<p>Hi... Our son is very conflicted between the two. Any viewpoints would be appreciated- particularly about Duke vs Amherst and generally about big school vs small LAC. He will most likely major in economics.
He is going to visit both for the admitted student days- overnight stays- so that should help!</p>
<p>I think once he spends time there, maybe it’ll become clear - they are very different. Maybe one will “speak” to him.</p>
<p>My S is confused too - there must be a lot of that going around these days!</p>
<p>While we will all have our opinions (I know I do), if he’s smart enough to get into these two schools, he is likely smart enough to figure this out for himself. If there isn’t a financial reason to favor one over the other, I’d be as hands-off as possible.</p>
<p>While I’ve never been to either, they sound like very different environments, the visits should help him make his decision.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there is no bad choice here.</p>
<p>I am trying to stay as hands off as possible- not even emphasizing the fact that Amherst is driving distance and Duke is a flight away or a very long drive…
And yes he is a level headed kid so I am sure he will make an informed decision and be happy wherever he goes.
Thanks for the replies- I did not realize the whole process is not over yet… the schools have done their bit now it’s his time to choose :)</p>
<p>While Duke IS bigger than Amherst, I wouldn’t characterize it as a “big school.” It has about 6,000 undergraduates. For perspective, that’s less than a 1,000 students larger than Princeton or Tufts.</p>
<p>By comparison, Duke is smaller (in terms of undergraduate enrollment) than Brown, Emory, Northwestern, Ithaca College, Vanderbilt, Stanford, or Washington University in St. Louis.</p>
<p>That said, some might argue that Division I athletics (for example) make Duke culturally a “big school.”</p>
<p>I encourage your son to visit both places for their admitted student functions/weekends/days. He’ll figure out the best fit for him!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m a current Duke freshman, also majoring in Economics, and possibly doing the MMS certificate as well. For a while, I remember choosing colleges, and also having to decide between several schools. While I don’t know much about Amherst, given I’m from the West Coast, I can definitely provide more in-depth information about Duke, and also opportunities for Econ majors. </p>
<p>As for the big school vs. small college type feel, I feel like Duke is big enough where you won’t know everyone, even within your class or potentially within your major, but it’s close enough that you will constantly be meeting people you know on a hourly basis, whether it’s at the dinner place or in the library. There are plenty of econ majors at Duke, and I would say the largest two concentrations of students are probably econ majors and pre-med students. I’m majoring in Econ and computer science, and I’m thinking about going to finance with software engineering as my back-up. </p>
<p>Feel free to message me with any questions you might have, and I’ll try to answer as in-depth as I possibly can. I can also refer you to some of my friends who might have input on anything you might be interested in. If your son is going to Blue Devil Days, I might see him there also, because I’m serving as a tour guide and also giving a small presentation on what campus life is like. Congratulations to your son for having these two wonderful options!</p>
<p>Duke anticipates the class of 2016 to be about 1700 - which is slightly larger than Brown (1500) and Vanderbilt (1600). The accepted student sessions should give him a good preview of both schools and make his choice a little easier - they are both great!</p>