<p>What are people's thoughts about the differences in the two schools? My d is accepted at Wash U and waitlisted at Duke? Anyone know the chances of getting off Duke's waitlist? Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>no offense but comparing the two means nothing. Duke’s academic programs are strong only in the Trinity College, while WashU’s are centered on natural science.</p>
<p>I wanted to respond this question, because I myself am an alum of Wash U, recruit for that school, and my son was accepted to Duke early decision this year–I am familiar with both schools. I don’t think you can say that only Trinity is good at Duke or that only the sciences are good at Wash U. What I think you can say is that the schools are very similar in some ways and very different in others. Wash U is a great community, many of their programs are first-class, but the spirit of the school does not revolve around sports or a b-ball team. It seems like Duke attracts those kids who are very much into the basketball scene, the camping out that takes place, etc. Duke is Division I, Wash U is Division III. While the sizes of the two schools are comparable, the cities in which they are located are very different–St. Louis and Durham–so I would consider those differences as well-the weather-small city vs. large city, etc. As much as it pains me to say, while I think Wash U’s reputation has grown dramatically since I went there and most people are familiar with its great reputation, I think Duke has a slightly better reputation nationwide, if that is important to you-the prestige factor. I wanted my S to go to Wash U because I knew he would love it there. While that would have been his second choice, he was just drawn to Duke due to his love of sports, the weather, and the great academic reputation. That combination is hard to find.</p>
<p>NestEmpty,
Thanks for your response. When my d started the college selection process, she thought going to a D1 sports school was a must on her list. But when she visited Wash U, she loved the feel of the school. She also loved Duke, but her overnight with a student in the dorm wasn’t fun. The host just studied and talked on the phone, and basically ignored D. We’re from the midwest. We’ve heard some talk about a bit of a snobby, elite attitude among some female students at Duke. She is undecided about what to study at this point - lots of interests. We realize Wash U’s prestige is a bit less than Duke, but fit is more important. Her brother went to a very elite, prestigious school, but it wasn’t such a good fit. Although he did well and graduated, he doesn’t really have very good feelings about his college years. I must say that there is a genuine warmth I have felt at Wash U that I haven’t felt anywhere else.</p>
<p>The warmth and sense of family at Wash U are real. I go back there once a year (I grew up in the Midwest but live in the Southwest now) and all of us, from recent graduates, to those who graduated years ago, say “family” or " community" or “home” if forced to say one word about our experience there. The campus is gorgeous, as you probably know, and the dorms are first-rate, because they’re mostly brand new (not so at Duke). I wholeheartedly agree that fit is key, which is why I feel good that my S chose what fit best for him, rather than for me. Wash U is a great school and tell her congratulations!</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Wash U. I just happened upon this thread comparing Duke with Wash U. My S was accepted to WUSTL ED but I was curious about the comparison. I am glad to hear some comfirmation of his own feelings about WUSTL and mine as well. I know that this is a Duke thread but we were really struck by the warm feelings at the school and the quality of life. Although for many, prestige and name recognition is a higher priority the whole package is what counts. These decisions about college selection should not be viewed as life changing but I think it is a good time to think more deeply about what is important in a college experience</p>
<p>I think I just got excited about seeing both schools together in one place, and I felt I had something to contribute. I just haven’t met that many students choosing between those two schools–they seem to draw different types of students but this could be my imagination. By the way, please know that I am biased in favor of Wash U-which is why I am still very involved in that school and know lots of people there. Duke, however, is growing on me, and I completely understand why my S loves that school, too. Maybe we should move to the Parents Forum before the students kick us out? :)</p>
<p>I am an alum of both institutions. After reading these posts, I would say there are a lot of generalizations about both schools that simply aren’t true. It’s not as simple as reducing these two great institutions to generalizations such as “only Trinity” is top-notch, or a “snobby, elitist attitude among some female students at Duke.” There are 6,000 undergrads at Duke - not all are snobby, elitist, or even care about basketball!</p>
