<p>Sorry...i know it's selfish of me to make this thread...but any comments?</p>
<p>The subway is now $2.50. Go to Duke. </p>
<p>I love New York, it's the greatest city in the world, but I really think it's the place you should live AFTER college. To me, Duke offers the more "authentic" college experience and this is your only chance to have one. </p>
<p>(full disclosure--I used to live across the street from Columbia so excitement about the school is lost on me)</p>
<p>Hey shostakovich (my absolute favorite composer, by the way), last year come April I was facing the exact same dilemma as you, choosing between Duke, Columbia, (and Princeton, though I would have chosen Columbia over Princeton, probably). Have you visited both the campuses? They are definitely very different. </p>
<p>Duke and Columbia are pretty much the same academically so what it comes down to is environment. I thought I would be in love with Columbia and NYC before but when I visited it just felt cold (and not just in terms of the weather). I didn't find the kids very friendly and the two nicest ones I met were transferring to Duke lol, which I thought had to be some divine sign that I should go to Duke.</p>
<p>Seriously though, the schools have very different "feels" to them. About half (sometimes more for Duke) of cross-admits choose Duke over Columbia, and vice-versa, so there really isn't anything besides the way you feel at each school when visiting that will help you make up your mind, though I do agree with GreenShirt about Columbia being better for graduate school.</p>
<p>If you're interested in music, please PM me, because I am very involved in music here.</p>
<p>Hey, I'm in the same situation as shostakovich. I'm leaning towards Columbia right now (only because I haven't visted Duke yet, which I will) so if anyone has any more comments, it would be really helpful. I'm planning on majoring in english, anthro, or bio (or maybe a combination of two of them), if it matters.</p>
<p>I'm in the same predicament as u guys... Still waiting for my decision from Stanford, where I'll probably go if I get accepted. I'm majoring in computer engineering so Stanford would be the ideal place for me to go, being right by Silicon Valley and all. It's such a tough choice cuz my brother goes to Duke and my sister lives in NYC. And surprise surprise, my oldest brother lives in Sunnyvale, a 10 min drive from Stanford. LOL</p>
<p>I would pick stanford over duke over columbia</p>
<p>I wish I were in your situation. Rejected here and waitlist at CU...I'd choose Columbia because I am a language/area studies/IR major and Duke just doesn't offer that much in those areas, while CU is awesome for that stuff. I'm not sure about science, but I think that'd be Duke. The weather is also much better in NC (resident) and the traffic wouldn't be nearly as bad nor would the costs of living in Durham. Good luck</p>
<p>yea...im kinda worreid i'll be really distracted by the big city life in NYC and fail all my classes...although NYC is tempting</p>
<p>duke>columbia b/c of the campus</p>
<p>I absolutely love the campus Duke has.. i was hooked from the moment I got there on my visit.</p>
<p>EXACT same decision to make. Damn it's a hard one...mostly because they're so different. But I guess I'm glad I have it.</p>
<p>Yeah, I want to go into Finance, definetely thinking about the Operations Research/Management systems at Columbia. Also thinking about the cool Econ program at Duke, concentrating in business, and basketball. It's going to come down to the feel of each school for me during visits.</p>
<p>lol, same decision here. only throw stanford, penn, and uchicago into the mix (accepted at all). any thoughts?</p>
<p>I wish i had the opportunity to make this choice. I applied ED to Columbia, was deferred, and finally rejected in RD. On the other hand, I decided to apply to Duke at the last minute, turned in my application a day after the deadline, but I got in. Colleges are so mysterious...</p>
<p>I just want to make a note: If you love the city, DO NOT GO TO DUKE. After home over Spring Break and visiting Boston, I realized how much Durham sucks as a city. It lacks excitement, culture (well, it's there but very hard to find), and beauty. If you've lived in suburbia for your whole life and you want exciting new surroundings, that's something you really have to take into account.</p>
<p>That said, Duke is very beautiful and a very nice campus, if that's what you want.</p>
<p>I luff Duuuuuke!!!!!! but i also love gold... =/</p>
<p>Ehh... ay_caramba, I was born in raised in Manhattan and I'm one of those city kids who misses public transportation and pollution more than I thought I would. I couldn't get to sleep without the sound of traffic. I love the city more than anything, and I am so happy at Duke. Durham does SUCK hardcore as a city, but I think Duke makes up for it. It's a new (unexpected) experience for me, and I enjoy it. yes, I miss the city more than anything at times, but it's okay.</p>
<p>I personally never considered Columbia b/c I grew up in NYC and I know that I want to return to NYC after I graduate from college. I wanted to experience something new. That said, I know that if I was from a different area altogether, Columbia would be like my dream school. I think the social life of Columbia is less on campus and more off campus, which is expected b/c it's NYC, but it's just sooooo expensive. I also always feel that Columbia kids don't care as much about their school as other students, and I really wanted school spirit. Additionally, this has been brought up, but I really consider Columbia as more a professional graduate program than as an undergraduate college. I think their focus is more there than on the undergrads.</p>
<p>I second that NYC is a great place for AFTER college, not during it</p>
<p>what was said from another thread was "would you be turning down Duke if Columbia weren't an Ivy league?" think about that. It really does depend on what you want to do though.</p>
<p>I transferred OUT of Columbia. Seems great until you actually go there and realize its not very warm or community oriented. Go to Duke.</p>
<p>Well that's how we roll in the northeast. A-holes for life.</p>