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Duke is just as prestigious as Penn. </p>
<p>really though, more people know about Duke than Penn. so if prestige is what he cares about, saying “I go to Duke” will get him more oohs and aahhs than “I go to the University of Pennsylvania.” </p>
<p>and there is an entire region (everywhere south of VA) where Duke is regarded as equal to Harvard… you can’t say the same for Penn anywhere, at least not in the states.</p>
<p>FYI: I live in Mississippi, and it’s quite obvious to virtually all of us that Duke is not the academic equivalent of Harvard. You ought not make such sweeping generalizations.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that the overall style/type of education, and the whole urban vs. (essentially) rural dynamic are factors that come before looking at which school’s basketball team is better. The idea that “campus vibe” is even mostly measured by the solidarity before basketball games is laughable. The average day to day interactions/activities with people on campus matter a lot more in my book. I like Penn’s mesh between a traditional campus and the city. </p>
<p>If basketball is the most important factor to you, go to Duke. It probably isn’t, since you’re still making your decision. </p>
<p>With respect to prestige…I don’t know anyone who is smart enough to get into a good school who makes his or her decision based on the layman’s reaction to the schools’ names. It’s about future employers and, in your case, med school. I’m going to go ahead say that most med schools know what Penn is. It’s really all about fit at this point.</p>
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<p>Curious. What does the average person think about Duke?</p>
<p>I visited both Duke and Penn. Let me start by saying that they are both equally prestigious; Penn MAY have the edge because of its Ivy League status.</p>
<p>The atmosphere at Duke felt more like that of a LARGE Private highschool, from the kids to the campus. It did have not a very ‘‘college’’ feel. I also didn’t like how the East campus looks like a piece of crap (I’m not joking) and is separated from the West. The buses only arrive every 10 mins,which isn’t convenient. </p>
<p>I decided to go to Penn.</p>
<p>I would suggest you visit both campuses and see which you like better.</p>
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I think the closest answer to that would be the PR survey. Duke is usually included; Penn is not. </p>
<p>[The</a> Princeton Review, Inc. - Princeton Review’s 2009 “College Hopes & Worries Survey” Reports On 15,000 Students’ & Parents’ Application Experiences, Concerns & “Dream” Schools](<a href=“http://ir.princetonreview.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=372901]The”>http://ir.princetonreview.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=372901)</p>
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That didn’t sound right to me from when I visited Duke, so I looked it up. Sure enough, that’s not so.</p>
<p>Buses depart for East/West every 3-6 minutes.
-Duke Transportation</p>
<p>That PR survey doesn’t mean anything. NYU is a top dream school over Duke and Penn.</p>
<p>^Also, Notre Dame is ranked #4 by parents. </p>
<p>Well, I went to Duke on a Blue Devil day, and the buses would arrive every 10 mins and then wait for another 5-10 mins until it was full.</p>
<p>Hahaha yeah let’s make college decisions based on what school random parents want their kids to attend. Notre Dame is obviously better than MIT</p>
<p>For each random ranking that you find where Duke is higher than Penn, I can find 2 with the opposite.</p>
<p>I’m leaning towards Duke. I’m not sure Penn offers that close knit school spirit feel that Duke does.</p>
<p>If you go to Penn if you are the type of person who thinks that the ivy league thing is impressive. The downside is that you will have an inferiority complex the rest of your life when you are around people from more prestigeous ivy league schools becuase Penn is the safety school of the ivies. </p>
<p>Go to Duke if you are an independent thinker who decides based on the best overall college experience. At Duke you will become a party of a community. You will have nationally competitive sports programs with an instant rivalry. </p>
<p>Duke also is a university of the future, while Penn is living off the past. Tens of thousands of kids grow up dreaming of going to Duke. Few kids grow up dreaming of going to Penn. Penn is mostly made up of good students that couldn’t get into their dream school of Princeton or Harvard. </p>
<p>Both are good schools but they are very different in atmosphere. The decision really should be easy depending on your propensities. Your grandparents will say Penn. Your friends will say Duke.</p>
<p>You would be crazy to reject Penn if you’re seriously interested in Pre-med. Penn is an incredible pre-professional school with an AMAZING hospital and med school. Penn. No question.</p>
<p>One other consideration that most people are afraid to mention, you race/ethnicity may influence your decision. I am not mentioning this to upset people but it is a consideration for some. If you are Jewish, for example, you may prefer Penn because there is a large number of Jewish students. Duke will have a lot of conservative southern christians compared to Duke. Racial diversity, while not strong at either school, will be greater at Penn. I am not trying to create controversy - I think people are treated fairly, as they should be, at both schools - but there may be a comfort factor.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, remember this is the Penn forum. You are going to get a lot of biased info here as a prior poster said. The above post is a prime example. I would post this in Duke too and also a neutral forum.</p>
<p>SusieBra: And Duke doesn’t?</p>
<p>Also, I’m Hispanic if that means anything to anyone.</p>
<p>glasstiger: The hospital at Penn is incredible. You cannot compare it to anything else. My mother felt so much better with my going there than to Brown, Princeton, Wellesley etc. because The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is known to be the best. </p>
<p>If you want more of a Hispanic community, Penn is great. I’m not Hispanic, but I’m fluent in Spanish and actually looked for universities that would allow me to utilize my knowledge of Spanish in the surrounding community.</p>
<p>You know the hospital at UNC (right by Duke) is just as good right? It’s ranked #2 in USNWR in Primary Care OVER Penn.</p>
<p>Harry Balzark…I think it might be a location thing…let me guess? You live closer to Duke? Personally, when I say I’m going to Penn next year, I get the “OMG! I LOVE PENN! I really wanted to go when I visited!”</p>
<p>Anon Person: I feel the same way. glasstiger: pre-med students get to do a lot of hands on research with professors or their own research. the budget’s there. Penn is an incredible place with limitless opportunities.</p>
<p>I was rejected from Duke and accepted to Penn, but had I been accepted to both I would have attended Duke - I felt more comfortable in the environment there. Don’t choose a college based on what people say…take in the facts but ultimately it’s your choice. </p>
<p>Since I was at Penn this past weekend for a multicultural student preview, I think you’ll be totally comfortable as a hispanic at Penn. I don’t really know about Duke. Once again, it’s 100% up to you…they’re both great schools.</p>
<p>Oh, and Anon is right. SO many people I know (friends/acquaintances) applied to Penn as their first choice this year…they LOVED it and couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.</p>
<p>Same with Duke though. ;)</p>