<p>The two schools are very similar, the campuses even resemble each other somewhat. They both have excellent reputations and graduate schools/professional schools. Duke’s campus is larger, the weather warmer,although both are dreadfully hot in the summer.There is a large airport nearby (RDU) which is accessible to campus. </p>
<p>WashU has a smaller feel. St. Louis is an interesting town, with some notable sites, although as an undergrad, a student may not really want/need to get off campus. Duke has more outdoors activites nearby off-campus, and some great restaurants in Durham. WashU more city activites (arch, baseball) and also great restaurants… Both campuses have a full range of student activites - arts, activism, religious/civic groups, etc, etc,etc, and of course, excellent academics in almost any discipline you can name.</p>
<p>A student accepted to both schools would have a hard time choosing, and honestly couldn’t make a “wrong” choice.</p>
<p>Two Moose:
I’m curious whether you went to Wash U undergrad or Duke undergrad. The only thing I want to add–since I myself went to grad school in the south–at Emory–is that I found there to be vast differences between the south and the midwest. I never got used to this difference and decided not to pursue a career in the south–although I could have. The other thing I want to add about the two schools is that-if your S or D is a true sports fanatic–as my S is–plays several sports competitively–you would find the spirit around the sports teams lacking at Wash U. He actually went to a b-ball game at Wash U to check it out, and hardly any one was watching (although I think they won the Div. III championship this year and are a great team). Perhaps this should not factor in when considering a college but if this is important to your kid, well, you can’t change that . . . . But I agree that, from a purely academic standpoint, you can’t go wrong at either school.</p>
<p>To GV Mom:</p>
<p>I just read from a link–which took me to the Duke newspaper, that Duke admitted 17 percent this year–its lowest ever. That same article said that this year, it put 1000 people on the waitlist and that last year, Duke took 200 people from the waitlist. I hope that help answers your questions.</p>
<p>Thanks again to everyone for their comments. My D has pretty much decided to stick with Wash U. She is going next weekend to the Olin Spotlight weekend at Wash U and won’t turn down Duke waitlist until after her visit, but she is feeling very enthusiastic about Wash U. Her gut feel is that is the place for her.</p>
<p>Wash U is awesome and it has a lower acceptance rate. Screw Duke.</p>
<p>^^ no need to be bitter here. Those kind of comments just ruin constructive conversations.</p>
<p>I’m a Duke student from Missouri who chose Duke over considerably more financial aid at WashU (and does not regret it). I totally agree with twomoose that generalizations are running rampant here. I think it’s evident from the fact that this thread exists (that is, that Duke and WashU virtually pull from the same group of students) that there’s not going to be many black and white distinctions between the student bodies, concerning elitism or otherwise.</p>
<p>@nestempty, I grew up in the Midwest (Missouri) and have had no struggles at all transitioning into living in North Carolina. First, there’s not that much of a transition to be made as only 15% of students or so are actually from NC. Duke, like WashU, is a global university, and therefore I feel like any kind of cultural or regional transfer is almost non-existent. Also, the South itself is not the same in NC as it is in Georgia.</p>
<p>As for basketball and Duke sports, I think that these should only be positive factors for prospective students and not negative ones. While this may seem unfair to say that we want to take the benefits of having great sports and neglect the disadvantages, I think that campus culture is so broad and so diverse that if you are into sports, you have a niche there to fall into, but if you aren’t, it’s not like you’re punished or singled-out in any way. You simply find a different niche that fits you better.</p>
<p>Regarding concerns about adjusting to culture at Duke:</p>
<p>I live in Raleigh, and have lived here for a few years. Prior to moving here, I lived in Creve Coeur, MO (a suburb of St. Louis). I can honestly say that there wasn’t much of a cultural disparity to adjust to at all. I know that there are many individuals in North Carolina that others might classify as the stereotypical (culturally-, not necessarily politically-) conservative Southerner, but there are relatively few of those in the Research Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), and even less at Duke. Most of my friends were born outside of North Carolina, and the grand majority of my (public) school is politically liberal (I know that politics are entirely irrelevant to your inquiries, but I just wanted to offer that anecdote as a testimony to the claim that RTP residents aren’t necessarily of the “typical” southern population).</p>