<p>^ MOWC, whether Philly is a "really expensive" city depends on your basis for comparison. Compared to Durham, maybe. Compared to Boston, NYC, DC, LA, SF, etc., it's pretty darn inexpensive. :)</p>
<p>I really really doubt that Penn has more Asians than Duke. 1/3 of Duke's student body is Asian. Does Penn have more than that? One can only speculate about the number of Koreans at either school. Besides, how do we know that the OP wants to just hang out with Asians?</p>
<p>Even though Duke is not located close to a major city, this doesn't hurt the prospects of Duke students in attaining internships at law/business firms. Duke's campus is gorgeous and much better looking than Penn's in my opinion. Also, the dorms and food are better at Duke. Durham, although it's not an ideal college location, is geared towards college students and has a nice selection of restaurants/bars. NYC/Philly/DC on the other hand are cities that primarily crater to the professional crowd.</p>
<p>You have your whole life to live in a big city. This is your one opportunity to be part of the bubble of a college campus where you can be exclusively involved with campus activities and have school spirit. Take advantage of it.</p>
<p>^ Philly has over 300,000 students attending over 90 institutions of higher learning, so there is quite a bit of entertainment and nightlife geared towards college students.</p>
<p>FWIW, Duke does have a higher percentage (28.4%) of Asian students in the Class of 2011 than Penn (21%), but given Penn's larger class size, it actually has slightly more Asians (both classes have around 500):</p>
<p>Duke</a> University Admissions: Class of 2011 Profile</p>
<p>Penn</a> Admissions: Incoming Class Profile</p>
<p>Either way, there's a good representation at both schools, if that's of interest to the OP.</p>
<p>Duke has a rock climbing wall...</p>
<p>Just a quick note on location
Duke is about 15 minutes outside of Chapel Hill -- a great college town -- and the University basically provides constant shuttles for students.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for all the info... although all this has made me even more confused ;) in a good way, of course.</p>
<p>Thanks guys!</p>
<p>@iHojs2: I saw the Quad, the Hills, and the High Rises. I despised the first two, but the High Rises were not too bad. Definitely nicer building, but not as many freshman stay there, so you have to sacrifice something for others...</p>
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You have your whole life to live in a big city. This is your one opportunity to be part of the bubble of a college campus where you can be exclusively involved with campus activities and have school spirit. Take advantage of it.
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<p>While I actually agree with this, and frequently bring it up, I mention it in the context of Penn having achieved the rather remarkable feat of being in one of America's largest cities while still maintaining a 'bubble' of a college campus community (there's a reason people call it "The Penn Bubble")</p>
<p>Penn has a rock climbing too, in case the OP is of the critical rock-climbing demographic...</p>