<p>Hi all, thank you for your opinions. Full-ride is just too tempting. I hope I will have that choice when the Robertson decision is announced on April 3. Benefit of a visit to Duke end of the month will help.</p>
<p>I wonder if there's any dissenting opinions (to the majority view on this board). nyccard on the Duke board offered a view that merits some consideration or at least discussion. </p>
<p>why is Robertson yield is only ~72%? would it be higher this year, considering the economy? That may even make it more difficult in getting the offer. too many variables.</p>
<p>personally, I applied to both Duke and Stanford, but after visiting Duke I realized the school wasnt for me. if your finances are good enough that you can afford to pay, then don't just take Duke because your getting the money; make sure you're really comfortable with the school and can see yourself their for four years. If you really love stanford, make sure you at least consider it.</p>
<p>itsme123, everyone wants you to go to Duke. Some of them think you are foolish for not taking the money, the others want you to leave a space for them.</p>
<p>It is really your decision. Go to Duke, then you will not be HYPS educated. Otherwise, it costs you $140,000, where most students at Stanford need to pay $200,000. That is also why I think Stanford will accept many rich kids this year. I mean much higher percentage from private schools.</p>
<p>itsme123, I believe that the Robertson Foundation will offer about 45 scholarships this year, aiming for a class of 36 -- expecting a yield of 80%.</p>
<p>That's really as high as you can get in this business - it's the same as Harvard's yield. Some students receive other full-ride merit offers or full need-based aid from other schools. And for a very small number of families, $200,000 is an insignificant amount of money.</p>
<p>Okay, I see you've already gotten the finaid from Stanford... This is a hard decision. I would choose Duke... it's a full-ride + SO many other opportunities that you wouldn't normally get. But let's wait until April. =]</p>
<p>The people who are offered Robertsons tend to get offered lots of things, and to have lots of options. So it's not THAT surprising that 8 or 9 of them turn it down every year. For people from low income or very rich families, the money itself may not make much difference, and other things like distance from home, family ties, location may mean more. Also, Duke definitely has a vibe, and some people love it, but some people don't. Charlotte Simmons is a hyperbolic parody, but it's recognizably Duke, and barely applicable to the other places you would think about.</p>
<p>having to choose between stanford and duke would already be the hardest decision of my life, let alone having the scholarship there to complicate matters. i would choose stanford over every single school in the country hands down...except duke. that being said it's hard to turn down a full ride. plus you get duke basketball.</p>
<p>i really did not like durham, didn't love the campus set up, and overall just didn't really feel a good vibe off the place. Its an awesome school but it was just a personal thing. and no i'm not at stanford, but i loved the school and if i get in, there's a good chance i'm headed out to palo alto</p>
<p>i agree that durham pales in comparison to palo alto but i really liked the duke campus. that being said stanford pretty much has everything duke does except for basketball and really intense school spirit.</p>
<p>bottom line:
stanford for academics
duke for complete college experience</p>
<p>Stanford isn't worth $140,000 more than Duke.</p>
<p>In 10 years, it will matter little whether you attended Duke or Stanford for your undergrad degree, as both are amazing schools. On the other hand, either you or your parents will more than likely be paying off that $140k in debt 10 years from now should you choose to place that burden upon your family.</p>
<p>___________________________________________________ (disregard what's above this line, CC is being weird)</p>
<p>Ok actually, I kind of sound like a boob from what I posted above... but I was being only slightly facetious. </p>
<p>There are qualities that Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton have that make them what they are. That's not to say that Duke doesn't possess many of these qualities, but there's something special about the top 5 schools that makes them different from the rest. </p>
<p>I have many MANY friends at Duke (it's pretty much the "ivy reject" school at my high school) and while a few of them are having fun, a lot of them still look enviously upon the kids who did happen to get accepted to ivies...... but then again, I will point out that none of these kids were awarded the Robertson.</p>
<p>In fact, the only person that I do know who won the Robertson (two years ago) is actually a sophomore at Stanford now (go figure!). He doesn't regret his decision at all because he said that when making his decision he didn't factor in the "full tuition" benefit at all (as it seems like your family doesn't want you to). When he took that out of the equation, he was left with some research grants and internship opportunities -- all things that he could have EASILY gotten at Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford (all the other places he was accepted). He now does research at two of Stanford's top cancer labs and did a kewl thing at Harvard last summer.</p>
<p>For me, the Robertson is nice -- well actually it's EXTREMELY nice. However, I feel like with things like this, people get soooo caught up with what's on paper (ie. the money, the "opportunities", etc) that they forget that so much of the college experience is OUTSIDE of the classroom/laboratory. I guess what I'm trying to say is make sure you really really really like Duke before committing to it, because while 200,000 dollars is nice, happiness is priceless.</p>
<p>Eating food, happiness is priceless. But dont u think he'd be happier going to one of the best schools in the world for free rather than paying $140,000 for a school of pretty much equal caliber? Please do the smart thing and take the Robertson if won.</p>
<p>eatingfood, thanks for sharing your S friend's story. </p>
<p>many people will pick S over D on a one-to-one comparison (i'll, without any hesitation). it's the scholarship and the nature of Robertson program that make D more appealing.</p>
<p>what would you say if I take D (if I'm really lucky to get Robertson) with a plan to go to grad school at S or H etc. is that a good compromise?</p>
You can plan to go anywhere you like, but that doesn't mean you'll get in. The odds say you won't. Graduate programs at Stanford and Harvard are incredibly difficult to get into, particularly since the poor economy encourages people to apply to graduate school.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that graduate school is not at all like college.</p>