<p>What is the name-dropping power of Duke...to the average person, not to graduate schools. I know grad schools recognize Duke as a Top 5 university, but not everyone checks up on the latest issue of US News and World Report, and I fear that most of Duke's respectability to the average person comes from basketball, not academics. I could be wrong. Also, don't get all mad at me for asking about Duke's prestige; I'm not deciding where I go based on this, I'm just curious.</p>
<p>I think the general public who know anything about college admissions know that Duke has more to it's reputation than the basketball prestige. It is a really great school.</p>
<p>Well, considering that most people (intellectual, working class, whatever) who hear that I go to Duke usually follow it up with "whoa you must be smart" or "what did you get on the SAT?" I think Duke is definitely primarily known for being a outstanding academic institution, but one with a great basketball team as well. Duke is definitely extremely well-known; I've actually never met someone who didn't know about it, unlike my friends at Brown or Dartmouth. In fact, it's kind of funny, a lot of not college-crazed/Ivy-educated (i.e. working-class) people mistakenly assume Duke is in the Ivy League whereas when I'm with my friend who goes to Brown they have no idea where it is or that it's an Ivy. It's kind funny... </p>
<p>That said, why are you so obsessed with the "name-dropping power" of anything, isn't that a little shallow/pompous?</p>
<p>I didn't mean to sound shallow and pompous, although worrying about name-dropping is just that. I was just wondering whether people associate Duke with b-ball or academics. When I tell people I got into Duke, some do what you said and some say, "ohhh...do you like basketball?"</p>
<p>Well, the answer is they associate it with both. But I think practically everyone knows you have to be really smart to get into Duke, even those just watching the basketball games (Dick Vitale has like orgasms every time he talks about Duke lol).</p>
<p>LOL Yeah, that's kinda what I thought--not about the orgasms, but about Duke's association. I guess it's already assumed that Duke is great, and some people just move on to the added bonus (the blue devils).</p>
<p>I think it depends a great deal on who you charcterize as the general public. For one thing, a good deal of people don't even know that Stanford is not an ivy league. Often, the people who know about Duke's academic merit have been educated beyond the high school level. Unfortunately, a majority of people in this country have not received that kind of education. Anytime I tell someone that I have been accepted to Duke, the most common response of those who either never went to college or have never left their home city is about the basketball team.</p>
<p>Everyone tells me to go to Duke when I mention where I'm deciding, because of a) the campus and b) basketball...maybe the academics needs no mention and its just assumed to be great</p>
<p>Responses I got last year:
"...so are you a basketball fan?"
"...Is that in New Jersey?"
"...is it in the Ivy League?"
"...I have them going far in my bracket"
"...haha that's in the South"</p>
<p>edit: a lot of these were teachers too</p>
<p>Did u end up going to Duke? lol...those are similar responses to the ones I got. The "in the South" one especially.</p>
<p>Yeah I'm here, I'm from the Pac NW so not many people have heard of Duke, and they have a general disdain for anything south of DC.</p>
<p>when I told my cc physics prof that I had chosen to go to duke over berkelely he replied "well, how is duke better than berkelely" of course, this person is 80 so he is probably thinking of the golden age of the UC system as opposed to today. Duke's rise has been relatively recent in terms of good schools. It competes on almost equal footing with hypsm yet is much younger(in terms of since when superior academic quality actually started at the schools) than the rest of the top 10</p>
<p>Although Stanford's a great school academically, many in my area only know Stanford for its excellence in sports. I think we can draw parallels between both Stanford and Duke in this aspect, but ultimately, both are excellent in academics.</p>
<p>well soliloquy, in my mind there are two mainstream sports, college basketball and college football. Stanford isn't really consistently good at either (Save for a freak season or two).</p>
<p>princeton lacrosse, homie. hopkins cant touch.</p>
<p>I suppose you are right, Amused.</p>
<p>just a thought about the whole name-dropping concern...what does it really matter? The only potential benefit it holds is the ability for people to recognize your intellegence/hard work without actually knowing or talking to you. </p>
<p>And a suggestion: try to focus on the more significant aspects of being admitted to Duke, like getting an excellent education!</p>
<p>grab a grad school for its name. no one will then care about ur undergrad.</p>
<p>i personally love the fact that i get such varied responses when i tell people that i go to duke. </p>
<p>it's usually something akin to....oooh, wow: a) that's such a tough school to get into or b) your basketball program is amazing. my friend says he can't help but sound pretentious when he says "i go to harvard." it instantly creates a sense of distance average person....or the millions who haven't attended the instituion. </p>
<p>however, saying you go to duke carries this fascinating duality....on one hand it's like you're a part of a premier league soccer club in england - an intense, deep association with an institution you cheer for. many people can relate to this sports analogy more easily, and it's refreshing to form a CONNECTION rather than a disconnection. on the other hand, people can admire your passion for academics and intense work it took to get you here. hence, you get to be this walking dichotomy. it's good fun.</p>
<p>oh, and men and women's lax, both #2 in the nation. men just had a 2OT 11-10 loss AT hopkins (which has a 30 or so game win streak, about 9 thousand fans). on another random note, tailgates/attendance for lacrosse games are becoming rather popular (hell, i'd take amazing lacrosse over crappy football - or even good football in that case) - it's awesome to see our spirit carry over to support our other amazing sports teams.</p>
<p>That's a great point. "Name-dropping" (I've grown to hate that term over the course of this thread) should not be about superiority, it should be about connecting (in your words, lex). A friend who respects you is better than a detached admirer.</p>