Northwestern vs. Duke vs. Berkeley

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
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<p>@ChaChaanTeng‌ </p>

<p>Duke actually has more faculty in the national academies than Northwestern according to the 2013 Washington Monthly Ranking although the difference is small.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/national_university_research.php”>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/national_university_research.php&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>As far as merit scholarships go, NU doesn’t offer full rides but it does still sponsor National Merit scholarships for all National Merit Finalists that choose to enroll at NU so lets call a spade a spade.</p>

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<p>And the national merit scholarships offered by NU is a drop in the bucket ($2000 per year) :-)</p>

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<p>Awww, that’s cute. Duke and Northwestern partisans arguing over national academy membership. :slight_smile: </p>

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<p>@Supernova123‌
My statistics for selectivity at Duke and Northwestern are accurate. If you think that they are inaccurate, then provide your own data. As of now, my data stands.</p>

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<p>@Supernova123‌
Googling is your job now. I already did it and that is what you see. Provide your own stats!</p>

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<p>The actual math is 11.7%, which is not that far from the 14% which I quoted (from last year). I will grant you, your data is more up to date, and the trend is downward.</p>

<p>But still no data for Northwestern? Do I detect bias here?</p>

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<p>eni,</p>

<p>I am talkiing about AAAS and NAE. Look up their websites for the numbers. Duke has less, not even close for NAE.</p>

<p>Nobodty would turn down HYPS for $2,000!</p>

<p>Supernova123,
Duke doesn’t have higher math score. It’s 10 points higher at 75th percentile but 10 points lower at 25th percentile. So it’s even. The only reason behind the 10 difference at the 75th percentile is that Duke’s engineering students make up 30% of the student body. At Northwestern, that’s more like 15% (both are my rough estimates but should be prety close). If you compare only the same type of school, NU is probably even ahead. Honestly, I feel silly to even split a 10-point difference; you really shouldn’t have brought that up at the first place.</p>

<p>Yes, they do make a difference. Northwestern has been at the low end as far as generosity goes. The point is it’s silly to claim one would give superior education than others using those numbers. Northwestern actually has more Cambridge Gates scholars who are entitled to even more monetary awards with more flexible duration than Rhodes; does it make it better? No.</p>

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<p>“As far as SAT scores are concerned, it’s probably worth mentioning that a significantly higher portion of Duke’s incoming class submits SAT scores (NU leans towards the ACT).”</p>

<p>This is not true. 80% of NU entering freshman submit the SAT, while 93% do so for Duke. This is statistically insignificant. In each case, the sample size is so large that clearly the SAT statistics are accurate for both schools. Plus, my investigation shows that the math scores for NU and Duke are almost identical (700 to 780, middle 50%). Please provide any statistics which prove otherwise.</p>

<p>ChaChaanTeng is correct, a 10 point difference on the SAT is not worth mentioning.</p>

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<p>Most recent #s from Dept of Education NCES College Navigator</p>

<p>Duke
ACT 30-34
SAT Verbal 670-760
SAT Math 690-790</p>

<p>Northwestern
ACT 31-34
SAT Verbal 690-760
SAT Math 700-790</p>

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<p>supernova123 has started the following thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/profile/discussions/100317880/Supernova123”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/profile/discussions/100317880/Supernova123&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Looks like he might be just a Duke University partisan who hates to admit that another school is a pretty darn good choice.</p>

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<p>Okay, fine. Let’s say it is 10.8.
It is also totally irrelevant. </p>

<p>Admission rates are the most irrelevant statistic about any college. The only thing they are good for is to help a student determine their chances of admission – nothing else. It tells you next to nothing about the quality of the college.</p>

<p>The SAT and ACT scores at least tell you something. In that, NU is as good or better than Duke. See the post by Bala, above.</p>

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<p>I worked a top bulge bracket investment bank for 7 years in NYC and can confidently say that Duke and Northwestern are very much peers. It is ludicrous to suggest otherwise. Objectively speaking, look at the numbers, they speak for themselves - see below</p>

<p>from collegeboard.com’s profile…obviously, a year outdated but you get an idea for the class strength of both</p>

<p>Northwestern SAT - 1390 to 1550 SAT…ACT - 31 - 34…91% in top 10 of their class
Duke SAT - 1360 to 1550…ACT - 31 - 34…90% in top 10 of their class</p>

<p>This year - NU’s acceptance rate is around 13% and Duke’s is close to 11 or 12% (including ED and RD).</p>

<p>It looks like they are very close from a student body strength perspective. In fact, Northwestern has a sightly higher SAT average. And the argument that Northwestern has a much higher concentration of students submitting ACT scorers as opposed to SAT scores, is also an exaggeration. Please look at the numbers below.</p>

<p>Duke - 75 / 49: SAT / ACT Split
Northwestern - 64 / 60: SAT / ACT Split</p>

<p>At both schools, the majority of students submits SAT scores but there is a large portion at both schools that submit both SAT and ACT scores.</p>

