<p>I'm considering to ED for Duke or Williams since I am not THAT strong an applicant, and EDing will increase my chances. I'm probably going to study economics or political science. Which school would be better? I know its a really vague question (people may ask 'better in what way?'), but hear me out:</p>
<p>Williams is the top liberal arts college, and economics is its strong suit. Due to its prestige and alumni network, finding a good job is relatively easier compared to other schools, and many find good jobs on Wall Street. Though it is small and in a rural area, I think I'll make the most of it as I've been accustomed to small schools (I currently attend a small private school).</p>
<p>Duke is one of the top universities, and its economics is good and popular among its undergraduates. I hear of its amazing campus, and the Blue Devils are amazing every single year (I hope Duke gets to the Final Four this year and doesn't win... so Austin Rivers will be back as a sophomore!). But I unfortunately don't know that much about the university.</p>
<p>Could people give me the pros and cons of each school? Much appreciated!</p>
<p>(if you are going to ask for sources for my above statements, they are all what I hear)</p>
<p>Both schools will provide you with a great background in econ/poly sci and will prepare you well through networking opportunities to get a solid job post-graduation. Anybody who says one is appreciably better than the other at postgrad opportunities is misguided. According to the WSJ Feeder rankings, Williams was #5 and Duke was #6. Both have graduates go onto top professional schools and get offered top-notch jobs. Because they’re both so strong, you basically should base your decision on if you want a smaller, perhaps more nurturing environment where undergrads are the sole focus (Williams) or find it more appealing to go to a school with perhaps more class unity and excitement due to the world-class athletic program (specifically basketball) and some more research opportunities due to the existence of grad programs/med school (although perhaps not as applicable to you as econ/poly sci major, but I know some undergrad econ majors who did do research under professors/with PhDs). </p>
<p>There are obviously other differences between the universities, but that seems like the biggest difference to me, and both rationales are reasonable to choose one school over the other. The class pride/unity/sense of community/big time athletics is why I chose Duke over UPenn/Columbia, although I hear Williams is pretty solid in the sense of community and athletic support is good for a DIII school (but again, athletics pale in comparison to that of Duke). And the weather at Duke is better. I know weather seems like a silly reason to choose one school over the other, but I actually do think it makes life more enjoyable being able to socialize/study outside for basically the entire academic calendar year (and you don’t have to deal with scorching summers since you’re probably going home then anyways). </p>
<p>You really can’t go wrong, so I’d encourage you to visit both and talk to students. Good luck!</p>
<p>^ There’s really not much difference between their selectivity. Duke has a lower admit rate but Williams has a more self-selected applicant pool.</p>
<p>Do they focus on different things though? Because I know that some schools are very grades and numbers oriented (SAT, GPA) but some other schools look at qualities and character. Which one is Duke and which one is Williams? I don’t know much about either of their admissions ways…</p>
<p>Both Williams and Duke are truly outstanding schools. However, there is one significant difference, which I believe should be fundamental to your decision: Williams is essentially an undergraduate “arts and sciences” college, whereas Duke is a major, prestigious, internationally renowned research university (albeit with a relatively small population: ~6,500 undergraduates and ~7,500 graduate and professional school students). Unquestionably, you will be pleased - for life - with either alternative, but I respectfully suggest that you determine which undergraduate environment better meets your current and FUTURE needs and preferences.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information… but I’m mainly trying to get an idea of the admissions processes, and which school would more easily admit me: I don’t have the best stats, but I do have pretty decent ECs, and my essays are pretty good.</p>
<p>I’ve realized that I’m not going to apply for LACs because the admissions are way too grades oriented for me to even have a chance, so I’ve actually narrowed it down to Duke and Brown. I’m considering Columbia… but thats just because its really good! From what I hear, I think that Brown’s admissions process may be more favorable to me, but I don’t know about the others. What do you think?</p>
<p>I have heard that Brown is strange in admissions (like its really not numbers based). Can you list your stats and maybe a few big ECs though just for us to see where you would fit for adcoms? Ask around on the Brown and Columbia one too, maybe someone knows a lot about all 3. Though, LACs strive to see the whole person (not just good grades, but good ECs, leadership, essays, etc)- so that might help you depending on what you have.</p>
<p>well i have 2080 for my SAT… and further than that I have pretty much no other information to give. i’m doing the full IB diploma, and unlike GPA i don’t always have a tab on my grade. i will be getting my predicted grade soon, and I will post it here.</p>
<p>as for ECs, my three major ones are Varsity Basketball (apart of the team since freshman year, now team captain), MUN (since soph year, School Ambassador), Choir (since soph year, section leader). my school doesn’t have that big of a variety of ECs, so its difficult to find a bunch of them I can do long and well for…</p>
I know weather seems like a silly reason to choose one school over the other, but I actually do think it makes life more enjoyable being able to socialize/study outside for basically the entire academic calendar year (and you don’t have to deal with scorching summers since you’re probably going home then anyways). </p>