<p>I agree with that. When you tell people you go to Duke, people are generally excited and it works as a catalyst for conversation because people associate Dukies with fun-loving, active, social AND intelligent kids with whom they CAN RELATE, thus the bringing up of basketball, or perhaps national Greek organizations. If you say you went to Harvard oftentimes it can work as a conversation killer--how do you respond to that? Start talking about the exclusive finals clubs? If you say Princeton generally people think you're an elistist snob (like they seriously do) but saying you go to Duke doesn't have those negative connotations. I think that is partially because though Duke is one of the ten best schools in the country, it does not have an atmosphere of exclusivity but rather functions like a typical American college, with sports, some Greek life, etc. with which Americans who didn't go to an Ivy League school (as well as those who did, thus Duke being in "IVY PLUS" along with Stanford and MIT for Ivy "mixers") can relate.</p>
<p>That said, you also have to deal with those Terps fans or Tar Heels or alumni of the myriad other schools that think they're our rivals and/or the thousands of people who didn't get into Duke and are bitter :)</p>
<p>Sorry, IVY+ is an organization that consists of all the Ivies, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and sometimes Chicago that serves to provide social "mixers" for all the schools and also comes together to brainstorm solutions to problems affecting higher education. Basically, it is the Ivy league acknowledging that Stanford, Duke, and MIT are on equal footing with the Ivy institutions.</p>
<p>As far as jobs, it's where you were last, be that grad school, residency, whatever. As far as your own loyalty, it's where you went undergrad. A Domer is always a Domer - a Wolverine is always a Wolverine.</p>
<p>oh just a quick comment. I got into duke a couple of weeks ago and was very exciting and told my girlfriend. She said, oh, is it a good school? haha but i do think most people recognize its academic excellence.</p>
<p>Haha, nope not at all, an0nym0u5...I am most definitely NOT on any merit aid. Oh yea, and my pfrosh who also got into Princeton is coming to Duke too! Good things happen when you're not a prestige whore, haha. =P</p>
<p>Educated people know, and frankly that's who you ought to be worried about, because that's who is going to be hiring you, studying next to you in grad school, etc.</p>
<p>When I was in grad school, everybody knew/understood Duke, and not just because of basketball. It's one of the top 5 feeders (along with HYSP) to Harvard Law.</p>
<p>Grad schools, Med Schools, Law Schools, Business Schools all value the name of your school much less than you think. I'm pretty sure applicants from the US News top 25 are all placed in a broad "top" group.</p>