<p>Also, from a reputation standpoint, both schools in US News have comparable (if not the same) reputation scores from academics. </p>

<p>Both schools have very strong grad programs. Northwestern wins in the MBA category (top 5 b school). Duke wins in the med school ranking (top 5-10). Both have top 15 law schools. Northwestern has one of the best econ programs in the world and Duke has some solid programs as well. </p>

<p>Please choose based on fit. Both schools are fantastic. Personally, being close to one of the best cities in the world (Chicago) would make me inclined to choose Northwestern over Duke, since it is in Durham. Northwestern students have access to many internship opportunities, world-class restaurants and theatre, etc.</p>

<p>Best of luck. My choice would be Northwestern!</p>

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<p>Supernova123,
You are the one that was wrong in your claims about SAT scores for Duke. All we did was point out your error. In other words, it was your strategy – not mine or anybody else. Sorry, but that is the fact.</p>

<p>Just because Northwestern freshmen have slightly higher SAT scores (and it is slight), does not mean that NU is a better school. It simply means that NU is just as good at attracting high caliber students as Duke is. This is especially interesting because Duke is far better known. It is not a huge point, and simply means that they are clearly peer institutions.</p>

<p>Everybody here thinks that Duke is a fabulous school. Duke is not being dissed here. Yet, you have this weird urge to have a debate.</p>

<p>You have the potential to be an outstanding advocate for Duke. Why don’t you work on that instead of creating controversy where none exists.</p>

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<p>Can I ask both of you who are arguing, does it matter? It’s obvious that both schools are great, and if one were to say one is better than the other, then they would be wrong and right because that is such an open question and the answer depends solely on the person answering. </p>

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<p>@jeremyjoe I heard duke is more favored than NU for NYC offices, is that true? while nu places better in chicago?</p>

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<p>supernova, yes Vanderbilt has high test scores (RD SAT M 750-800, V 740-800, and ACT 33-35) but they are holistic in their admission process just like Duke, NU and all the other “most selective” universities. Test scores alone will not get you into Vanderbilt. 94% were in the top 10% of their class, 100% held major leadership positions or won major awards, 46% were varsity team captains or county /state award winners, 93% held major leadership positions in community service or social groups, and 40% held major positions or won major awards in the fine arts. </p>

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<p>So, let’s be clear – you have two fabulous choices and I am sure you will be happy at both schools. If you visit both campuses (do an overnight if you can although time is running short!) you might get a sense for which is a better fit. Where are you from? Don’t underestimate the value of being a drive away instead of a flight away. Good luck. </p>

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<p>Does Duke offer anything comparable to NU’s MMSS and Kellogg Financial Economics certificate ? That combination seems outstanding.</p>

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<p>Do all of you realize SN123 is a high school student? Duke and NU are very similar academically but very different by culture. Duke is very southern surrounded by the deep south. NU has a completely different feel and vibe. No one could confuse them. </p>

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<p>Alright, let me put this the best way I possibly can.</p>

<p>Durham is not a nice city.</p>

<p>With about 2x the crime rate of Evanston, Durham is pretty dangerous, it’s not attractive, and when I visited twice I saw approximately 0 amounts of culture. People say the research triangle is a nice area, but they mostly mean Raleigh and Chapel Hill plus the confines of Duke, not the actual surrounding area of Durham. If you’re looking for a nice area as a major part of the fit, Northwestern is in a way nicer area. Plus add in the cultural capital, historic nature, and general awesomeness of Chicago, I’d say there’s no argument if those kinds of things were a major factor.</p>

<p>However, if you’re looking for prestige, Duke is far more well known on the East Coast. When my friend said he got accepted to Duke people were amazed, when I got accepted to Northwestern, people wondered where it was (I’m from SC). That didn’t matter to me, but it was just something I’d like to note.</p>

<p>Duke has great basketball, while we don’t have any great teams in the major sports, so if you’re looking for a huge sport to rally around, Duke’s probably better.</p>

<p>If you care about weather a ton, Duke’s better.</p>

<p>If you want a huge amount of flexibility in your courses, Northwestern’s quarter system has Duke beat (I might be a Major + 2 Minors with at least 7 or so left over classes after school and major/minor requirements).</p>

<p>If you’re looking for a larger diversity of students, Northwestern’s the way to go. My group of friends includes a theater major, journalism major, hard science majors, and more liberal arts type majors. I know tons of musicians, a dancer, and tons of other people into tons of different things. Duke, as far as I saw and have heard from my friend there, isn’t nearly as diverse in terms of what people are interested in.</p>

<p>Point is, look into your fit at schools. If you care a lot about the weather and sports, then you won’t like NU as much, almost assuredly, but if you love watching student theater and might double major (which you said you might) then NU’s probably better.</p>