<p>My S has trouble deciding between WashU and Duke. </p>
<p>He wants to major in BME and ME. Both schools offer similar quality programs - great BME, so-so ME. They are both almost-Ivy quality, south/midwest warmer people. In almost each category (BME rankings, US News, Endowments) Duke is slightly better. He is leaning %70-30 towards Duke, and before he makes a decision, I wanted to make sure he does not overlook WashU's advantages.</p>
<p>Duke's basketball program is not an advantage, because my son wants to play himself, and he is no MJ, but can play Division III level.</p>
<p>We live in Turkey. School visits are not practical. Financial Aid is not offered by either. So, our resources are limited with internet and word-of-mouth.</p>
<p>I tend to agree that Wash U sounds like a better choice, especially if he thinks he can play D3 ball. The Wash U campus is nicer, St. Louis will definitely have more to offer than Durham with a higher chance that he could connect with Turkish people outside of the university for support, and I just think that overall he will find a balanced, welcoming environment. I am sure he would be happy at Duke as well, but I just find the whole atmosphere at Wash U to be nicer when I visit it compared to when I visit Duke.</p>
<p>WashU has a great D3 basketball program (both men & women). If he has the talent, he has a chance at playing at WashU. Chances of him playing at Duke are almost nil, unless he is offered a basketball scholarship.</p>
<p>My background - I am an EE with a son in Duke ME program. My oldest child is out of college and working. My youngest child will likely commit to WASHU. Unfortunately, he was rejected from Duke so we are thrilled he got accepted by WASHU. Had he gotten in Duke that where he would have gone there.</p>
<p>my opinion-
Duke has better campus - more spread out but need to ride shuttle bus sometimes.
I like the architecture better. More big mature trees, more shading. Hotter (weather-wise) campus when school starts and when spring finals come.
WASHU is easy to get around. Very traditional rectangular campus with beautiful large buildings. Facility looks overall better taken care of than Duke.</p>
<p>Duke is better known but WASHU is a rising star. I met the chancellor last week and he is a driven man who is good for the university.</p>
<p>If your son wants to play a varsity sport = WASHU. Although of course, their athletic facilities are not up to par with D1 Duke. How important is this to him?</p>
<p>I believe food will be better at WASHU. Selection seems really good.</p>
<p>Towns/Cities
Durham is being redeveloped and really nice smaller city. Do not wander too far off the beaten path. (Same goes for STL). STL is a small city and reminds me of my home town of Baltimore. I like the small feel of Durham.</p>
<p>Now the important part = Academics. I think they are very close. Professors I spoke to at WASHU were very approachable.</p>
<p>Good Luck - in either school your son will be surrounded by smart, friendly thriving young adults.</p>
<p>@amsolo, ?? was your post a joke? It’s sometimes hard to tell on a message board when someone is joking … anyway …</p>
<p>The REAL numbers …</p>
<p>Land area of Greater St. Louis - 8,846 sq mi (22,911 km2)
Land area of St. Louis and St. Louis County - 570 sq mi (1477 km2) note: metro StL LONG ago spilled over the St. Louis County line and is very dense in St. Charles County which includes another 560 sq mi. Also WashU is NOT in St. Louis city. The St. Louis SMSA is about the 17th largest in the U.S with a pop. of about 3M …</p>
<p>^ "Compared to Istanbul, even New York is “teeny tiny” "</p>
<p>lol some of the posts in this thread are rather strange ^^</p>
<p>Background: STL native for 18 years, been to WashU 10+ times
Attending Duke in the fall, been 3 times</p>
<p>I feel like your son would enjoy Duke slightly more (for the following reasons):
-He might not be able to play D1 Varsity, but Duke’s intramural and club teams are still great ways for him to pursue his BB passion, plus going to a powerhouse BB school with massive teamspirit is just infectious and exhilarating.
-Duke’s academics slightly edge above WashU (marginally though, far from decisively), and Duke’s BME program has INCREDIBLE research/internship oppurtunities, even more so than WashU’s
-Food wise, it is a toss-up. The Loop (in STL) is awesome, but Durham’s gastronomic talent clearly surpasses it. On-campus, I feel like they are pretty similar (having tasted both).
-In terms of fit, Duke heavily emphasizes the freshman experience and being acclimated to the university environment. WashU also does an excellent job. Both have awesome FOCUS programs (interdisciplinary study clusters), but Duke’s fosters tighter bonds since you also live in the same dorm with your fellow FOCUS students and have numerous social activities together.
-Weather wise, I cannot wait for Durham’s milder winters. THOUGH, people on here exaggerate St. Louis’s winters. They are way better than Chicago’s, Boston’s, NYC’s, etc.
-Networking, Duke’s proximity to the East Coast leads to better connections in NYC/DC/Europe. STL really doesn’t have many connections outside of the Midwest (much to my chagrin).
-Campuses, both are stunningly beautiful. WashU is more cohesive though and is better connected. East Campus at Duke is Freshman only, which is nice, but rather inconvienent for certain classes/clubs/activities (though only slightly inconvient, there are shuttles all over campus to get you to class on time)
-Professors, once again, very similar. Both have a more relaxed/friendly disposition and do want their students to do well. </p>
<p>Honestly, both schools are GREAT. I have a few Turkish friends and they seem to think that Duke is slightly better for BME/Pre-Med/etc., but really it’s a toss-up. I would vote Duke, but I think that he would be very successful at either.</p>
<p>I went to Duke…it has been a while…but now I have hispanic kids…I would send them to WUSTL in a heartbeat over Duke…Duke hasn’t changed much (visits, alumni contacts). My son applied to WUSTL but I discouraged him from Duke because …frankly…being multi racial is not a comfortable life at Duke…you always wonder if you deserved to get in for your academics and there are so few multi racial kids that you feel like you stand out…WUSTL is much more diverse and there is that midwest acceptance that seems to work for all the students…Never met an unhappy WUSTL student but I continue to meet stressed and unhappy Dukies…sad, but true.</p>
<p>^ Duke vs. WashU diversity (by the numbers)</p>
<p>American Indian/Alaskan Native
D = 0% ; WU = 0%
Asian/Pacific Islander
D = 20% ; WU = 11%
Black/Non-Hispanic
D = 9% ; WU = 9%
Hispanic
D = 7% ; WU = 3%
White/Non-Hispanic
D = 53% ; WU = 62%
Non-Resident Alien
D = 6% ; WU = 5%
Race/ethnicity unknown
D = 5% ; WU = 10%</p>
<p>3% Hispanic!!! Wow! Shame on WashU. Now one thing these two schools DO have in common is a TOTAL lack of socioeconomic diversity. Both schools are populated by racially and ethnically diverse (with the exception of WashU’s terrible Hispanic numbers) RICH KIDS. This is something that only the gov will be able to fix (by fixing the FAFSA “donut hole”) …</p>
<p>[Duke</a> University in Durham, North Carolina](<a href=“Appily”>Appily)</p>
<p>[Washington</a> University in St Louis in Saint Louis, Missouri](<a href=“Appily”>Appily)</p>