Penn vs. Duke

<p>So if you are super rational then you might want to consider ignoring parts 2-4 of my 4 part argument.
But, if you are more of a romantic than a pragmatist, then you might want to consider my post more carefully because we might have a lot in common!
Also, try grappling with Immanuel Kant's 3 Critiques. Non sequitur for this thread, but awesome nonetheless.</p>

<p>****** I look forward to being far less apologetic in my mild critique of Penn, and much more Duke-biased the next time I answer one of these threads!</p>

<p>IvyGate went down to Duke last year. Here are some of the things they found:</p>

<p>IvyGate</a> Field Trip: You Say "Harvard of the South" Like It's a Good Thing - IvyGate: The Ivy League blog. News, gossip, sex, sports and more at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale</p>

<p>As (almost) always, a fun read.</p>

<p>PS:
[quote]
Do I really want to spend 75% of my time under gray skies??

[/quote]

Umm...what? Methinks you're confusing Philadelphia with Seattle. Or London.</p>

<p>@ilovebagels: wow, what an extremely unbiased account </p>

<p>I chose Duke over Penn for one simple reason: the school spirit seemed to be a lot higher at Duke and it gave off more a sense of community in my mind because of basketball. So, yes, I chose Duke over Penn because of the basketball - I know, it sounds crazy, but it really connects you to the rest of the student body and to other alumni for life. Duke and Penn attract VERY similar people and they are quite similar in prestige. The community feel and school spirit of Duke tipped the scale in Duke's favor, but everybody has a different opinion. I'm sure I'd also be extremely happy at Penn.</p>

<p>bluedog, did you actually read it? If anything it was pro-duke. Sheesh.</p>

<p>Cathedral of basketball, baby. Viva la palestra.</p>

<p>Ah, didn't read the rest of the site. Now I see that it's satirical, but that article wasn't that clear and I was tired when reading it - that'll be my excuse. Even as a satire, I wouldn't say it was pro-Duke though. If it wasn't satirical, it most definitely is anti-Duke.</p>

<p>bluedog, you should see how the writers on that site trash their own Ivy schools. Duke was definitely in good company as a satirical target.</p>

<p>Well, these discussions sure are helpful. Good thing [I guess] is that I didn't apply to Duke, though went to a nice info session offered through the traveling consortium with Harvard, Penn, Stanford, and Georgetown. It might have made my choices even more difficult. The Duke representative did portray the strong school spirit, and it seemed like quite a party school, but in a good way I guess. </p>

<p>As for weather, Penn is quite an improvement over New England, with winters coming later and milder, and spring a few weeks earlier. Cornell's weather is more worrisome. My family has a name for it up there called 'Perma-gloom'. We have a number of Cornellians in the family. I'll travel to both this weekend for previews. </p>

<p>ps: Thanks for the travel tips, Bagels. Will do. Got a nice email from regional Penn director the other day about my admission, app, etc. Very nice.</p>

<p>
[quote]
My family has a name for it up there called 'Perma-gloom'

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Corneilians have another word for it: Ithacating</p>

<p>ah, sounds like a medical disorder [or bodily function]. lol
philly's weather is more attractive for sure.</p>

<p>No way... I have the exact same problem man! </p>

<p>Except I want to go pre-law rather than pre-med...</p>

<p>Well pre-law makes the choice even easier. You can take courses at Penn Law (which in US News-land is better than Duke Law) as a Penn undergraduate. Boom.</p>

<p>Philadelphia is fun (and closer to DC and NYC), the academic breadth is greater, and sure, the Ivy label certainly doesn't hurt ;)</p>

<p>Yeah, so definitely ignore ilovebagels and choose based on fit. Both are equally good for pre-law so choose the school where you feel like you will get the better college experience. Duke has better weather and big-name athletics while Penn offers the city of Philadelphia. The social scenes at both schools are both really good although I think the Greek scene at Duke is a bit larger. Financial aid is something I would also consider in this situation.</p>

<p>although fit is certainly important, you may wish to consider factors such as available curriculum.</p>

<p>for example, if you're interested in business law issues, then you could take classes in wharton's legal studies + business ethics department, the biggest and best in the country.</p>

<p>The</a> Wharton Legal Studies Department</p>

<p>as a pre-law myself, taking legal studies courses has helped me considerably in understanding what i want to do in my career.</p>

<p>depending on your legal field interests, other penn departments may offer other riches for you - in my case, wharton's health care management classes have been a big factor.</p>

<p>Lol pre-law? No such thing. How ridiculous is this getting. Choosing for any reason between these two schools for any reason other than fit is a mistake.</p>

<p>Indeed, the only thing officially "pre-law" at any school--including these two--is the pre-law advising office that helps you coordinate your law school applications.</p>

<p>So are you gonna go visit these schools for a fitting or what?</p>