<p>wow. I got a letter from Amherst thanking me for informing them that I turned Amherst down for Duke.</p>
<p>I know that Duke is the best fit for me cause its a kick ass school but I feel like I wasted a great opportunity turning down Amherst (I turned down Cornell too but doesnt really bother me that much :P). </p>
<p>Does anybody else feel insecure about turning down terrific presitigious colleges?</p>
<p>You have to make the best decision for yourself. S1 (Duke '09) turned down several prestigious colleges for Duke--not one regret & he couldn't be happier!</p>
<p>Good choice. I'd actually argue that Duke has more prestige than Amherst. I mean, how many people outside of academia have ever even heard of Amherst, Willliams, or Swarthmore? Now, I'm not saying everyone knows about Duke, but its name is much more recognizable than those of top LAC's.</p>
<p>I also turned down Amherst for Duke...not the easiest thing to do though.</p>
<p>Err...well, Duke is more prestigious than Amherst...though that really doesn't matter. The Duke name will get you more places than the Amherst name. </p>
<p>After my freshmen year I was cold-calling companies with resumes. I ended up getting picked up because they saw Duke on my resume and knew I was smart (mid-tier companies). I don't think if I had Amherst listed it would have been as easy.</p>
<p>Duke is absolutely not more prestigious than Amherst, not even close...but it is better known, being so much larger and more sports-oriented.</p>
<p>You did pass up a great opportunity with Amherst, but you can only attend one. If Duke is a better fit, you made the right choice.</p>
<p>You would have lost a great opportunity by turning down Duke.
Both ways you lose one opportunity but get another, :)</p>
<p>Duke is better for some and Amherst is better for others.</p>
<p>yes he would have also lost a great opportunity turning down Duke, certainly. I wouldn't dwell on Amherst now, though.</p>
<p>Duke is better than Amherst opportunity-wise, you certainly aren't passing on anything by choosing the bigger, more well-known school. </p>
<p>I wouldn't give a second thought to Amherst. While a great school, you won't have any opportunities at Amherst that you wouldn't have at Duke, and you should focus on making your Duke experience better. In terms of prestige (which isn't the same as opportunities) - like I said earlier - Amherst is one of those schools thats probably more prestigious among a select group of people (people who went there, other LAC fans), overall Duke has a much better name (international as well as national level) that will do more for you if its on your resume.</p>
<p>In terms of student experience, Amherst is probably better if you like the LAC student experience, but for traditional college Duke is solid.</p>
<p>Either way, don't depress yourself into thinking Amherst was one chance in a million - anything you could have possibly experienced at Amherst (opportunity-wise, prestige-wise, name-wise) you'll get with more at Duke. </p>
<p>Basically, I'm trying to make you happy for choosing Duke.</p>
<p>I think you are underestimating Amherst. It is swimming with money; it paid for me (and many others) to travel and volunteer on two separate continents freshman year. That's just the tip of the iceberg. The opportunities available in a small school with a $1 million dollar per student endowment where the faculty all know you are absolutely staggering. Duke may be bigger and more well-known, but so is the University of Texas.</p>
<p>You really didn't make a bad choice (it is impossible between those two schools, especially since you said you know Duke is a better fit) but the above post is full of misinformation. Anyways, really, try not to dwell on it, you can only attend one, and you made the right choice for yourself.</p>
<p>again, so is Duke: DukeEngage</a> | Home</p>
<p>Don't stress--you made a fine decision</p>
<p>I never doubted that Duke provided funding for students to volunteer abroad.</p>
<p>"above post is full of misinformation.'</p>
<p>...everything I said was subjective...</p>
<p>(read: apparently unregistered is an Amherst student, and despite his unmatchable undergraduate experience, missed the difference between opinion and fact.)</p>
<p>"Duke is more prestigious than Amherst" was an opinion? Well excuse me, in that case!!</p>
<p>I don't think Amherst is unmatchable, I think plenty of schools provide equally good experiences, or ones that are much better for some students. I understand that some people might prefer Duke, and get more out of it than they would at Amherst. I don't know why you guys are getting so twisted up about this.</p>