<p>Let’s try to be mature, nyccard. The only people I feel sorry for are people who blindly pick a school on prestige alone.</p>
<p>Both are strong in your areas, but since you’re leaning toward Stanford, I would encourage you to pick it. Go with your gut instinct. :)</p>
<p>I see that Duke-“homers” are being as delusional as always - lol!</p>
<p>Okay let’s keep it friendly folks. No need to criticize someone just for suggesting Duke.</p>
<p>That said, if I were in your position I would probably lean towards Stanford. I live ~20 miles away from Duke myself but I think you should go and experience a different part of the world - and Stanford’s programs are almost incontrovertibly stronger than Duke’s.</p>
<p>^ There’s a difference btwn pushing for Duke based on legitimate rationale and just pushing Duke w/o any regard for facts.</p>
<p>“Put up your Dukes! I won’t Stanford any more!”</p>
<p>Sorry about that.</p>
<p>I graduated from Stanford, and live a few miles from campus. I transferred there my junior year from Cornell, less than an hour from my childhood home, so I’m familiar with both situations you’re considering.</p>
<p>There’s a lot to be said for stretching your wings a bit, and seeing another part of the country, when you’re in school. I’ll probably nudge my own children in that direction, even if they get into Stanford.</p>
<p>I’ll warn you, however, that many of us who go to school in California are reluctant to leave after we graduate.</p>
<p>I agree k&s. Many Dukies on CC seem to think their school belongs with the very top elites. That’s ok, but often times they disparage their true peers as being something less than their equals.</p>
<p>OP: Having two children accepted at both Duke and Stanford (among others), Stanford was the clear choice over Duke. We like Duke very much and have spent time there with relatives living nearby. That is why the weather comment makes me chuckle. The only weather complaint I get from S1 at Stanford is for a few weeks in winter quarter when it rains. Of course he has no rain gear. S2 has whittled down his choices to deciding between Harvard and Stanford, with Duke and his other acceptances now out of the running. I wish you the best with your choice. Either school will provide a wonderful education.</p>
<p>Stanford is the best in bio</p>
<p>Stanford is better in bio… and @ all the flamers on Duke, it is a hell of a lot better then the school you likely went to/will go to… I personally would go to Stanford. Not in terms of prestige, but overall. I would hate to be 30min from family at college. </p>
<p>And by the way, Duke can be considered just as elite as many of the top colleges. CC is so utterly skewed with the Ivies and the “feel” of elite. </p>
<p>@nyccard: I’ll make sure to ask for your help when I consider Kentucky Kommunity Kollege? Ok?</p>
<p>Gee, I didn’t know Stanford and MIT were Ivies. Learn something new everyday. Nobody is saying that Duke isn’t a great school. It’s the attitude by some on CC that Duke is somehow better than 10 or so other comparable schools that bothers many others here.</p>
<p>Uhmm… Ivies in the sense top in prestige…</p>
<p>I am a grad student at Duke and I would still suggest you strongly consider Stanford over Duke. This is not due to any deficiencies of Duke except that Stanford has a strikingly larger student population, both undergrad and grad than Duke. This will play a larger role in your next four years than you realize.</p>
<p>^I agree with that, and they are (presumably) better at bio.</p>
<p>Stanford isn’t “much more” prestigious than Duke in any sense. Maybe slightly more so but let’s not exaggerate things.</p>
<p>Stanford isn’t Harvard. Everyone knows Stanford will always play second fiddle to HYP, the true elite institutions in this country.</p>
<p>Really? MIT>rest at engineering and so forth. If you want to go by PURE elite than go ahead and chose Stanford.</p>
<p>Stanford IS much more prestigious than Duke.</p>
<p>ring of fire, I’m not so sure about that. The thing that Stanford has is innovation - to a degree that most other schools can’t even come close to. Stanford may be younger and not technically an Ivy, but it’s common knowledge that Stanford more than holds its own against American institutions that are considered to be more “elite.”</p>
<p>I have a feeling that as Stanford gets older (If I’m not mistaken it’s only slightly older than 100 years) it will further establish itself. But, for such a comparatively young institution, I’d say it’s doing pretty darn well.</p>
<p>When we compare today’s prestige, we compare institutions that (as Tom said) have been around for god knows how long. If you look at other institutions in Stanford’s “age range” you will see little competition.</p>
<p>ring<em>of</em>fire, if Stanford plays second fiddle to HYP, then what does Duke play?</p>
<p><em>crickets chirping</em></p>
<p>Actually Chicago is a newer school as well. But it isn’t quite Stanford.</p>