<p>I think I'll avoid offering an opinion on Duke, since I don't have any experience with it, but here's what I'd say re Princeton and Yale:</p>
<p>One of my friends, a liberal political activist, went straight to Yale (applied ED, didn't bother with anywhere else). He's been there for 3 years and has gotten to do all kinds of things (intern with the United Nations, work on political campaigns) thanks to the faculty connections and the school's general attitude towards activism. If you're a very political person or want to major in the humanities, go to Yale. My dad was an English major at Yale and says the program is terrific.</p>
<p>As for Princeton, I don't know as much about it, only that it has a reputation for being a much more conservative school with a lot of rich kids. No doubt there are lots of liberals and plenty of people who don't own summer vacation homes, but that's the impression I've gotten from friends who are attending or who visited.</p>