<p>I am really in a pickle right now. I like both schools and both have their ups and downs. If anyone wants to give me any headers, please do!!!</p>
<p>Information:
-I am a Korean Male from California
-I plan to Major in English and/or Political Science
-I really want to go to Law Grad School</p>
<p>Please help!!!</p>
<p>fit, baby. fit.</p>
<p>Wrong forum.</p>
<p>Personally, I prefer Penn, but only because I love its linguistics department.</p>
<p>@beef: huh?</p>
<p>@galoisien: wrong forum? Well, I might want to go into English. Do you know anything about the Kelly Writer's House?</p>
<p>it all comes down to fit.where do you wanna be? go to the overnights/admitted student days. one will prove better for you than the other.</p>
<p>I went to Penn Previews, but only had a rudimentary tour of Duke, so I don;t think that was a fair image I got from both campuses. By the way, I DESPISE Penn dorms. They... prbly won't fit someone as big as I am... :(</p>
<p>Penn dorms vary. I would go with Penn if I were you. It has a larger Asian contingent if that matters to you (I think). Duke is probably stronger in Political Science while Penn is probably stronger in English. They are both comparable in terms of prestige but the slight edge probably goes to Penn.</p>
<p>If you are a bigger fellow, I'd go to Duke if you are interested in weight loss. There is A LOT of physical activity here. I think Penn and Duke are really similar academically and socially. The Duke area is cheaper (in terms of personal expenses) and the sports are better. Law placement is similar at both.</p>
<p>I agree with Beefs. Go for the school you think would suit you better. Academically and reputationally, both schools are formidable. They will provide you with all the academic options and opportunities you could possibly dream of. Both schools have great Law school placement. So, all you can do now is decide which campus/environment suits you better. Maybe you can hop on a plane for a weekend and visit both Penn and Duke to get a better feel.</p>
<p>For law Duke seems to place slightly better than Penn (FYI), but the difference is negligible.</p>
<p>Will both schools cost the same for you? Personally I would pick Penn over Duke because it has more Asians, and there's more to do in a big city (although I heard the campus itself isn't in the best neighborhood). Both schools would be excellent preparation for law school, though.</p>
<p>Agree with Alexandre and others emphasizing fit. Read posts about placement numbers with skepticism - there will be no meaningful difference presenting your sheepskin from Duke v. Penn at a job interview or in a law school app. The experiences you'd have on the two campuses would be different. I've found the Penn campus generally more east coast tense, less laid back than most and this has been the greatest turn off for those I know who visited once and never returned. Duke presents a pretty stratified social and intense sports scene that can similarly turn many off. While the campus is lovely, there are few alternatives off campus. Penn tolerates the problems of Philly while also reaping the benefits of the city's offerings. </p>
<p>Figure out what floats your boat.</p>
<p>Regarding the Kelly Writers House at Penn, it was recently the subject of a lengthy article in the New York Times:</p>
<p>And here's the Kelly Writers House web site:</p>
<p>Kelly</a> Writers House</p>
<p>One real advantage of Penn is its prominent "One University" policy, which encourages every undergrad to take courses in more than one of the undergraduate schools (College of Arts and Sciences, Wharton School, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Nursing), and in 8 of Penn's graduate and professional schools (Law School, Annenberg School for Communication, School of Design, School of Social Policy and Practice, Graduate School of Education, etc.). This allows undergrads to design a curriculum that offers extraordinary variety, depth, and breadth, and that goes far beyond the traditional liberal arts curriculum. It's really unparalleled as an undergraduate program.</p>
<p>Also, while having a large and lovely self-contained campus with lots of charm (and with an immediately surrounding neighborhood that is actually very nice), Penn has the advantage of being only a mile or so from the hustle and bustle of Center City Philadelphia, with all the cultural attractions, historic sites and neighborhoods, restaurants, entertainment, nightlife, etc. that it has to offer. The Penn campus truly offers the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Yes, the breadth of academic opportunities at Penn is amazing.</p>
<p>And there are tons of Koreans here. There are so many that the school has two Korean students groups, one for fobs and one for gyopo. Plus we've got some cool shirts that say 유펜 ;)</p>
<p>And the city of Philadelphia is definitely going to beat Durham...Philly is also smack in the middle of the Northeast Corridor which makes for greater discovery of the east coast.</p>
<p>It's easy to get to NYC (and even Washington D.C.) from Penn as well, so I would keep that in mind. The same can't be true for Duke. It's basically campus and that's it.</p>
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@galoisien: wrong forum?
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<p>Previously this thread was in the admission forum. ;)</p>
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<p>Indeed. Only a few blocks from Penn's campus is Philly's train station, from which you easily could catch trains to DC (about 1 1/2 hours away) and NYC (about 1 hour away), and even to Boston (about 5 hours away). That's a big advantage, especially for someone from California who wants to explore the East Coast.</p>
<p>Woodchuck, what were the dorms like that you saw during your preview day? Can you describe? Sounds like there are many options, but I did see some videos of the dorms on The U, I think it was, and they were very small. The apt style housing [perhaps off campus] was sweet however.</p>
<p>Dorm room sizes and styles vary tremendously at Penn depending on the building and location. You really can't generalize from a particular dorm or room.</p>
<p>I don't think Penn's dorms are that bad as far as dorms go. My son had a single in the quad, and while it was about as big as the desk in my office, it was convenient and there was a lot (really a lot) of socializing on his hall. Off-campus housing is plentiful and ranges from tolerable to disgusting and is all expensive unless you have lots of roommates. The new Radian is going to be really nice housing, and will be expensive, but not all that much more than much of the off-campus housing near Penn. </p>
<p>As much as I complain about Philadelphia (nod to ilovebagels), I would take it in a heartbeat over Durham. </p>
<p>One thing about the trains to NY, DC etc. My son says they are pretty expensive. Which brings me to another point- Philadelphia is a really expensive city so bring plenty of money. I used to take the trains from Phila all the time, but the prices have really increased. A plus, though, is there is cheap local train service to the airport and into center city. </p>
<p>Penn has a great fitness center and there is a running path along the river, so you can get some exercise. Just bring warm clothes. </p>
<p>The advantages of Duke are weather and basketball (although I didn't think they were very good this year- GO BELMONT!).</p>