<p>I'm a rising high school senior, class of 2012. I have been a die-hard Duke basketball fan since I was a little kid. I visited Duke last summer and absolutely fell in love with the campus and the school in general. I love the school pride, the academics, the commitment to service (DukeEngage), and basically everything about Duke except for the distance. I live in northeastern PA, and it's about 9 hour drive to Durham. My Mom does not want me to go that far, even though it's really not too far. If I had it totally my way, I'd apply ED. </p>
<p>I also love UPenn. It's only two hours away, Philly is great, and I love what Penn has to offer. I want to major in politcal science/ econ, and Penn has the PPE (philosophy, politics, and economics) major which seems awesome and perfect for me. They also have a semester in DC program which allows one to study and intern in DC. </p>
<p>Both schools have about a 3x higher early acceptance rate vs. regular acceptance rate. </p>
<p>I'm also interested in schools like Georgetown, BC, and Notre Dame, to which I could apply early action, but I don't want to pass up the opportunity to have a much higher chance of getting in at Duke and Penn--by far my top two schools.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would just follow my heart, and attend the school that I want to go to the most, rather than what my parents want. After all, it’s you who will ultimately be living there, and making friends/connections, and experiencing the college atmosphere, not your parents. Traveling to a farther place also has the benefit of opening your eyes to new people, and a different environment.</p>
<p>this year is all about decisions. Good luck with yours! </p>
<p>on a human interest note, I bought a postcard on Ebay from about 1920 of my son’s freshman dorm for a keepsake for him. On the back was a letter to a Pennsylvania high school teacher. It said: “made it here in only 16 hours in the Model T” and “I passed the entrance exams and was admitted!” </p>
<p>Lots of Pennsylvanians at Duke but no one will argue that UPenn is not a great place as well. good luck</p>
<p>I’m from Pennsylvania as well!!! Honestly do not let distance affect your decision! I was really worried about going far and wanted to stay close but I am so glad I decided to go to Duke. Best decision of my life. Don’t just pick a school because famous magazines say its a top school. If Duke is what you love then COME HERE!!! You will be so much more content! A lot of my friends who live in North Carolina don’t go home on weekends anyway…almost no one does so it’s not like you are missing out! There’s a crazy amount of things to do here 24/7! Let me know if you have more questions!!! GO BLUE DEVILS</p>
<p>Both are similar smart, party schools. Philly is a dangerous city from what I’ve heard and so is Durham. It’s up to you. I will add, though, that Duke’s athletic spirit is unparalleled and if you’re a social and outgoing type, you’ll definitely have more fun at Duke.</p>
<p>I’d say the major differences between Duke and Penn in this case are 1) Setting 2) Distance</p>
<p>1) Duke is not in a big city like Philly. If you need something like Philly (plus convenient weekend access to other cities like NYC and DC) then you’ll want to go to Penn. On the other hand, Duke’s campus isn’t exactly lacking in the social scene either. It’s just that at Duke, you’ll spend a large portion of your time on campus vs. off.</p>
<p>2) Distance is important. I’m from the PA/DE/NJ tri-state area so I can somewhat relate (though my drive to Duke is ~6 hours). It’s a hassle to go home for anything beyond a major vacation because you’ll either need to fly (RDU is 30 min away from Duke by car), drive, carpool, or amtrak. Having done 3 of the 4 modes of transportation (didn’t get to do amtrak), I’ll say that driving is the most convenient (unless you can find a friend at UNC or Duke who live close by to carpool) but it’s the most tiring. My last two years at Duke, I basically went home for Christmas and that was it, no Thanksgiving or fall break or spring break because the I-95/85 traffic just isn’t worth braving if you aren’t going to stay home for more than 2-3 days.</p>
<p>Regarding other aspects like majors available or sports, I personally don’t think it’ll make a whole lot of difference. At Duke you cheer for the Blue Devils. In philly you can cheer for the Eagles/Phillies/Flyers, etc. Or you can roll with whatever other pro/college teams you prefer. As for majors available, unless you are dead set on something, know that goals and interests change for many people, what’s important is that a school has enough quality choices that you’ll not feel restricted in what you can pursue and I think both schools do pretty well in that respect.</p>