<p>So I am well aware that it is past the May 1st deadline... but I still am very torn between these two schools. When decision day came around, I sent the letter off to Duke, as a Biomedical Engineering Major with very good financial aid (32k/yr). At the time I was also debating between Harvey Mudd, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Berkeley, USC, and the University of Colorado (all for chemE or BME). I received the trustee scholarship from USC in late March, and was very excited. My visit to USC was amazing, and, being originally from SoCal, I loved the location and atmosphere. However, when I visited Duke a couple of weeks ago, I found myself stuck. Both campuses were amazing: both had great engineering programs, both engineering schools were pretty similarly sized, and both were very active campuses and fostered a diversity of interests and cultures. Even the dean of engineering at Duke is from USC, and they just hosted a summit meeting together this year.
However, on May 1st, something about USC just wasn't feeling right, and I found myself consistently thinking back to Duke. So I went with my gut and sent in the letter.
But, now I seem to be having misgivings. Luckily I have a great relationship with my admissions officer at USC, who has told me that things like this have happened before.
Some of the concerns I initially had with USC was the high number of grad students at Viterbi (about 3,000 compared to 1,800 undergrads) as compared to Duke (1,200 undergrads to 500 grads). I also was curious as to wether the trustee scholarship was really worth it... since Duke was giving me a similar financial aid package (though not necessarily in the form of academic scholarship money) I wondered whether or not the name recognition and "hot-shot" status at USC was really that much better. Certainly they had offered me some other perks, paid research and the honors program, but at Duke those opportunities are just there for whoever wants them.
One other thing that really influenced my decision was the location... I think being originally from SoCal ended up pushing me away from it (and from Harvey Mudd and with CU and colorado). I need to put myself in a new situation, and challenge myself to meet new people and experience new things.
I'm still very torn... If you guys have any recommendations, feel free to help me out.
Thanks</p>
<p>You’re not alone - you’re about to take a big step out of your comfort zone. But to be honest, if Duke is giving you similar financial support I think Duke is a no-brainer. Having spoken to friends at USC who are Trustee Scholarship receipents, they sometimes wish they had gone to a school that would have peers who challenge them more. They usually choose USC because of finances, which are not a problem in your case. Being a Trustee at USC will not make you more competitive than a Duke student :).</p>
<p>If you’re concerned about a specific aspect, feel free to PM me. As a CA resident who left to attend Duke, I’m very happy to have left to experience something different and to have grown from the experience. :)</p>
<p>Well, you have to decide what is more important to you: football or basketball? :)</p>
<p>I think that’s how I’m beginning to see it… I got to the point where I understood that academically I wouldn’t compromise at either one, at least to an extent. Both are prestigious in their own right and both are great universities. I also thought that Dukes not having a ChemE degree would push me away… but hey, if I want to do biochemical engineering, starting with a biomed major is perfectly fine, and might even open up more opportunities. I think the allure of going out of state and forcing myself to go away from the comforts of home and family and friends was what really made the decision. “Specifically” it has been the money that has held me back… and USC definitely was appealing in that respect… however, my parents have told me throughout the process that they want me to forget about the money and go where I feel I’d like to spend four years of my life. I saw it as an opportunity to see the world, and I think that is the best way, at least for me, to approach it. If we could keep in touch that would be great!!</p>
<p>and yes Cuse0507, that was exactly what the Admissions Officer at USC told me before I decided… it just comes down to whether you want to root for a football team or a basketball team… personally I’d be fine with either one :)</p>