EA to Stanford or Duke???

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Hello! I'm currently a junior who is trying to figure out where would be best to apply early next fall. My two top choices as of now are Duke and Stanford.</p>

<p>Just for some background information:
White/Female from California
UW GPA: 4.0
W GPA: 4.55
ACT: 35 Composite 36 R, 35 M, 34 Writing, 35 Science
ECs: Junior Class President (and 3 yrs in ASB leadership), Tennis team captain, Lacrosse player, Founded my own non-profit business and raised $10,000 so far for my school (and now have been created the first student member on our school's board), Math tutor, Website manager for local business, and I will be taking a CS class at Stanford this summer and hopefully programming an iPhone app!
Hooks: Female applying (maybe) to engineering, Stanford legacy (and my parents know a LOT of people at stanford, deans and professors, that they can set me up to interview with)</p>

<p>How I feel about duke: I love the school spirit, social student body, great weather, research opportunities, small classes, great BME program (major I'm considering), out of state (want to experience a new environment), amazing campus, greek life</p>

<p>Stanford: More prestige and connections with jobs in Silicon Valley (for after college), great weather, great engineering programs, school spirit. (but the drawback is it's literally 15 minutes away and I would be staying in the same area I've known my entire life...boring) </p>

<p>I think I would probably prefer having my college experience at duke, but I guess I worry about regretting losing some of the connections I would get at stanford. Do you guys think the prestige gap is really that big? For those of you who know both schools, can you help me hash out why you think one or the other is better? </p>

<p>I really want to apply early to the school I believe is my #1 choice. Let me know your opinions!</p>

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<p>I did both undergrad and grad engineering at Stanford and know some people who went to Duke. I completed the pre-med track as well, as I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do graduate work in engineering or medicine. I considered BME at one point as a way of combining these interests. However, I later decided to instead do a coterm program with a double masters in EE and MSE. Both are excellent schools, and you’ll probably be happy at either location. </p>

<p>You asked about the prestige gap. It sounds like you already have a good sense of the difference. There is a notable difference in general engineering. For example, US News usually ranks Stanford in the top 2 in engineering specific lists and usually does not put Duke in the top 25. However, Duke has a stronger medical program, which results in many rankings giving Duke the edge in BME. </p>

<p>As you mentioned, Stanford has more connections and nearby off campus opportunities since it is located in Silicon Valley, with many companies closely tied to the school. This is particularly true for start-ups and entrepreneurship opportunities. The atmosphere in Durham, NC is very different. There is significant difference in their general selectivity, which could be viewed as either a positive or negative. As you touched on being a woman in a field where women are underrepresented would help to some degree at Stanford, as would being a legacy and having connections to the school. One guy I knew in my freshman class thought the main reason he was accepted was having a good recommendation from one of the professors at Stanford. He said this because he was accepted at Stanford while being rejected at several less selective schools.</p>

<p>You mentioned both schools had great weather. The schools do have quite different weather. Duke’s driest month of the year gets more rain than Stanford’s wettest month. Duke also real seasons with warmer, humid summers and colder winters, once in a while cold enough to get snow. </p>

<p>You mentioned small classes as a + for Duke, but not Stanford. I don’t think the class size is that different. For example, Stanford has 68% of classes under 20 students, and duke has 72% of classes under 20 students. I didn’t mind the larger lecture classes since they were broken into smaller groups afterwards with TAs handling small groups of students. Instead I liked the opportunity to hear the lecture from a well known professor in the field in a basic intro class, which would only be possible with large classes. One example, is going to an intro Bio class taught by Robert Sapolsky. Some of my friends with no connections to the school watch his lectures and read his books for fun – he’s that inspirational and interesting to hear/read. I’d make similar comments about an amazing campus for Duke, but not Stanford. </p>

<p>If it were me, I’d pick Stanford over Duke by a wide margin, which relates to why I went to Stanford. However, you have different values and interests, so you may come to a different decision.</p>

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<p>“I really want to apply early to the school I believe is my #1 choice. Let me know your opinions!”</p>

<p>Your number one choice is your number one choice, not anyone else’s.</p>