<p>My son just got in off the waiting list, and would be turning down UCLA, Davidson, Vanderbilt, Washington and Lee, Notre Dame, and Claremont McKenna plus some safeties. Duke used to be his first choice, but now that his girlfriend has decided on UCLA, he may pass.</p>
<p>when you say "just got in", when exactly did he receive the phone call?</p>
<p>This morning!</p>
<p>I have noticed a lot of discussion pertaining to Duke vs. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Asking, why would someone choose Duke over them, always referred to as 'HYP.' That is exactly why I turned down Princeton. Duke is its own place, unique in spirit, tradition, and programs. But anytime Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are mentioned, it is simply HYP. BY doing so all we are doing is placing our emphasis on the prestige, on the test to see who achieves this super threshold of HYP. It is as if they hold no meaning individually. Personally, I wouldnt turn down HYP, I turned down Harvard, Yale, and Princeton- each for different reasons.
By the way, Duke is number 5 in the nation! There is hardly any difference in any of the top 50 in terms of academic quality. Princeton and Harvard have the larger endowments, so they are at the top. It is simple. Why do we create this HYP persona. Apply to Princeton if you connect with it (if you like what is has to offer). The same with the others. Dont apply to them as a group-they are all VERY different. And make your decision like I did, by weighing what you truly value.</p>
<p>Unc, Vt, Ncsu</p>
<p>mm UVA, NYU, W&M and safeties and such</p>
<p>I turned down scholarships at USC, UC-Berkeley, and NYU. Also turned down UCLA</p>
<p>i turned down Cornell and the University of Chicago to accept Duke University</p>
<p>full tuition brandeis, scholarship at case western, johns hopkins, wustl, rice, emory, unc, pitt, michigan, etc...</p>
<p>Dartmouth, Rice, Williams, Swarthmore, and a marriage proposal.... ^_^ the proposal was a fake, though!</p>