<p>My daughter has been accepted to both Duke and William and Mary and is visiting them for the first time this week from out of state. Could someone who is familiar with both schools compare them for me? Obviously, Duke is bigger and newer, while W&M is smaller and historic. I'm interested in how they differ in terms of their student bodies, social life and academics. My daughter is interested in English, Spanish, and maybe History and Global Studies. She worked very hard in high school, not much of a social life outside of band and newspaper, and really wants to have a good time as well as a good education in college. She's very sweet, a bit shy and needs to work on assertiveness. She's interested in checking out Greek life. We're looking for a good fit academically and socially. Any thoughts or insights would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>Congratulations on two wonderful acceptances. I don't know how many parents on the forum have personal experience with both schools, but there are a number of Duke parents on CC, so perhaps they'll weigh in. I'd like to give a strong endorsement of W & M, from which my oldest d graduated in 2005. Of course, the schools are quite different in social feel and academic atmosphere, and certain students would be unhappy at one or the other. If your d is a "bloom where you're planted" person, she'll find a great experience at either.</p>
<p>Duke is a powerhouse, a school everyone has heard of; W & M isn't as well known outside of VA and the surrounding area. The aspects of W & M my d liked best were the outstanding faculty, which she found accessible and nurturing, even in a large major (biology); the student body, which is really smart and focused but not cutthroat; the beautiful campus and the accompanying sense of history (there's some kind of story or ritual associated with just about everything you see); and the varied activities and social scene, which suited her well. She got involved with a club sport that she'd never played before and traveled to many tournaments. She loved the Williamsburg delis and the job she got in Colonial Willaimsburg. </p>
<p>What she didn't like: not much, though she occasionally found the administration unresponsive, and she had to push for what she wanted at scheduling time. Some dorms aren't great (her freshman dorm among them).</p>
<p>On the Greek scene: it's there, but doesn't pervade the campus atmosphere as it does at other schools. There are open frat parties pretty much every weekend, and alcohol is there. The school's alcohol policy is more serious than most (my d knows several kids who were on probation or expelled for drinking; the Williamsburg police are active in arresting students for public intoxication). </p>
<p>The frats are more visible than the sororities - a few of my d's roommates were Greek,but as far as she was concerned that only meant they went to a meeting every Monday night and occasionally got dressed up on the weekends. However, my d's boyfriend was an officer in his frat, and it was a major thing in his life. When I met some of these guys, I was amazed at how they broke the stereotype of the frat boy - it would be hard to find a geekier bunch!</p>
<p>Out of time - I'll be interested to see what others have to say.</p>
<p>Two Southern Ivies- nice options! Duke will have a stronger Greek presence and the student body will have a wealthier mix han W&M. Since they have East & West campus at Duke she will have to get used to riding the bus a lot. can be a headache on rainy days.</p>
<p>Both have strong faculties and both schools have excellent departments that your daughter wants. This will be an emotional decision on which "feels" right. Price tag may also be a big issue.</p>
<p>Best of luck -you cant lose.</p>
<p>My daughter wanted a school that had more people from out of state. Thought that 2/3 from VA might not be what she wanted for four years. She might still do her "junior year abroad" at W&M.</p>
<p>Congrats to your D on 2 great offers!</p>
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<p>I bet you'll be able to answer this yourself after you've visited both schools:)</p>
<p>My S will be graduating from W & M next month (English major). He's been able to work closely with profs, who seem to have really taken an interest in him and where he is headed next. He's had alot of great opportunities and now is itching to get out and get started on the next phase of his life.</p>
<p>Socially, the kids I've met seem to be smart, well adjusted, healthy, and active in the community. Probably one of the big differences would be the <em>big time athletics</em> atmosphere you'd have at Duke is not prevalent at W&M. Intramurals are very popular, but you will not find the same level of support for the FB, BB teams.</p>
