<p>To aca0260: Yeah, the general public of Texas watches tv. But, University of Miami (FL) isn't really considered the "south", it's just considered there as an afterthought, and most of them don't really know anything about University of Miami other than the fact that it is in Miami (which it is not..it's in Coral Gables).</p>
<p>Rice has the strongest undergraduate program in the South. Runner up would be Davidson. Duke, UVA and Emory are next, although in terms of their undergrad programs, they are somewhat overrated when compared to many other top LACs & universities around the country.</p>
<p>The general views I hear are Duke the best in the south. Wake Forest and Davidson very strong and certainly above Chapel Hill, UVA. Miami is not regarded very highly. Rice also has very strong rep. but not too many from southeast consider it when there are so many strong schools closer. Vanderbilt is highly regarded, but ACC wins out.</p>
<p>Gtown, Emory, Miami and Tulane are not southern schools! Duke is #1 re: academics though not all that "southern" either. For a solid school with a southern flavor think UVA, UNC, Davidson, Vandy, W&L.....</p>
<p>Ranking the schools is highly debatable, but I'd consider Duke the best school in the south. However, any school that is 9.0+ i'd consider elite:</p>
<p>Universities:
- Duke (9.5)
- Rice, Vandy (9.2)
- Emory, UVA (9.1)
- UNC, Wake (9.0)
- Tulane (8.8)
- Miami (8.4)</p>
<p>LACs:
- Davidson (9.15)
- W&L (9.05)
(the only southern LACs I'd consider elite)</p>
<p>It should be noted that many elite southern schools (Duke, Vandy, Emory, etc) have less than 50% of their student body from the South.</p>
<p>I'd Rank the Top 10 like this --- </p>
<ol>
<li>Duke (no-brainer)</li>
<li>Vanderbilt</li>
<li>University of Virginia</li>
<li>Rice (place higher for sciences)</li>
<li>Davidson</li>
<li>Emory</li>
<li>Wake Forest</li>
<li>Washington and Lee</li>
<li>UNC</li>
<li>UT-Austin</li>
</ol>
<p>Although G'town is not in the south, I would definatley put it up there with Duke. And here are my rankings for southern schools (which does not include Florida; it is its own region):</p>
<p>Duke
Rice
Vandy
Emory
Davidson
UNC
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
Tulane
Georgia</p>
<p>Everyone, go ahead and chew these up.</p>
<p>with less than 50% southern, somehow vandy mantians its southern aura in contrast to Emory</p>
<p>i can think of so many schools that id place higher than georgia, especially UVA and Texas...id put UVA ahead of UNC and replace UGA with UT</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>But do you believe that to necessarily be a bad thing? If so, why?</p>
<p>bad that emory has a "northern" atmosphere? i wouldnt call it bad...its just different. some ppl seek southern schools for a southern atmosphere, while others just like the specific atmospheres of certain schools that may or may not be located in the South.</p>
<p>This virtual universal acceptance of Duke's supremacy is a bit unsettling to this Virginia guy. Around these parts, the University of New Jersey at Durham is not only considered not particularly Southern (and it's really not, in more ways than I could list here), but also no better in academics than the other luminaries you've listed. I'm sure Duke's admissions salespeople push that pitch on Long Island and in Beverly Hills, but it won't fly in Atlanta.
A lot depends on what part of the school you're looking at. I personally think UVA's law school, Architecture School and English department are the best. W&M's history faculty is at the top of the stack. Rice and Georgia Tech are tremendous science schools. Unknown to most of the Western World, VCU's art school, if you care about formal rankings, is one of the very best in the country. If you want marine science, you go to Miami. And so on.
Each of the schools you all have listed have such an extensive alumnae network throughout the South, that an undergraduate degree from any of them will put you at the top of the stack. It is really hard to rank them meaningfully in such a general way. At least in the South, I certainly don't think a Duke degree, in general, is better regarded than a Virginia, Texas, Vandy, W&M, Emory, Davidson, Rice or UNC degree.</p>
<p>well i tend to agree with you about everything from UVA law to Miami marine science (although dukes law in on par and perhaps better)....i just feel that a duke degree actual is more valuable for whatever reason. I think the key difference here is that a Duke degree carries alot of weight in Oregon and Hawaii whereas a Vandy degree may not. Duke has more national recognition.</p>
<p>vadad:</p>
<p>I think Duke has invested more self-conscious energy into convincing people that they "are just as good as Harvard" than any other southern school.</p>
<p>The other top contenders in the south seem to me to be more confident in their own unique identities, tradtions, or locales. For example, I view Emory as being a reflection of Atlanta -- booming, sunbelt growth -- not a university that is self-conciously trying to be just like a northeastern bastion of higher education.</p>
<p>Quote: "I think Duke has invested more self-conscious energy into convincing people that they "are just as good as Harvard" than any other southern school."</p>
<p>I have no idea what that means. Is there any evidence or facts to substantiate such a random statement?</p>
<p>Maybe an analogy would be that Swarthmore has invested more self-conscious energy into convincing people that they are "more intellectual" than any other small "relatively" unknown LAC ??</p>
<p>I suppose such a statement would be just as valid to some.</p>
<p>Strictly anecdotal...I went to UVA and have a son there now...have a neice at Duke...know kids at each school....from an admissions viewpoint the duke kids post better #'s.</p>
<ol>
<li>Duke </li>
<li>Rice </li>
<li>Emory </li>
<li>Vanderbilt</li>
<li>University of Virginia</li>
<li>UNC- CH</li>
<li>Davidson</li>
<li>Wake Forest</li>
<li>Georgia Tech</li>
<li>Washington and Lee</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Shout-out to William and Mary as well as Tulane. If you exclude DC schools...</li>
</ul>
<p>would u shout out to GW if you included DC schools?</p>
<p>Georgetown would take the #2 or 3 spot... and ya... shout-out to GW</p>