@PikachuRocks15 : You misunderstand the listing of overlap schools in the Fiske Guide To Colleges. The list of overlap schools is provided to the Fiske Guide by the schools themselves. Fiske writers & editors have nothing to do with creating the list of overlap schools.
I do appreciate that many view Brown as the antithesis of Chicago & Columbia due to open versus core curriculums.
@Publisher - Yes, I/we totally understand that even ED is a long shot. Two of my friends’ kids were denied ED last year with similar credentials to both Duke and NW.
@PikachuRocks15 - thank you for your response. Pre-med is definitely NOT an interest - probably the only field he has definitely ruled out. The Residential College system definitely appealed to my son vs the exclusionary nature of greek life/selective living houses. But as @warblersrule noted, frats have different personalities and I’m sure my DS would like a frat if it involved video games, bbqs and other fun stuff.
I think a school with lots of school spirit sounds fun but his high school doesn’t have that feel so he doesn’t know what he’s missing.
Interesting comments about wealth not been flaunted at NU. I live steps to campus and the typical NU student is decked out in Canada Goose wear in the winter, there are a plethora of kids driving very expensive vehicles, dining at the expensive restaurants in town (without their parents), etc… There is a marked contrast with what I see in attire and behavior when I visit my D at Purdue. I’ve even seen the chauffeured Bentleys and Rolls dropping off kids at move in.
Student vibe to this townie seems to be very high achieving kids but they look like they are having fun.
Lots of discussion when we officially toured about the ease of double majoring.
I will also say to the OP to not be fooled by the ED acceptance rates. Those numbers are always inflated by the recruited athletes, legacy students, and hooked applicant. If you have an unhooked student, the ED bump is not really all that much.
Spend the majority of the time looking for match and safeties. And if your student is truly undecided, don’t apply ED anywhere.
Disagree about those advising not to apply ED unless 100% first choice school.
ED application option is too valuable to waste. Definitely apply ED if your son would be satisfied at any of these three outstanding schools.
Yes, there are wealthy students at NU, but I think that you miss the distinction that both I & the Fiske Guide are sharing.
Once again, do not waste an opportunity to ED if your son would be happy & satisfied at any of these three schools.
You can also watch ‘College Day in the Life at X’ videos on You Tube… if you watch a few by a couple of ‘vloggers’, you’ll start to get a feel for the ebb and flow of typical days. My D (at a completely different college) says even the ‘famous’ vloggers’ are pretty accurate in their day to day descriptions. Hardcore partying is usually left out of these videos though.
D also says to look at instagram accounts of individuals: e.g. you could go to her sorority account or club sports team account and find several students featured whose own accounts are public… again it gives an idea of what regular kids are doing. She did this when considering schools and also whether to rush. She was actively looking for kids who seemed like her, esp in greek life where rush was the week before school even started.
In regards to Niche, it’s only as accurate as the students reviewing on it. But it seems to me that at this point, he is interested in nailing down the vibe. Frankly, the best people to ask about the vibe is from kids who attend. So yes, inasmuch as students review their schools on Niche, it’s accurate. All three get an A+ on Niche.
@Publisher After re-reading the post, Duke does have elements similar to Brown and Columbia, and that the authors aren’t necessarily stating that Brown and Columbia are similar just that Duke is to both. Thanks for clarifying!
@dogmomof2 Personally, I didn’t have any interest in Greek Life which is why I chose a school (Brown) that doesn’t have as much of a Greek Life presence over Vanderbilt. However, even at schools with a large greek life presence, your son has the freedom to choose who he wants to interact with, and he’ll find his place at whichever school he chooses to apply to. 
Good luck with admissions!
@momofsenior1 - Canada Goose jackets are a perfect example of what my son is NOT, but he is fine if others want to buy into the latest designer trends. And I totally understand that the ED numbers are inflated due to “hooked” kids but the RD numbers from his school are abysmal (I don’t think anyone’s been accepted in RD in years).
@Publisher - I do see the distinction - thank you. And given our demographic, ED makes sense for him.
@CollegeMamb0 - thank you for the suggestion on Youtube - I will tell him to check it out! And for him to look at other insta accounts besides just the official ones.
@Lindagaf - yes - it’s the vibe he’s most curious about. Visiting during COVID has definitely made these distinctions more challenging to discern.
@PikachuRocks15 - I wish my DS would consider Brown but he really wants to explore a different part of the country (even if I would like him to be closer to him!)
Note that Duke is seriously considering eliminating the Greek system and Selective Living Groups (SLG) in the near future so it might be a moot point for the class of 2025 and beyond.
I can only speak from our experience, but Duke students tend to be humble, very smart, talented, and collaborative. The Duke of today is much different than its reputation in the 80’s IMO.
Thanks so much, @socaldad2002 . I have been following the “Abolish Greek Life” movement and the general movement to eliminate the Greek system at many schools. Your comment is very reassuring - all those qualities resonate with me and my DS. It’s so hard to put the old stereotypes out of our memory and appreciate how these schools have evolved and redefined themselves (I grew up in Boston and Northeastern was a commuter school - a world away from the extraordinary institution it is today!)
My D applied to all 3 and Michigan too. For her NW was her least favorite but honestly I think it’s because it was ridiculously cold the day we toured so it was hard to just relax and enjoy the tour. She did not have a strong favorite so did not ED anywhere. She did not get accepted at Duke which she was sad about but I actually did not think it was the best fit for her. When she narrowed down her options after decisions were in she ended up deciding between Michigan and Rice. They are totally different schools and she liked them both for different reasons. In the end, though she could have continued in a sport she loved at Michigan, she chose Rice and is now a sophomore.
