<p>I'm choosing between Penn and Duke, probably going to major in Public Policy/Political Science/Economics etc. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Bump!</p>
<p>Both great schools. Really a matter of personal preference and fit. There’s no objective or formulaic answer when you’re lucky enough to be choosing between two phenomenal schools at this level of academic excellence. Pick the school at which you think you’d be happiest (based on campus and campus life, location, etc.), and the rest will take care of itself. It really is that simple. </p>
<p>Agree with 45 Percenter. Both schools will provide among the very best in educational opportunities, graduate school and employment placement, and anticipated longevity of pre-eminent reputation. </p>
<p>My DS is at Duke and absolutely loves it. Visited Penn (one uncle is a professor there and another went there for Law School) and didn’t bother to apply. Even though both schools have many students who are pre-professional, Penn seemed like a trade school to him. He felt Duke gave him more opportunity to explore the Liberal Arts and had a student body wherein he was likely to meet a slightly higher percentage of students that share his conservative views. That said, these were his impressions, and reflected what he sees as important with regard to “fit.” The way you see the world and what is important to you are likely to be very different. </p>
<p>If you have the opportunity, try to visit both and follow your instincts. </p>
<p>
While I realize that this was his impression, it’s very much a gross and inaccurate generalization. Although Penn does have the Wharton and Nursing undergrad programs, Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences is by far its largest undergraduate component, with essentially as many liberal arts undergraduates as there are at Duke. Not to mention that Penn has at least as many top-10 and top-20 liberal arts departments as–if not actually more than–Duke. The difference is that, unlike at Duke, under Penn’s “One University” policy, undergraduates in Penn’s College can also take courses in Wharton, Nursing, and Engineering, and in most of Penn’s graduate and professional schools (including the Annenberg School for Communication, the School of Design, and even the Law School), giving them an unparalleled opportunity to supplement their liberal arts curriculum with a breadth and depth not found at other schools.</p>
<p>Again, I realize that you were just reporting your son’s impression. But I want the record to be clear that by any measure, Penn is easily the equal of–and in some ways arguably superior to–Duke as an undergraduate liberal arts institution with as much–if not more–opportunity to explore the liberal arts, and is certainly NOT a trade school. That said, I still believe that these schools are essentially academic peers when it comes to their undergraduate liberal arts programs. And any student should choose simply based on personal preference and fit, assured that he or she will receive a superior liberal arts education at either of these two phenomenal schools, or at any number of other top schools for that matter.</p>
<p>Penn is located in a city and would have more policy-related internships. When DD and I visited Duke, it felt somewhat isolated. That said, both are great schools. </p>
<p>@45 Percenter, it was not my intention to disparage Penn, to suggest that it doesn’t have a strong school of arts and sciences, or to communicate that it is a trade school - which it clearly is not. What I did find interesting was the incredibly strong emphasis placed by the admissions officer at the orientation session and then by the tour guides on the pre-professional aspects of the school and total lack of focus on the quality of the liberal arts. At no other Ivy, Ivy equivalent or top LAC was there a similar positioning. The clear message was that Penn prepares you to be successful through career specific training (stimulating my allusion to it being a trade school) rather than by providing a broadly based liberal arts education that trains the mind to creatively solve problems. There is nothing inherently wrong with Penn’s positioning. It is simply a different approach, which many clearly are attracted to. </p>
<p>Blame Benjamin Franklin. Franklin indicated his philosophy of education when, in establishing the University, he said," As to their STUDIES, it would be well if they could be taught every Thing that is useful, and every Thing that is ornamental: But Art is long, and their Time is short. It is therefore propos’d that they learn those Things that are likely to be most useful and most ornamental. Regard being had to the several Professions for which they are intended." </p>
<p>The College of Arts and Sciences is competitive with Duke and peer schools and the university is also justifiably proud of Wharton, Engineering and Nursing.</p>