<p>I think the visit may make the decision for her too - the campuses and the surrounding areas are quite different. I graduated from W&M many years ago but have 3 degrees from there. BA/English, M.ED and JD. Obviously, I loved it there and still do. I wouldn't trade anything for having my freshman English classes in the Wren Building. The professors were very accessible and, even back then, I didn't find a cut throat environment that many of my high school friends described at other schools. I was a member of a sorority and it was low key. I loved living in the sorority house though - make sure she looks at the sorority houses while there - they are real houses, not dorm-like. Take a stroll starting at the Wren Building down through the Sunken Gardens and down the path over the Crim Dell Bridge. My niece, on the other hand, loved the Duke campus. I look forward to hearing the results of the trips.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the observations and insights. She is visiting the campuses this week with her dad and I hope the right choice will become readily apparent!</p>
<p>When you visit Duke, try to make time to take the "East-West" bus to East Campus, if it isn't on the official agenda. You may find, as my son has, that the bus ride isn't a big deal. Plus, East Campus is the original campus for the university and is lovely. Freshmen live on East Campus, which sounded strange and isolating to me. But it turns out to be a great situation (IMO). The first year students form strong social relationships, which is helped by the fact that Duke doesn't have Rush until Spring.</p>
<p>I don't have any insights about W&M, but wanted to offer the above.</p>
<p>The English department at Duke is, in one word, fantastic. Course offerings include pretty much everything you can think of- Old English and Medieval Literature, Hawthorne and Poe, 18th/19th Century British Literature, Modern American Poetry, Creative Writing, Literary Theory...I really don't think many universities can match the amazing courses, professors, and resources Duke offers in English. Not to mention the resources offered at nearby UNC Chapel Hill!</p>
<p>If she wants to continue newspaper journalism, Duke is a great place to do it. The Chronicle is widely regarded as one of the best student newspapers, and they're a pretty tight-knit group. It requires a decent amount of time and commitment, however. </p>
<p>A female Duke student should chime in on the sororities, but they're pretty low key, I think. They don't have housing, and it's mostly a social group that has mixers every so often. Duke also offers Selective Living groups, which are residential groups based on interests (student-faculty interaction, community service, health/wellness, internationalism, languages, arts, etc.).</p>
<p>I'm not familiar with Duke, but my son is a sophomore at W&M. He attended a private Catholic HS in NJ & is a pre-med / biology major. We looked at several schools before deciding on W&M. Campus size, location, reputation, grad school placement, as well as many other factors influenced his decision. A couple of the things that I liked as a parent were the Honor Code & the core curriculum which provides all students with a broad based liberal arts education in addition to their majors.
Apart from being beautiful, the campus & surrounding areas are very safe. The college has a new president who is very approachable & we haven't found unresponsiveness by faculty to be an issue, in fact just the opposite is true. Any scheduling problems have been easily over-ridden by professors. My son is a RA & although some of the dorms are old, a huge new dorm complex is almost complete (though living in the older dorms has not been an issue with my son).
Greek life is present, but not pervasive. He belongs to a fraternity which is academically oriented as well as social. They are proud of their academic ranking among fraternities as well as their philanthropic & volunteer activities. Partying, although present, doesn't seem to be pervasive.
The alumni network is very strong thoughout the country & grad school placement is strong. In fact my son was awarded a summer fellowship @ Harvard this year.
The reputation W&M has for grade deflation & very difficult academics is not entirely true. Although you will work hard, good grades are possible & look great to grad schools. Your daughter should arrange an overnight stay & sit in on several courses in her prospective major to get a better feel for the school.</p>
<p>My son was admitted to both schools and has also lived at Wm and Mary for a fantastic pre collegiate history course. He attends Duke but holds Wm and Mary in high regard and is still benefitting from the quality of instruction at Wm and Mary. The two schools are quite different but they are both rigorous. Please keep in mind that 2/3 Virginians also has a factor of so many Virginians having diverse roots. We have many friends at Wm and Mary now. Wm and Mary teachers are very approachable and warm and the student body is strong across the board. I remember your earlier posts. Feel free to PM me with any specific opinion questions. I see great outcomes either way but Wm and Mary is more undergrad only focused and is more of a liberal arts atmosphere.</p>