<p>my D. Is interested in business and economics. She is deciding between B at WUSt,GT or Econ at Duke. We are 100k range income .the money offer is best for us at GT,next Duke and last WUST.she has grown up in Al and wants a really different experience, though we don't truly consider Duke the Deep South. how and why should we turndown Duke for GT?</p>
<p>I grew up in Alabama as well.</p>
<p>Durham may not be the Deep South - and I agree that it isn’t - but it is still a Southern city, with all that entails. It is certainly a very diverse place as well, but I think the location does play a role in the culture and atmosphere.</p>
<p>What I always see as the bottom line is that you are choosing where to live for 4 (or 3-3.5 if you study abroad somewhere) years. You want to pick not just the ‘best’ program or course of study, but the actual place where you would be happiest. Durham and D.C. are pretty different places, so comparing of each location may be very helpful in making a decision.</p>
<p>Likewise, the social scene is something to consider. I’m not really qualified to speak about Duke, although my understanding is that Greeks play a pretty big role in social life there. They play almost no role at Georgetown (there are no recognized social fraternities/sororities, so the organizations that exist are based on specific missions or themes, are often co-ed, and are basically like any other student group, rather than making up a distinct hierarchy that dominates campus). I very much appreciated that aspect of Georgetown, but most of my high school classmates in Alabama explicitly wanted the Greek experience, and many of them belonged to high school Greek societies, so that’s also very much a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>Business and Economics, while obviously closely related, are not the same thing, so a business curriculum at Georgetown - plus the core requirements - will probably look substantially different than an Economics curriculum at Duke. Comparing the two - you can find the Georgetown info at [Curriculum</a> | McDonough School of Business](<a href=“http://msb.georgetown.edu/undergraduate-program/curriculum]Curriculum”>Full-time MBA Courses & Curriculum - McDonough School of Business) - should also prove helpful in deciding which looks more appealing and is a better fit.</p>
<p>Since you phrased your question looking for reasons to pick Georgetown over Duke, I’ll offer a few, based on my own personal biases:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>DC >>>>>>>>> Durham. The Nation’s Capital vs. Bull Durham. Not that I put much stock into such rankings, but Georgetown was the #1 school in Princeton Review’s “College City Gets High Marks” list and nearby GWU and American were also on the list - there’s a reason for that.</p></li>
<li><p>The Duke frat scene… is not my kind of scene (see ['Pedo</a> Parties’ and Racist Ragers: Why Are Frat Bros Fixated on ■■■■■■ Up Theme Parties?](<a href=“'Pedo Parties' and Racist Ragers: Why Are Frat Bros Fixated on ■■■■■■ Up Theme Parties?”>'Pedo Parties' and Racist Ragers: Why Are Frat Bros Fixated on ■■■■■■ Up Theme Parties?) ). Not so say that there aren’t meatheads, fratbros, etc. at every school, because there are, and there’s certainly no shortage of parties at GU, but I found the Georgetown environment to be less juvenile.</p></li>
<li><p>Whenever you say Duke, the thing that’s going to immediately come to people’s minds is Coach K. You don’t want that kind of mental association following you throughout life. No one likes Duke except for Dookies.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Our daughter picked Georgetown over Duke this time last year. She is very happy with her choice. She said upon her Duke visit she felt like crying after spending time there - let’s just say it was a gut instinct that this was not the right place for her. She met a boy from England briefly on the Duke bus and they exchanged facebook info. Both were considering Duke and Georgetown. Both chose Georgetown. I have to say I was wildly impressed by the many excellent departments and offerings at Duke. She probably would have been happy there over time and just had a bad visit. Our daughter studies Government and English a Georgetown and may get a minor in Econ or Business (she is ahead based on a years worth of AP’s.) Econ and business major is great at Georgetown. Georgetown has a new science building and I hear it is beautiful (daughter studies there because it is so nice.) Duke would be amazing for science and premed and business too. Tell your son to go with his gut and try not to look back. When our daughter finally chose, she felt a little sad about the other schools she said no to - it’s an emotional roller coaster. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sorry, just realized you are posting about a daughter, not a son as I mentioned above. Best regards.</p>