis, Duke is a stronger school for both acceptance to grad school and overall job placement.</p>
<p>Duke is a top 5 Wall-Street recruiter school.</p>
<p>Duke is top 10 for Law and Med School placement.</p>
<p>Duke had the highest median salary 5 years after graduation at $108,000. WASHU didn’t crack the top 20. (4k x 4 years = 20k difference. Sounds like a lot, but if you factor in that you are making 10-20k more a year just 5 years out…)</p>
<p>This was more to pacify your mom. Duke is awesome, Ivy caliber, and very communal. I love it here and HIGHLY recommend it. Especially if your other option is only WASHU.</p>
<p>^^ Typical Duke student? o.O</p>
<p>Anyway, just wanna say that numbers are not everything. Harvard and Wharton MBA graduates employment rate 3 months post graduation is not even close to 98%. And since the gap between WashU and Duke isnt that great, I dont think you’ll get more out of college if you go to Duke compared to WashU.</p>
<p>But Duke seems to cater more to my interests…</p>
<p>Then by all means, go to Duke. I dont think ur mom should meddle in this kinda thing unless she wants to be blamed if you end up feeling unhappy at WashU.</p>
<p>
For marine biology, I greatly beg to differ. No other elite university comes close to matching Duke for marine biology at the undergraduate level, and few universities of any quality can (Miami is one).</p>
<p>I wrote a very lengthy and detailed post about marine biology at Duke on another thread, so I’ll simply link to it. I don’t feel like redoing all of the links. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064307119-post38.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064307119-post38.html</a></p>
<p>Duke has its own marine biology lab on the beaches of NC that you can spend a whole semester on and get credits doing it, just like a normal one at Duke.</p>