<p>hey i'm wondering about duke vs columbia for grad school, focusing on English. i was just wondering if anyone could give me some info between the two universities or places.
i've never been to the US and had barely heard of either of them time a year or two ago so any details, no matter how "duh", will help me out :)</p>
<p>Duke=rural/suburban, southern, surrounded by forest
Columbia=urban, surounded by NYC</p>
<p>Which has the better academic reputation is probably arguable, but the settings couldn't be more different.</p>
<p>A little more about Columbia. There's a really nice group of international students, graduate and undergraduate. Many of them, however, seem to be very rich--which is something to keep in mind when planning your social life if you expect to be very poor. Columbia doesn't have a 'campus environment.' It's a collection of beautiful and impressive buildings with a few tiny strips of grass. Graduate students tend to live in graduate student housing or rented apartments <em>at least</em> a few blocks away from school. These are mostly an interesting collection of very broken down and slightly bug infested historic buildings with hardwood floors or brand spanking new modern megaplexes. Neither choice is frightening. The students are really, really fun at Columbia in a sophisticated sort way. A lot of clubbing in comparison with other graduate students I've met, for instance. What else? The Columbia adminstration (including health services) is a bit cold. So don't plan to get sick or have any emergencies that you can't take care of yourself. Finally, if you haven't been to New York City, you're going to want to talk to a lot of people that have. It's an extraordinary place and people have varied reactions. I'm from a big city myself but New York just has so many people in such a small space. (Manhattan is actually sinking very slowly from the weight of all the new buildings! Weird, right?)</p>
<p>It probably depends on your area of English study, because each school has different specialities (although each is strong in general).</p>
<p>Apply to both, and if you get in, they will pay for you to visit, although it's still a good idea to know about the professor's strengths and areas of research and why you being at school x or school z would benefit you and benefit the school.</p>
<p>The Manhattan is sinking thing is an urban legend that's been around since the 19th century. Read this. <a href="http://www.snopes.com/history/hoaxes/sawny.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.snopes.com/history/hoaxes/sawny.htm</a></p>
<p>Okay, so maybe the Manhattan sinking thing is an urban legend...However, the fact that so many people are willing to believe it speaks to the unique 'grandeur' or 'overcrowding' of the city--according to your perspective. So definately check out New York before you sign anything if you're from a small town! Also, the B.B.C. claims that Shanghai <em>is</em> sinking so I feel less stupid than I might otherwise. :). (<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3105948.stm)%5B/url%5D">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3105948.stm)</a>.</p>
<p>eek! now i am scared of columbia, i come from a "city" which is really just an overgrown village (otherwise known as dublin,ireland) and also come from a low-income background..</p>
<p>Goofygirl,</p>
<p>I wouldn't be "afraid" of Columbia. It's still a university, so you're definitely still afforded the insularity of an academic setting. </p>
<p>And Duke isn't in a tiny village, either.</p>
<p>Kermit3, apparently either you haven't been in a Columbia dorm or university owned apartment recently, or you just had bad luck to have a rotten NYC landlord of your own.</p>
<p>First, many graduate students and faculty live in places like the 560 Riverside Drive and the International House; not palaces but certaintly not bug-infested dumps and there is a long line of applicants waiting to get in them. Great views of the Hudson River from 560 Riverside Drive. Also, for years Columbia has been one of the biggest property owners in New York City. To wit, they acquired many nearby apartment buildings and helped renovate the immediate area down to 125th Street, a now 'hot' location. A lot of New Yorkers would love to live in a Columbia graduate/faculty/staff apartment.</p>
<p>Okay, sorry if I gave the wrong impression of the housing. I have been in it recently and it's not bad. That's what I meant by 'neither choice is scary.' But I can see now that 'not scary' isn't exactly the best recommendation. The International House is comparable to Chicago's, certainly. I haven't seen any other International Houses. And the aforementioned megaplexes are quite new. Finally, I haven't seen a renovated 125th street place so I can't comment. However, I must protest about the bug issue. Even the undergraduate dorms at Columbia--which are very well-maintained--have roaches. I am told by much richer friends, moreover, that pretty much everywhere in the city has a few roaches periodically. And I have to tell you, the first time a non-New Yorker sees a New York cockroach... Well, whatever. Bugs would be an absurd reason not to go to Columbia, which is an excellent, terrific, very fun school! And I will state for the record that there is nothing wrong with the housing. You might even get a fireplace.</p>
<p>I agree with the poster who said that for graduate school, you really need to look at the particular program and choose based on your area of specialty, the professors you will work with, etc. There are specific sites that allow you to compare PhD programs by plugging in what criteria are most important to you. Just google English graduate school rankings or something like that.</p>