<p>It doesn’t matter if the person on the street doesn’t know what a Robertson scholar is. Robertsons put it in their resume - and if you don’t think top firms (especially finance firms) don’t know what the Robertson distinction means, you’re kidding yourself. By now, many quality firms have hired a Robertson or two. They know the quality of student one must be.</p>
<p>And while this is an ad hominem and somewhat irrelevant, this thread reminds me precisely of the reasons I didn’t apply to Princeton and hated it. Arrogance. My “friend” there tells me and everyone who doesn’t go to Princeton that they are wasting their lives. Ugh.</p>
<p>eatsalot, so in order for a student to get into the Robinson Scholars program at Duke, does the student have to be very accomplished in high school or at Duke?</p>
<p>eatsalot, thanks for telling us that you hate Princeton even though you never applied or attended the school.</p>
<p>I, on the other hand, also never applied or attended Duke, but don’t hate it…frankly I like it a lot…I think that it is a great school and have many friends that are alumni of Duke.</p>
<p>It’s interesting how you claim I’m wrong and you don’t even back up the statement. Who are you to tell me that I’m wrong in my personal preference of Duke over Princeton? What makes you more “right” than me?</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that there is no “right” answer regarding which is the best choice. The OP can’t go wrong with either… it comes down to personal fit. Duke and Princeton are both top 10 schools. And yeah, I agree with eatsalot… so much arrogance has been displayed on this thread. Just because Princeton is Ivy League doesn’t mean its better.</p>
<p>Seriously, I feel that every single point in this threat has been beaten to death. This thread has sidetracked and has turned more into heated arguments instead of helping the OP.</p>
<p>Wow, what an insight. Here’s another one for you: don’t take academic advice from individuals that use the word ‘less’ when they should use the word ‘fewer.’</p>
<p>“The fact of the matter is that there is no “right” answer regarding which is the best choice. The OP can’t go wrong with either… it comes down to personal fit. Duke and Princeton are both top 10 schools. And yeah, I agree with eatsalot… so much arrogance has been displayed on this thread. Just because Princeton is Ivy League doesn’t mean its better.”</p>
<p>A top ten school is not a top 5 school. Duke is relatively WEAK in it’s engineering offerings. Can’t we all just admit that Princeton is the better choice here? I am tired of Dukies constantly reminding everyone why they should be considered as good as any school in this country. Just because Duke is a top 10 school doesn’t mean it’s as good as EVERY lVy League school.</p>
<p>under no cirmcumstance are people saying that Princeton is better than Duke because it is an Ivy League school.</p>
<p>Princeton is better than Duke, because simply put, Princeton provides the best undergraduate education and experience of any college/university in the country.</p>
<p>The “interview” made me laugh pretty hard. But it makes no sense. Obviously, somebody isn’t going to just go in circles saying he is a Robertson Scholar based on accomplishments made in high school. Presumably, if they were motivated and qualified enough to get the scholarship offer (and get into Princeton), they will succeed by doing great research at both institutions. And for those who say Duke Mech Eng is weak and has terrible professors; frankly, it’s ridiculous. As an example, Adrian Bejan, namesake of the [Bejan</a> number](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bejan_number]Bejan”>Bejan number - Wikipedia) and one of the top 100 cited engineering scholars in the world, is a Duke mech eng professor. Yeah, doing research with him would be really terrible. There’s also a reason that Pratt attracts top students and the ACT range is 32-35, definitely a higher quality student body then such “superior” engineering schools like Illinois and Michigan. You think all these students are insane? No, there’s a reason.</p>
<p>I’ll acknowledge that Princeton’s engineering school offers more diverse offerings and is seen as one of the top in the nation (and has a stronger reputation than Duke’s), but to say Duke engineering is “weak” is misinformed. It’s a niche school; it’s tied in the rankings to such terrible universities like Harvard, Columbia, USC, and UPenn. Furthermore, most engineering firms could care less what school you went to … not sure why, but they’re not into prestige for some reason. Now, for management consulting/i-banking they certainly DO care what school you went to. And actually, Duke Mech Eng churns out these types of individuals in HUGE numbers. (I’d agree Princeton does very well too, I’m not saying anything negative about P-ton). A [url=<a href=“http://www.mems.duke.edu/where-ME-students-go]whopping[/url”>Where Duke MEMS Students Go | Duke Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science]whopping[/url</a>] 53% of Duke mechanical engineering graduates become analysts, bankers, and consultants. </p>
