<p>@"45 Percenter" With all due respect, you’re definitely wrong about the first part. Duke has been more selective than Penn (at least for the past few years). I’m sure you could look it up (the difference has always been marginal, they’re both awesome schools) :)</p>
<p>Class of 2017: <a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/incoming-class-profile”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/incoming-class-profile</a> 12.24% (Penn)
<a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/images/uploads/process/DukeClass2017Profile.pdf”>http://admissions.duke.edu/images/uploads/process/DukeClass2017Profile.pdf</a> 12.00 (Duke)</p>
<p>Class of 2016: <a href=“http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/ivy-league-admissions-statistics-overall-2016/”>http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/ivy-league-admissions-statistics-overall-2016/</a>
Penn - 12.32%
Duke - 11.87%</p>
<p>Clearly the difference is VERY marginal. But Duke has been the more selective school (at least over the past couple of years). Honestly, now that I look at the numbers I can’t help but feeling that the difference is clearly not worth arguing about! It would be incredibly foolish for someone to pick between these two great schools based on an infinitesimal difference in selectivity! </p>
<p>As an aside when visiting Penn w my daughter it was abundantly clear from the ad com we spent time with that Penn’s top rival for student was now Duke. So the two schools must be close. </p>
<p>^ They’re very similar in myriad ways.</p>
<p>Penn has more grad students and is more urban. Duke’s setting is more bucolic.
Other than that, they both seem to be diverting resources towards interdisciplinary endeavors. They’re both at the forefront of online education and they’re both tremendous research powerhouses. Both sets of students are well-rounded and gregarious. Both universities have had checkered histories with their neighboring communities. They both have similar endowments and rich sporting traditions (Penn also has a storied basketball program). </p>
<p>Well, Misanthrope1. I checked the last 10 years, and Penn has been more selective in 7 of the last 10 years, including this year. As a consolation prize, it does look like Duke is more selective than Cornell though. </p>
<p>45 Percenter’s win streak is still longer than the Globetrotters.</p>
<p>Why are you such a misanthrope anyway? 
</p>
<p>Duke is also more selective than Dartmouth
<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/college-admission-rates-for-class-of-2018-an-imperfect-but-closely-watched-metric/2014/04/03/820ff578-b6af-11e3-8cc3-d4bf596577eb_story.html”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/college-admission-rates-for-class-of-2018-an-imperfect-but-closely-watched-metric/2014/04/03/820ff578-b6af-11e3-8cc3-d4bf596577eb_story.html</a></p>
<p>Having said that, I provided references for my claims. Yours are just baseless assertions at this point unless you choose to substantiate them with links to legitimate resources ;)</p>
<p>Even if what you’re saying is correct, Duke has still been more selective in two of the last three years :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, the numbers reported on that site appear to be the acceptance rates initially reported by the schools in late March/early April, and the final overall acceptance rates are typically somewhat higher after waitlist acceptances, etc. So for the Class of 2017, the acceptance rates were actually 12.2% for Penn, and 12.4% for Duke:</p>
<p><a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/university-of-pennsylvania”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/university-of-pennsylvania</a>
<a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/incoming-class-profile”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/incoming-class-profile</a></p>
<p><a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/duke-university”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/duke-university</a></p>
<p>And according to the web site to which you linked, the initial acceptance rates for Penn and Duke for the Class of 2018 are as follows:</p>
<p>Penn - 9.9%
Duke - 10.75%</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/ivy-league-admission-statistics-overall-2018/”>http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/ivy-league-admission-statistics-overall-2018/</a></p>
<p>I’ve been following these numbers for decades, and Duke’s final acceptance rate has almost always been higher than Penn’s for at least the past decade, and by at least a couple of points or so until the last couple of years.</p>
<p>But I agree that the rates are so close as to be functionally equivalent. I just wanted to correct your statement that Penn’s overall acceptance rate historically has been higher than Duke’s over the past decade because, as I stated, that’s not correct. </p>
<p>I accept your overall point. It was wrong of me to extrapolate from a small sample of data. </p>
<p>@Misanthrope1
My “baseless claims” were looked up 1 year at a time on the site you linked me too but were too lazy to look up yourself before making a baseless claim. In any case, you are the one making a claim about the last decade without checking or knowing the facts. I did not think I needed to post a link because you sent me to that site and I used it. In case you need to find it again, here it is:
<a href=“http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/ivy-league-admission-statistics-overall-2018/”>http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/ivy-league-admission-statistics-overall-2018/</a></p>
<p>Penn was more selective in 7 of the 10 years on that site. Based on 45 per centers comments, I am not sure about the disputed 2017, but Duke was more selective in 2 of the 10 years (classes of 2013, and 2016).</p>
<p>Penn classes that were more selective in the last 10:
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018</p>
<p>Meanwhile as the Duke vs Penn battle rages on in this thread… wait-listed applicants on the active waitlist are still dying under the crushing pressure of their situation…</p>
<p>^ I can empathize with that but I feel compelled to fire a parting salvo. </p>
<p>Statistically, it is almost certain that Duke’s Trinity College is more selective than Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences. This is because the overall acceptance rates are virtually identical (often differing by less than a percent) but Duke’s engineering school makes the university less selective whereas anyone in their right mind would agree that Wharton probably contributes to making Penn more selective. Since Penn’s SEAS is more selective than Pratt (Duke’s rapidly improving engineering school), it follows that Trinity College is more selective than Penn’s CAS. Not that it should matter. We’re being pedantic!</p>
<p>^^ @Misanthrope1 To quote you, your speculations above “are just baseless assertions at this point unless you choose to substantiate them with links to legitimate resources ;)”</p>
<p>Honestly, for students who were admitted to both schools, I would investigate specific programs that you are interested in. The college covers a wide range of subjects. Which school is better will depend on which specific programs interest you.</p>
<p>I would also recommend that you spend some time at both schools, if you haven’t already. You may just feel more comfortable at one school or the other. If you are a big basketball or lacrosse fan, Duke may be better. If you like being a short train ride from New York City, Penn may be better. If you are a Christian the Quakers may be better, if you worship Satan, the Blue Devils may be better. ;)</p>
<p>It really depends on the person. You will get a great education at either school.</p>
<p>I cannot believe that parents have highjacked this waitlist thread to have such a completely pointless discussion. These are exactly the kind of statistics that we are telling the kids to avoid comparing. </p>
<p>Have they banished internationals from getting off the active waitlist? : (((((((((((</p>
<p>@ivyleaguefan what makes you say that? I’m international btw</p>
<p>I am an international student on Penn’s CAS active waitlist. I can’t describe how harrowing this wait has become now. 
Visa processing in my country takes over a month. And with other preparations like ticket, the time left is so small. I don’t know if admissions people ever read these CC threads, but I hope they understand how much more complicated the process is for us after acceptance (if that is ever received). Factually, international applicants like me have almost no chance of being summoned from the waitlist (?) . At this moment, the admissions office could just shut the door on our faces with a “reject” instead of feeding the small hope. Haha, but I still can’t convince myself of my guaranteed reject status until I read the email. “International student” tag is a big burden to carry around. I just can’t imagine being turned down from a position so close to acceptance. Hopefully the news will come around today or tomorrow. </p>
<p>Does anyone know the chances of getting off the Wharton waitlist? It seems as if everyone who has been offered admission to the waitlist has been for CAS.</p>
<p>@werespectall I’m in the same boat as you buddy. No idea.</p>
<p>Just called the office. They’ve extended the wait till “Mid July”.</p>