<p>If this helps, I’m a transfer from Duke probably going to either Penn or Brown. If you’re opposed to Greek Life, picking Duke would be an unwise decision (IMO). All of the parties second semester are closed/invite-only. If you have no issues with that, by all means come to Duke - the resources are phenomenal and the premed program is fantastic. As an independent, however, I wasn’t comfortable sitting around my room every Saturday night, so I’m transferring out.</p>
<p>^ For what it’s worth, Greek life is statistically more dominant at Duke than it is at Penn. At Penn, 30% of men and 27% of women join a fraternity/sorority, compared to 29% of men and 42% of women at Duke:</p>
<p><a href=“BigFuture College Search”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/university-of-pennsylvania</a></p>
<p><a href=“BigFuture College Search”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/duke-university?q=Duke%2BUniversity&tp=bf&searchType=site_qfs&bf_cat=college</a></p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that at Duke, the Greek system comes from the old Southern tradition of fraternities and sororities, which was never present at Penn. I have no idea how this affects Greek life on these campuses today, but it’s certainly true that the nature of Greek life and its impact on the greater campus community can, in general terms, vary significantly from school to school.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your input! I read every one of them. I appreciate it! It was an extremely tough decision, as all of these schools were really phenomenal and competitive. I ruled out Duke as it was still quite a bit more expensive than the other two. Even up to the decision day, I was split between Penn and Columbia. Each had its distinct advantages. Picking one over the other, I would undoubtedly lose some opportunities that I value. I can see that Penn students and alums really love their school a lot, and Penn offers a great pre-med program and an active on campus social life. Columbia was my dream school, and it offered a environment that I really connected with. Ultimately, my gut was told me to pick Columbia, and I went with it. So I will join Columbia University Class of 2016!</p>
<p>^ Your gut never lies. 
Congratulations!</p>
<p>Honestly, I think choices like these are best made on instinct because the overall quality of education is the same at any school of this caliber. What does make a different however is that you enjoy the environment and are able to take advantage of all of the opportunities you have at your fingertips. New York has a ton going on and Columbia definitely takes advantage of its location to provide unique academic and extracurricular opportunities.</p>