<p>@kittencc: I appreciate your kind reply and will offer five comments for your consideration:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Having grown up on Long Island’s North shore (Huntington), I never considered NYU or Columbia (although my parents were alumni). I really wanted a smaller, more intimate, more “school spirited” undergraduate experience/community (especially one where little, if any, of the teaching was done by post-PhDs/TAs). That proved to be a wise “cultural fit” for me; obviously, however, that decision would have been poor for countless others, which only serves to highlight the criticality (IMHO) of opting for YOUR ideal “cultural fit.”</p></li>
<li><p>I’d like to share a comment I’ve repeatedly heard from Christoph Guttentag, Duke’s very sage and very nice Dean of Undergraduate Admissions (I serve – and have served, for decades – on several senior Duke alumni governance Boards/Executive Committees and, therefore, have been briefed by him every year or two). When asked to differentiate among the very best undergraduate programs at top national universities, he indicated they were ALL outstanding, but that cultural fit – and things including those freshmen classmates who just may become lifelong friends, business associates, or even marital partners . . . it happens thousands of times in every new entry class – were actually much greater “individual distinguishers” than a particular department’s strength, a given university’s immediate “comparative reputation,” or a few points in aggregate SAT results. I know you (and your parents/other advisors) understandably are attempting to ascertain which university is “the best,” but I respectfully suggest that definition must add “for you” and should include a lot of important things that are far more difficult to measure than last year’s acceptance percentage or the number of recent Rhodes, Goldwater, Churchill, Fulbright, etc. scholars. </p></li>
<li><p>Regarding “grade deflation,” I strongly recommend you carefully read a current thread entitled “Rigor” in Duke’s CC Forum. It provide considerable discussion – and insight – regarding this “myth” and, more important, how a demanding scholastic environment actually becomes a real benefit in selection for the most competitive jobs and postgraduate programs (concise version: the very best universities and employers are extremely astute and they likely strongly prefer a 3.3 GPA from a Duke, Princeton, or Columbia to a 3.7 from a good – but relatively undistinguished – university).</p></li>
<li><p>I really can’t comment with depth and accuracy regarding Duke versus Princeton (I know a good deal about Duke, but very little concerning Princeton), other than to state the self-evident: they are both GREAT institutions, with stellar undergraduate programs (anyone would be extremely fortunate to attend either). Many reputable assessment rate Princeton as America’s best university (solidly in the H-Y-P-S grouping) , with Duke in the top-ten (solidly in the Penn - Dartmouth - Brown - MIT group). What I can guarantee is no one – employer, colleague, acquaintance, neighbor, and so forth – will EVER feel that you attended other than a superb university if you should go to either school. The very common “sport” among high schoolers and their parents (etc.) is to micro-examine such schools in a (futile?) attempt to determine its minute advantages and disadvantages. However, I necessarily return to “your individual cultural fit” as THE most vital metic (because both universities are so good and so recognized for their quality). I urge you to visit both, and for more than the standard campus tour(s) and admissions presentation(s). Attend some classes, live in a dorm for at least one night, walk and talk with undergraduates, have a conversation with one or two faculty members (and possibly administrators), spend some time in the town; in sum – and crucially – get a real “feeling” for the place, the community, the constituencies, and the people. </p></li>
<li><p>Finally, you’re in your late-teens, with a LONG life ahead. Consequentially, it may be even more important for you to attempt to project a candidate-university’s stature a decade or three from now, rather than only its current attributes. That’s because the personal and professional opportunities you may have in middle-age (and beyond) could be hyper-competive. I absolutely understand this is very difficult and replete with uncertainty; nevertheless, considering your long-future (years and decades after you receive your bachelor’s degree), this is smart and might also be a key “tie breaker” in your decision making.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck. </p>