<p>My daughter faced this same dilemna last year, but she chose Furman, in part because of the scholarship she was offered, in part because she liked the school better than other choices...especially when looking at a 175K college bill over 4 years. </p>
<p>Gadad, I really liked your comments:) Here area few more points to offer. </p>
<p>My D plans to go directly to grad school. So, one of the questions we asked ourselves is: can we afford undergrad and then professional (where funding is not as available to the student, contrary to all the discussion) or graduate school as well (where funding may be limiteed if available, depending on her field)? The answer was, not really. We asked the various departments (which corresponded to our daughter's most likely majors) where they had sent students on to graduate school in the last 3 years. For her interests, the vast majority went to gradaute school at Stanford, Harvard, Duke, Princeton, Vanderbilt, Emory, and a few to state schools, such as U of Florida, U of South Carolina, UVA, UNC, and UGA (with UF, USC, and UGA representing the student's residencies and money was a factor). That's a pretty good pedigree. So, you need to also consider where you want to wind up and how you can get there (and pay for it!!).</p>
<p>As an aside, one of her friends was just selected (as a sophomore) as a Goldwater recipient (he is a wonderful, remarkable young man, and truly earned this award). Furman also had a Truman scholar, another Goldwater recipient, and a Udall winner. Not bad for a "small" school. </p>
<p>As for the bubble, I used to be on faculty at a smaller private university, and I honestly believe that most colleges/universities are, in many ways, a "bubble." For Furman, the impression is greater because it is in a smaller, more residential, Southern city of modest size. I have to wonder if Williams , for example, or any smaller school, couldn't also be seen as a "bubble" that buffers students from the "real world" to some extent. Maybe a "bubble" isn't so bad anyway!!</p>
<p>My D is very well-traveled and her best friends in HS were quite diverse, both in religion and in nationality (foreign students). Any smaller school can make you feel stifled if you don't seek out the differences, the interesting people to talk with, or if you don't try different activities and get involved. One of the best reasons to attend a school like Furman is the faculty; they are approachable, available, and strive to engender creative minds, independent thinking, and self-driven interests in their students. It's not just sitting and regurgitating what a famous or renowned professor has to say TO you, but really involves discussion and "joint" learning.</p>
<p>Furman has turned out to be an excellent choice for my D. It has given her room to grow as a person, learn about herself, about other people, and explore her intectual interests...and all that without costing us an arm and a leg. We feel fortunate. Understand, that it is not a perfect school, nor was it her "dream" school, but she has come to make it "her" school. </p>
<p>When she was deciding, I told her that every school would have its good and bad points; its assets and its drawbacks for her individual needs. I joked that there is always a drawback with the remark that "there was even a snake in Eden." The task for you is to decide what the advantages and disadvantages for each school are, and then decide if there is really a major difference between them for the money. I cannot emphasize enough that only you can decide how much you want to attend Duke. Moreover, only you can decide if this is because of its assets to you as a person and as a student or because of the ego involved with the name. It really is your decision, and your money.
In the long run, will anyone really care if you went to Duke? If you think it is worth paying $$$$ for that, then you should go there; if you feel that you are a gifted and talented person that can make her own way without the alleged (and I really mean alleged) boost from the Duke name, then consider your other options. Do not misconstrue what I am saying: Duke is an excellent school, that is not at issue. The question, as so much discussion on this board highlights, is whether or not these name schools are really worth the cost. Again, only you can decide this.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>