Northwestern Vs. Duke

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

Hey guys,

I realize these might be getting annoying, but I’m so torn between these two schools and would love some outside input. I’ve lived in the suburbs of Chicago my whole life so I’m a huge Chicago sports fan and I absolutely love the city. My older brother attended Northwestern (he’s about 8 years older than me) so I grew up loving the university from a nonacademic perspective. I’m planning on majoring in BME and possibly doing premed but I’m prepared to change my mind as I go into college and develop my interests. I definitely want to try my hand at research as an undergrad and I think both universities give me the opportunity to do that. The cold isn’t too much of a factor for me since I’ve lived here my whole life, but the weather in Durham definitely doesn’t hurt. As I said before, I’m a huge sports fan and being a part of the Cameron crazies would be insanely exciting. I’ve visited both schools and I love both of the campuses and the student bodies, although I got the impression that Northwestern has a more diverse student body whereas Duke held a more homogeneous, Southern, kinda preppy vibe. Durham has gotten a bad rep from some of the things I read online, but it wasn’t a bad place to be, although Evanston/Chicago are much nicer. I want to study abroad and Duke engineerers have a very high rate of doing that, although I’m sure I could make it work at NU. I was more impressed with Pratt’s engineering facilities than McCormick’s, but I like how Northwestern starts engineering students off with design courses right off the bat, whereas at Duke, Pratt students have don’t have a design course until senior year. Pratt seems to have a verh structured course load that doesn’t vary much from student to student, whereas NU’s quarter system would give me more of an opportunity to explore classes(although the quarter system sounds very stressful). Duke is very highly ranked in BME and I’m getting the sense that Duke has slightly more prestige from when I tell people what schools I’m choosing between, although a slight difference in prestige doesn’t necessarily carry that much weight for me personally. I’m not that much into the party scene and I want to be around other students that are both relaxed/easy going and passionate about what they’re doing. I’d appreciate any type of input/experience that you guys can offer. Thanks!

2

Tough decision for sure! It’s funny because my husband and I were just talking about this tonight. My daughter is a Freshman at NU and started as an engineering major. Her other choice was Duke. NU has been a perfect fit for her. I think the Midwest vibe works better for her. She also decided after her first few engineering classes that it wasn’t for her and she transferred to the College of Arts and Science as a Computer Science major. She was never a partyer but the social scene at NU is also good for her. Lots to do but not too crazy. She joined a sorority and loves it. So, if you are anything like her, you may feel more comfortable in a more Midwest environment having been raised here. There are kids from all over the country but I think the school definitely feels Midwestern. Now, for some kids, they are ready to move on. I think Duke does have a slightly higher prestige rating nationally but I’m not sure that’s true specifically for engineering (could be wrong, don’t anyone attack me!). I don’t know if you’ve attended New Student days at either – perhaps that would give you a good feel. I’d also say, that being within an hours drive from home has it’s advantages. I never see my daughter, but I think knowing that we could if we needed too is a nice feeling. Good luck. You really can’t go wrong!

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Thanks for the advice! It’s nice knowing that people have been through this same exact situation. I think the hardest part isn’t choosing one of the schools, it’s harder to turn down the one I don’t choose. I appreciate the response!

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Very well said, @rjc996.