<p>I’m not saying Duke Robertson or Princeton is clearly a better choice. All I’m saying that as a quality student, you will succeed at either institution and to say Duke is weak in engineering is misleading. You’ll have great research opportunities, job recruitment, etc. at both schools. I’ll again acknowledge that Princeton has more prestige, and more recognition in the engineering world than Duke does, and those are certainly valid reasons to choose Princeton over Duke. (If I was in the OP’s situation interested in ME and P-ton only cost me a few thousand a year, I think I’d choose Princeton). But I could easily see somebody choosing Duke over Princeton in this situation as well, as the Robertson program does offer some really nice perks and Duke is no slouch either. If you enjoy high-profile sports and North Carolina weather, I could certainly see the scale tipping in Duke’s favor (frankly, basketball and having a sports scene is one of the main reasons I love Duke; but for others, they could care less.) I could rationalize either choice and there’s no “right” answer. What a great choice to have! Good luck!</p>
<p>This is a push. Robertson doesn’t mean much outside of CC and NC. Morehead much better known. It sounds trite, but it is a matter of “fit”. I can think of plenty of good and bad about both schools.</p>
<p>Oh come on, the goal of any interviewer is to get to know the candidate as well as possible so any candidate will have plenty of opportunities to explain the significance of the Robertson program to the employer if he/she is unaware of its reputation. I’m sure the same opportunities are available at Princeton if a top student actively seeks them, but the argument I want to make is that the Robertson is such a well-structured program that the a scholar’s resume will be filled with multiple summers of civic immersion experiences, research with the top profs at Duke, special academic opportunities like high-level seminars only available to Robertsons and INCREDIBLE recommendation letters that will allow the student to relax in college knowing that a top grad school is basically in the bag following graduation. A top Princeton grad will definitely have to sweat a little bit more in the process.</p>
<p>A perfect corollary would be turning down a higher ranked school to attend a direct med program like Northwestern HPME or Brown PLME since the student would already know he has a guaranteed med school acceptance so he can relax a little bit in college and not have to stress out about the MCATs as much.</p>
<p>
No one said that Duke is as good as every Ivy League school. HYP are superior to Duke in many circumstances. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that this is one of them.</p>
<p>Besides, no one wants to hear a state school grad whose alma mater isn’t even a top 25 school anymore parse the differences between two Top 10 elite schools like Duke and Princeton.</p>
<p>here is another one. Whom would the graduate school or company prefer?</p>
<p>A Princeton student with a “C” GPA average or a Robinson Duke Scholar with a “C” average?</p>
<p>A Princeton student with a “B” GPA average or a Robinson Duke Scholar with a “B” average?</p>
<p>A Princeton student with an “A” GPA average and top recommendations from Princeton Professors or a Robinson Duke Scholar with an “A” average and top recommendations from Duke Professors?</p>
<p>A Princeton student with an “A+” GPA average and top recommendations from Princeton Professors or a Robinson Duke Scholar with an “A+” average and top recommendations from Duke Professors?</p>
Either, probably. As someone who made it through the graduate admissions process virtually unscathed, I can say this pretty comfortably. (Princeton and Duke are ranked #4 and #15 in my field, respectively. Thankfully the graduate committees refrained from spitting upon my application because I did not attend a top 5 school…oh, the horror.) ;)</p>
<p>
Oh, get a sense of humor. Learn to take things fewer seriously!</p>
<p>lesdia, when you are attacking someone personally as you are here, can you please at least tell us the alias of the person that you are attacking?</p>
<p>They’d most likely prefer somebody with a perfect GPA (4.0) So if you’re considering Princeton, my advice to you is to keep your grades up… because who’s more likely to get into this college, someone with a perfect GPA or someone with a GPA below that?</p>
<p>“There’s also a reason that Pratt attracts top students and the ACT range is 32-35, definitely a higher quality student body then such “superior” engineering schools like Illinois and Michigan”</p>
<p>At least someone finally admits that Illinois and Michigan are superior to Duke in engineering. :-)</p>
<p>PA of Duke is 4.4
PA of Michigan is 4.4</p>
<p>PA of Princeton is 4.9</p>
<p>I would decide to attend Princeton in a millisecond over Duke if given the choice.</p>
<p>“Besides, no one wants to hear a state school grad whose alma mater isn’t even a top 25 school anymore parse the differences between two Top 10 elite schools like Duke and Princeton.”</p>
<p>Typical Dukie. No one wants to hear about Duke when discussing the top 5 schools in this country either.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman in high school that wants to become a school psychologist. It is recommended that I take 2 to 3 years of college to receive my bachelors degree, which is mandatory in my state. I am a very organized and determined person. When I want something and set a goal, I push myself to achieve it. I need advice as to how I can achieve my goal, though. Can anyone help?</p>
<p>As a child, I’ve grown up learning to fin for myself. I have a big family and we have a very low income. This has made me realize that I want to make something of myself… therefore I have pushed myself to get good grades and I have done a TON of research on becoming a psychologist. I want to be something. I also want to help people. I’ve had it a little rougher than most growing up, but because of this, I now know what the right career for me is. I help myself by helping other people. I often give advice and enjoy doing it. Is there anything I should know or be aware of?</p>