<p>I am looking to go either pre-business or pre-law. I am looking for a school for a school that will provide me with a fun yet intellectually satisfying environment.</p>
<p>PROS OF HARVARD
1.) international prestige
2.) placement into law firms/Wall Street
3.) top-notch professors</p>
<p>PROS OF GEORGETOWN
1.) internships in D.C.
2.) amazing poltical science/international relations department</p>
<p>PROS OF DUKE
1.) good social life/athletics
2.) fun student body
3.) good Public Policy program</p>
<p>Can anyone from Duke provide me some input regarding my decision? Financial Aid is not really an issue.</p>
<p>I mean, Harvard is Harvard. Not going to get any more prestigious than that. They always has the largest number of people get into the best law and business schools. Obviously, prestige isn't everything and it should be about fit, but, for me, personally, it'd be hard to turn down Harvard. And clearly Duke and Georgetown are also great institutions with a lot of prestige - but below Harvard's level. If you enrolled in Gtown/Duke, would you ever question your decision to choose them over Harvard? You shouldn't and that should answer your question.</p>
<p>Boston is also a great city and the Harvard campus is ridiculously nice. The only complaint I have ever heard about Harvard is that it isn't focused enough on undergrads - and a lot of professors would never consider allowing an undergrad do research with them, etc. since the grad programs are so amazing, and frankly, the professors are so accomplished that they don't want to work with measley undergrads. This is a reason I've heard given for people choosing Princeton over Harvard. Duke's emphasis on undergrads is a bit more than Harvard's, but I think the research opportunities are pretty even because Harvard just has so much money, it is ridiculous. I'd choose Duke over Georgetown, but if you're really interested in international relations, I'd choose Georgetown over Duke. Just go with your gut and what you think would make you the happiest. Don't let other people make the decision for you, and don't choose a school to appease others. I do know of a couple people who chose Duke over Harvard, and they were happy with their decisions (one graduated #1 in her class at Duke). I think she was kind of turned off by the prestige of Harvard and wanted a more down-to-earth experience - yep, everybody's different. The VAST majority of cross-admits, however, choose Harvard over Duke. Similarly, according this this article (<a href="http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010206/crop2.html)%5B/url%5D">http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010206/crop2.html)</a>, Duke wins 80% of the battles with Gtown, but the NY Times table suggests that Gtown wins more than 50% of Duke, so who knows what is right?</p>
<p>Good luck! All great institutions and you can't go wrong with your choice.</p>
<p>I'm leaning towards Harvard at this point with Duke as a close 2nd. The social scene that will most likely awaits me at Harvard willl be depressing though. I hear there are "fun czars" which hunt down students who are suspected of possessing alcohol underage. So much for the college experience.:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Duke sounds like a much more fun school to go to with the warmer weather and better athletics and all. Harvard's prestige and job placement on Wall Street are unparalleled though and it's hard to turn that name down. The Boston Pops are also awesome.</p>
<p>I'm going to sleep on this for at least a little bit longer.</p>
<p>Obviously more kids choose Harvard over Duke than vice versa but I do know kids who made that choice here (Duke over Harvard) and are really happy about it. I personally got into Princeton but felt like it wasn't my scene and am very glad I made the decision I did. It sounds like you would do really well here. I wouldn't worry too much about job placement--coming from Duke with decent grades (which you should be fully capable of achieving) you should have no trouble getting a job at a major firm on wall street.</p>
<p>Is saying you "went to Harvard" really worth a subpar undergraduate experience?</p>
<p>There is, of course, absolutely no doubt Harvard has incredible prestige. However, I'm really feeling your thoughts about wanting to enjoy college. That's kind of what I'm going through with NYU Stern (easy to get internships and jobs) vs Duke (fun, great bball, still prestigious). But then again, I'm willing to bet Harvard completely stomps on Stern in terms of job placement, so your situation is a lot harder.</p>
<p>When it comes down to it, since Duke apparently sends boatloads of students to wall street firms anyway, whats the point of having more prestige? Unless of course, they offer more money to students who graduated from Harvard--which would just be silly (i'm hoping that isn't the case in the real world). </p>
