Yes, both Duke and Vandy are two of the most selective and elite universities and are 1 percenters in about any category you look at. Sometimes it takes longer for adults (and 60 year old bald, tenured, faculty in bow ties) to see what students already know:
Average SAT scores at Vandy are now 40 points higher than at Duke…yes 40
Average ACT scores at Vandy are now 1.5 points higher than at Duke
Early admission percentage is now lower at Vandy than at Duke (indicating students first choice)
Vanderbilt is the most selective university in the southeast
The Princeton Revue looks at student surveys from current students and the current students say:
Vanderbilt students are happier
Vanderbilt students report a higher quality of life
Vanderbilt students feel their university is run better
Vanderbilt students report a higher score for quality of academics than Duke students report
Vanderbilt students reports their faculty are more available than Duke students faculty
And they report Nashville is a great city to live in for young adults. Duke students say Durham is…well it’s Durham but it’s not far from Chapel Hill or Raleigh
Sooner or later the old guard will get it or move on.
Like Faline2 said, CV isn’t a full ride. Since you got a full ride to Swat, I’d go with that, with Vandy as a close second.
Thank you all for your advice!!! I ended up picking the McCabe scholarship to Swarthmore and am already very excited.
Your parents smile on you. We smile on you. Save your $ for grad school, although my friend in admin at Swat tells me that landing paid grad school next steps is not rare if you are a STEM major. If you have quantitative talent by all means pursue it. Friends with a Davidson grad with zero business background who simply took qualifying exams online with a recruiting company of renown. (you may be surprised at how many quantitative and financial companies do online talent screening exams)…and he got a very good job. You don’t have to attend a school with a Wall Street reputation to find entry level jobs. The jobs will find you —if you have the goods to back up your application.