<p>I'm soo excited that i got into DUKE MY DREAM COLLEGE. But i'm also very very attracted by Vanderbilts offer of full tuition (37K a year). I come from a pretty well-off family, so my parents can pay my way through Duke, but Vandy's offer (plus my outside scholarships) would make sending me to college basically a breeze. what do you guys think? Duke or Vandy? Plz give an opinion. Thanks!</p>
<p>Hey, where are you from in Ark?</p>
<p>You would have to be literally crazy to choose Duke given your situation, and obviously I don’t know your parents, but I can almost guarantee you if you play your cards right, you’ll be driving one hell of an suv/truck/car in about a year too, and going to an equally strong academic school that is oh, I don’t know, 250% more fun.</p>
<p>Depends on your major and are you going to Grad School or not? And Most Importantly where do you feel the most comfortable. Visit both. </p>
<p>Vandy is your answer if you plan on extending your education, because what will matter more is where you graduate Grad School and you’ll need the money for School. </p>
<p>What is more important is feeling comfortable at the school you attend in order to grow personally. You will do more growing during your college years than at any other time to date. First time being away from home and free to do as you will not as you are told. So put yourself in the best position to succeed. VISIT BOTH SCHOOLS. The differences will come out.</p>
<p>I have a senior at Duke. Duke is tremendously fun and high spirited and international in outlook and mission. My son actually prefers Vanderbilt but chose to attend Duke for one reason: Vanderbilt’s music programs through Blair required more of him than he wanted to give…they are “too good” for people who only want to play casually a couple of nights a week…I speak of the Symphony at Blair which is superb, and elder son wanted to play in college. He is very happy in the Duke Symphony where there truly are not many music majors (he is not a music major but wanted it to be part of his week). Blair students play at a whole other level of commitment. The arts in Nashville are excellent, entertainment options in Nashville are excellent in every arena.</p>
<p>For sheer “things to do any night of the week” Vanderbilt and Nashville trump Duke.</p>
<p>He hated hated giving up life in Nashville for four years though. Life in Durham cannot compare to the quality of life in Nashville and the synergy between Vandy and Nashville has so many avenues worth exploring in careers as well as in the arts. </p>
<p>He is a die hard Blue Devil and declares his children will be going there. However, the stats at Vandy indicate that the student bodies are very very similar now, and Vandy is also a national draw university. Even their admission rates are quite similar now…Duke’s is only somewhat more difficult for admission. Duke is still getting a few thousand more applicants but Vandy applications are a national “story” in terms of increase in a few years’ time. </p>
<p>Vandy can get you anywhere Duke can in your career goals. Perhaps you ought to be comparing the schools in terms of the program you think you will pursue which you do not mention.</p>
<p>Have you checked out the costs of grad school in the direction you might be heading? We have and in many cases as parents we are required to give our income on FAFSA till sons are 28 years old…in other words…looks like we will be spending money on graduate schools beyond what we anticipated. Take a look at that angle too…your parents’ money might be better spent on grad school. If you won a merit scholarship, you should be able to get the most out of your Vandy education and head someplace else for the next step.</p>
<p>Congrats on your great offers.</p>
<p>“Pretty well-off” - I don’t know if you’re being modest, but unless you’re ridiculously well-off, I would suggest saving the money for grad school or just about anything else. You’ll forget about your dream college when you realize in what good condition you’ll be in financially when you graduate (I did, a lot of others have had the same experience). You’ll be thankful.</p>
<p>I went through the EXACT same situation two years ago – I picked Vanderbilt and could not be happier. I always wanted to go to Duke and never even considered Vanderbilt and applied on a whim. I came to visit after I got the full tuition offer and loved it. Academically, Vanderbilt is completely on-par with Duke, and I could not have asked for a better education. Socially, Vanderbilt is absolutely amazing. With regards to location, Nashville and Durham don’t even compare.</p>
<p>Also, when I looked at Duke – they had an all freshman campus, which at the time was a large attraction for me. This past year, they opened up the Commons at Vanderbilt, which models Duke’s system but has many advantages including the fact that it is within walking distance of main campus, the housing overall is nicer, and it is absolutely beautiful.</p>
<p>Going into my junior year, I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am that I picked Vanderbilt. Whichever school you go to, you will get a great education – so why spend approx. $40K a year??</p>
<p>
Yes that is exactly what Obiwankenobi is being. It sounds so much better than saying “I’m really rich!”</p>
<p>i love vandy, but if paying for your college tuition isn’t a factor at all, go to duke. it’s your dream school for a reason, just go.</p>
<p>if i’m as rich as you guys make it, duke wouldn’t have given me 17K in financial aid. </p>
<p>thanks guys, i just made my decision today. i went vandy. maybe i’ll attend duke in another lifetime.</p>
<p>good choice 
hope your college experience is awesome!</p>
<p>Save the dough. Go to Vandy. Not a big enough difference to justify the enormous difference in cost, and you’ll love college at either place.</p>
<p>OMG!! I am in the same situation like right NOW!!!
and I need to make my decision fast!!
Duke has also been my dream school since forever, and vanderbilt is so close to home, and and I love it already, and their financial offer was waaaaay better than Duke. I also got into University of Chicago and Northwestern. but I need to make a decision FAST!!! in like 6 days!! Help me I’m so torn :(
I’m leaning toward vandy…will I miss anthing great??
If you’d asked me 1 week ago, I would have undoubtedly sayed Duke, now I just dont know…</p>
<p>If you have a better aid package from Vandy than Duke then it’s a no brainer to go to Vandy. I think I am pretty safe in saying that we live closer to the Vandy campus than just about anyone and my D turned down WashU, Rice, Wake, UVA,William and Mary, Furman, Baylor and Alabama and she is going to Vandy.
From a parent’s perspective, I really disliked Duke and was very relieved that my D got waitlisted there as I did not think it would suit her at all. Durham cannot compare to Nashville either.</p>
<p>Obviously everyone’s situation is different and unique. With that being said, I fully support the OP’s decision as my son was in a very similar situation except we were offered no need based aid at all. So, my son was faced with Stanford at 53K per year, Duke at 53K per year, and Vandy at about 17 based on a Chancellor’s scholarship. </p>
<p>All 3 schools were visited on multiple occassions over a two year period, my son definitely saw himself fitting in at all 3 and he believes law school is in his future. We spoke with just about anyone who would listen about the dilemna including professors and law school admissions folks. The bottom line, at least for my son, was that none of the three schools would necessarily open or close any doors for him regarding admissions at a top law school. Based on our discussions, the primary factors remain LSAT score and GPA. IF he did well at any of the three, presuming his LSAT score would be comparable regardless of which college he attended, he’d get into a top law school. IF he didn’t do well, he wouldn’t. The only caveat to this is that Stanford apparently has a bit more grade inflation than the others so that may make a slight difference.</p>
<p>With all that being said, even though we could afford full freight, my son made the decision to go to Vandy because the money we would save on college would basically pay for law school. He just turned 18 and we left the decision completely up to him and in my opinion he made a wonderful “adult” decision. </p>
<p>So to come full circle to the OP’s decision, congrats and I’m sure you made your parents very proud.</p>
<p>I got into both and wouldn’t have chosen Duke even if I had a full ride there. You can only compare the schools by statistics but trust me when I say that the intangibles make Vandy a much better and more enjoyable school.</p>
<p>Thanks!! I mailed my reply today and it is yes for vandy!!
I think I made the right decision</p>
<p>Duke was the only college I really loved, from TiP etc. I chose CV at Vandy.</p>