<p>But congrats on having the luxury of choosing between two awesome schools.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about placement into law firms coming directly from college; your law school will have more influence on that. Duke students have a lot of success getting into top law schools, don't worry about that.</p>
<p>Duke's public policy program is very good, but I wouldn't go to a school just for one particular program unless you're pretty sure of what you want to major in, and it doesn't seem like you do.</p>
<p>I would say that I think it's a misconception that Duke is all that much more fun than Harvard. I am from the northeast and I would choose Harvard if only because of the location in Cambridge/Boston. Durham is not fun. I know people who like it, but I think that's basically because they've chosen to make good of a bad situation, which is fine, but seriously; if you're a northeastern/city type person like me (especially one without a car), Durham is not at all fun.</p>
<p>It really comes down to what you think is fun. If you think boozing Thursday-Saturday is fun, maybe Duke is better (disclaimer: not all Duke students are like that, but I bet we have more of them than Harvard does). Harvard has people who like to drink too though... don't worry about that. If you're like me, and fun is more like going to museums, admiring architecture, going to public parks, or various cultural things (yeah I'm a dork) then I would run as far away from Durham as possible. Boston has a subway to get around, you can take the Chinatown bus to New York for $15 each way for the weekend, there is just so much you can do. Yeah, most of your life will revolve around campus, and that's why I'm fine with being at Duke, Duke does have a great campus and if you hate/are indifferent toward cities, then I guess it doesn't matter either. </p>
<p>Sorry for this rant.</p>
<p>Haha boozing from Thursday to Saturday(you forgot Wednesday lol) sounds like my idea of fun actually. Growing up in foreign countries fortunately(or unfortunately) got me accustomed to alcohol at a younger age so that's definitely a social scene I can thrive in. I have visited Durham several times since my cousin went to Duke so I know a decent amount about the city. Even though it doesn't have all the cultural offerings that a big city like Boston or New York does, it certainly is a place geared more towards college students which I really like. It has a decent selection of restaurants and clubs and that's about all that matters to me. I remember going to Shooters and Parizades(sp?) and those were really fun experiences because they were filled with college students and not elitist dilettantes or adult investment banker/consultant types(which basically sums up the NYC club scene). I'm not a huge lovers of the arts and parks so that's something I can definitely live without. Duke's self-contained campus life is a huge plus for me since I figure that I will work in D.C. or NYC after graduation and during the summer for internships so I will have plenty of time to enjoy the distinct cultural advantages of big cities.</p>
<p>As for Harvard, its biggest draws for me are its incredibly accomplished student body and prestige. The kids who I will interact with on a daily basis will surely be the leaders of the world in disciplines across the board which is an exciting possibility. The Harvard name is recognized worldwide and can open up so many doors for me I would think, but so can the Duke name I suppose. One point of concern for me is that Harvard kids won't talk about normal stuff like sports/entertainment/the opposite sex etc. I'm definitely looking forward to having intellectual conversations but it's always nice to talk about trivial stuff occasionally.</p>
<p>I'm going to go to Blue Devil Days and Admitted Students Weekend and make a final decision at that point I think.</p>
<p>P.S.: If Duke can find a legit post presence to replace Zoubek next year, then that might make this decision a little easier for me. Just kidding...maybe.;)</p>
<p>actually, zoubek's got a chance to develop. their recruiting this year is pretty decent, and they got a rivals.com top 150 power forward coming in. also, they've got a chance to snatch the second best center in the country. so, duke basketball is on the rise, especially with the athleticism of scheyer (spelling?) and singler. go blue devils!</p>
<p>If you think the social scene at Harvard is bad, the "alcohol czars" at Duke are probably worse. AND, it is a misdemeanor in North Carolina if you are caught drinking underage. You' have to have to get a lawyer, so you don't graduate with a criminal record for having a couple of beers. I bet it's only a violation or infraction in Massachusetts. It's something to check out because the University doesn't help the students at all on this--</p>