Here is why she chose Rice and why she loves it. She loves the residential college system. She was pretty opposed to the Greek system but the res college system gives you a similar group of friends but without the sense of “my house is better than yours”. Because you are randomly assigned they are all “good” (even though each college says they are the best). During orientation week each freshman is assigned a “family” for the week composed of 7-8 freshman and usually 4 upper classman. My D loves her O-Week family and they still get together frequently. Several are her closest friends. I love it because they are probably not all people she would have gravitated to on her own but they clicked once they spent enough time together. Rice is big on their “culture of care” meaning students are encouraged to look out for one another. It’s seriously competitive to be an O-Week advisors which says alot when several hundred kids are willing to give up a ton of time and a couple of weeks of their summers to welcome the new kids. They also are big on peer advisors who help students with course selection and fellows in each college that help tutor, etc. My D is currently chatting with several prospective students who found her on Instagram who want to know about Rice and the application process. She also loves the “collaborative” environment. She says they are competitive with themselves but not each other. Study groups are huge and students help each other a lot with homework. They don’t really talk about their grades much - unless someone wants support after a rough test! Faculty is very engaged and classes are taught by professors and not grad students. For the most part the faculty seems great and interested in teaching, not just research. Overall, the students and faculty seem really nice and happy. D also likes the flexibility with majors. Many of her friends have bounced around from major to major while they figure out what fits and it’s easy to do. You are not accepted to a specific major, but to Rice as a whole (with the exception of architecture and music I think). Some people say the kids are quirky but I don’t think it’s that as much as they are just really accepting so kids feel open to be who they are - whatever that might be.
That all said, all his choices are great schools and he can’t go wrong academically at any!
Why does he need to apply ED to any of these? So much can change between now and end of senior year when a matriculation decision is made.
Apply regular decision to all three. Don’t rush this decision.
If there was a clear stand out in your son’s mind right now, wouldn’t he have stated this?
Wow - thanks so much @PrdMomto1 for the really thorough response! DS left his visit with a very similar impression thanks to his friend who showed him around. Originally it wasn’t even in consideration for ED but all your points made a strong positive impact. Also, I wouldn’t describe my son as quirky - he’s pretty mainstream - listens to popular music (whatever that is), plays fantasy football, likes running, ultimate frisbee, current events etc. Does your DD feel that there’s a wide range of students (specifically boys?)
@thumper1 - I have considered the same question but he basically has no shot at Duke or NW if he applies RD. Maybe he’ll decide to go that route… he has 16 days to decide!
If he has NO shot at Duke or Northwestern regular decision…what makes you think he has a shot early decision? Just asking. I’m sure he is a great student, but even in the ED round, these schools are looking for a class of high achievers.
Plus…like I said…so much can change from his point of view. Unless HE has a clear favorite without prompting, I would let this go.
But that is my opinion.
There are others who would say pick one that you love enough and give it your best shot ED.
But once accepted ED…those other schools are off the table.
Publisher is absolutely correct on this, ED is a valuable tool and should not be wasted as long as you can afford the school your applying ED to.
@thumper1 - I probably should’ve said it’s just a very LONG shot in RD. He has a perfect ACT, straight As, leadership, service, jobs, good essays, etc… checks all the boxes but just doesn’t have a special hook.
@CU123 - we can afford these schools - otherwise ED would not be on the table. I fully understand this perpetuates the problems with higher education and those from privileged backgrounds (like us). I wish all schools would eliminate ED!
So he does prefer Duke over NW over Rice? Duke is his first choice but he feels that he has “wasted” his ED care for the other two and jeopardized his chances that were more likely at NW and Rice ED. But if accepted to Rice, he’d feel he’d wasted the ED card that might have gotten him into the other two preferred school
Well, that’s what ED does. Gives you those choices. Personally, I told my kids to go for it if they had a top choice. If they didn’t, they just applied EA or RD or rolling. If at age 17-18 you can’t give something like your favorite school your best chance, what kind of risks in life will you be taking?
If it’s so important that he get into the best school he can, than take the school with the best chance understanding that he is practicing risk management and choosing a more likely option over a riskier one to have a better chance of getting into a highly selective school. Let him think about making that particular commitment before sending off the app. If that doesn’t sit well with him after a few days or weeks, and it bothers him to give up his best chance at the school he likes the most, then he should apply to his first choice school. Better to have given what he really wants his all, but if any of the others as a choice doesn’t give him those regrets, go for the one with the best odds.
If he has a 36 ACT, and a 4.0 GPA unweighted, then he is a viable candidate for any of these colleges. They accept mostly students without a “hook”.
I hope he decides which school to use his ED card on, if he chooses to do so.
In my experience, I have seen ED Financial packages tend to be more favorable, IMO, than RD. Because you can turn down an ED acceptance if you do not get the financial aid that makes it doable, you are not stuck with ED. Because schools want a 100% yield with ED, they are also more receptive, IMO , to discussing the aid package And trying to work something out. The Fin Aid officers also aren’t As busy at that time of the year, and tired of hearing appeals about aid. I know some schools like CMU outright say that they meet full need ED but not for everyone RD. I do not believe that ED is only for those who do not need financial aid. However, for those looking for merit money, that is often compromised with an ED application.
The purpose of ED is for a student who knows what his first choice school is, to declare it, and give up other opportunities in exchange for a more favorable outlook on the application. That way colleges can get a good, firm start on their class and build upon these early accepted students. It was not intended for students to be playing the odds , trading the school they want most for a school more likely to take them just to get into the most selective school. When ED is viewed that way, it can cause additional anxieties and regrets.