<p>I am from the UK and have only managed to read online rankings and reviews. I am looking to major in Maths (with a minor or major in Econ). Swarthmore appears to have the best academic reputation. However, the chance to study in Chicago's econ school is a big bonus. The supposedly poor social scenes dont concern me too much, but the weak athletic departments do. I feel that Duke and middlebury have a better balance. Is there a big difference in academics between these schools?</p>
<p>I am looking to work in finance when I graduate. </p>
<p>UChicago has the best reputation internationally. </p>
<p>Duke appears to have alot of connections to the finance world.</p>
<p>Anyways, just a casual thread to hear what peoples thoughts are. They are very different, so any help will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I play rugby to a high level. So a good program is a big plus.</p>
<p>If you really like sports, Swarthmore is probably not the best place for you. Chicago is a fabulous school, but I have a feeling that they’re not so sporty, either. Duke or Middlebury could probably both work. Do you know if they have Rugby?</p>
<p>I personally love Swarthmore… The campus is one of the nicest I visited with my son during his college search process. Unfortunately, my son was told by 2 different people (1 from admissions, 1 athletic coach) that the academic schedule is so tough that most kids study every night of the week and on weekends and have little time to worry about hanging out and having fun. Like most kids, my son wants a mix of academic and personal experiences in college. He doesn’t want to party, but he does want to enjoy a college social life. And whether it was accurate or not, the Swarthmore reps painted a picture that academics were too rigorous for one to have a social life.</p>
<p>Middlebury’s campus and location was awesome. We actually visited Middlebury somewhat by mistake. We were actually visiting other schools in the NE and driving down the highway saw the sign for Middlebury and stopped. Although we knew about the school, we did not realize how nice the campus was. Unfortunately, we had already missed the application deadline and they would not accept a late application. If we would have included this in the schools, it may have been the # 1 I wanted my son to attend. Sports are pretty good there too.</p>
<p>Duke is very nice too. It has a bit of a larger college feeling then Swarthmore and Middlebury. My son’s decision to not apply to Duke was simply based on wanting to limit how many large schools he was applying to since he preferred the smaller school environment.</p>
<p>All good choices.
From a purely academic standpoint, the combination of Math and Econ seems tailor-made for Chicago (both departments are among the top half-dozen or so in the U.S.).</p>
<p>OP, in what respect are so-called “weak athletics” a concern? Sports are not a strong focus at Chicago, but the facilities are quite good. Perhaps you could elaborate a bit on this point.</p>
<p>You have 4 amazing choices. To expand on what HST has already said, Chicago’s new facilities are VERY good. But it’s true that it’s not a rah rah school.</p>
<p>However, my two Chicago sons tell me that there’s strong interest in ‘non official/club’ sports. Don’t know about rugby but you’ll find kids seriously into soccer.(I think fencing and crew are pretty big too)</p>
<p>And just thinking about it further…Chicago’s fencing team is just a club but they’ve become quite good and compete against other school’s official teams. You could probably start a rugby club at any of these schools and take it further.</p>
<p>I strongly disagree, unless of course you’re referring to the general population (who also think that Penn State is leagues ahead of University of Pennsylvania). And I assure you that both Swarthmore and Middlebury have two of the strongest alumni bases in the country, despite that fact that they’re much smaller schools. I see plenty of people walking around wearing Duke sweatshirts who have never even stepped foot on Duke’s campus. If you see someone with a Middlebury sweatshirt on, you can rest assured that they have a strong connection to the school. I do hiring for my company, and give preference to any graduate of an elite liberal arts college over any major university because I’ve found that they’re often better prepared to be creative thinkers and good writers.</p>
<p>having worked at an bulge IB and been involved in recruiting, i can assure you that you’re better off going to chicago or duke. both schools have excellent presence on the street and are among the “core” recruiting schools (of which their are only a handful).</p>
<p>Hi, I am a senior in high school in the US, and I am also finding it a little difficult to pick between Chicago and Duke for next fall. Personally, I believe that Chicago may have the stronger academic reputation, but I feel that the school spirit at Duke is a bit more. While I personally feel that Duke is more in line with what I want in a school, I believe that both Chicago and Duke are great choices, and that both will provide the structure necessary for the business world. </p>
<p>Also, someone posted that they would rather have a student from a small elite liberal arts school over a big university. Why? I think you should be looking at the academic record and talent of the applicant rather that what size school he chose to attend.</p>
<p>@angeldiva: I think you should choose the school that you’ll be happy at the next 4+ years. The academic reputation of the two schools are on par with each other. The collegiate experience, however, are drastically different.</p>
<p>liu02bhs, thank for the heads up. I do feel that both schools are excellent choices. I have considered the atmosphere and programs available for both schools, and based on what I want in a school, Duke is the better choice.</p>