top sports/weather trumps academics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a ooor single mother kid from Chicago and chose Duke on athletic scholarship because it was a beautiful place far different than my neighborhood in Chicago. I was a diligent student and found the honors program in my major to be very rigorous. I was entirely on my own financially so Duke was not an enjoyable place in any way for me socially. That was acceptable - first priority was athletics to keep the scholarship followed by academics- I was lucky and Duke delivered unreal social mobility for me. Certainly enough challenge for me, too. My daughters went to Princeton and through observation I thought it was very rigorous and difficult. My impression was that it was a touch more challenging (just a touch) than Duke. This is an entirely anecdotal observation though so it shouldn’t be given much weight. With the schools being discussed, education is what you make of it.

Duke doesn't have honors programs?

You're clearly too old to be Sean Dockery...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vandy and Duke academics are just as good as Ivy so a no brainer.

This. I thought you were going to say everyone wanted to go to Alabama or something. Duke is a top 10 school. Vanderbilt is top 15, I think.

[Anonymous]

Duke has been a top 10 school for over 40 years. Try as they might, Vandy is no Duke although much more popular now. In our full pay town which is moderate not liberal kids are increasingly heading South. Most avoid Columbia, Brown, Lesar extent Penn. Schools like Hopkins, Emory, Wash U are non existent. Kids want the whole Experience, great academics, sports, and warm weather. Not interested in protests!

[Anonymous]

Duke has consistently bren a top 6-7 school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duke has been a top 10 school for over 40 years. Try as they might, Vandy is no Duke although much more popular now. In our full pay town which is moderate not liberal kids are increasingly heading South. Most avoid Columbia, Brown, Lesar extent Penn. Schools like Hopkins, Emory, Wash U are non existent. Kids want the whole Experience, great academics, sports, and warm weather. Not interested in protests!

This a DMV heavy site…and at least the 2025 class actually matriculated far more to any Ivy and in fact Emory or WashU or Michigan or UC schools more so than Duke or Vandy. Perhaps the theory is they were not accepted…but that’s a suspect theory that they ended up at Cornell or Dartmouth because they were rejected at Vandy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duke has been a top 10 school for over 40 years. Try as they might, Vandy is no Duke although much more popular now. In our full pay town which is moderate not liberal kids are increasingly heading South. Most avoid Columbia, Brown, Lesar extent Penn. Schools like Hopkins, Emory, Wash U are non existent. Kids want the whole Experience, great academics, sports, and warm weather. Not interested in protests!

That is something serious copium that I’m pretty sure wouldn’t be backed up by fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duke has been a top 10 school for over 40 years. Try as they might, Vandy is no Duke although much more popular now. In our full pay town which is moderate not liberal kids are increasingly heading South. Most avoid Columbia, Brown, Lesar extent Penn. Schools like Hopkins, Emory, Wash U are non existent. Kids want the whole Experience, great academics, sports, and warm weather. Not interested in protests!

There is usually a difference in matriculation between private and public schools. Even if wealthy public schools tend to send a much higher percentage of kids to public colleges than private schools in the same area.

[Anonymous]

many top kids shoot for ivies because it’s been drilled into them by parents and society that it will impress people and validate all their hard work - not because it’s the best fit. Top kids who have Duke, Vandy or other fun schools have the self-confidence to make their own choice -

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vandy and Duke academics are just as good as Ivy so a no brainer.

I agree with your comments on the academics. There are many schools with undergraduate academics just as strong as the Ivies.

However, the increased interest in the Southern schools isn't happening at the expense of elite NE schools. This is easy to see because applications at top NE schools aren't dropping in any significant manner as the applications to the Southern schools goes up. and, those getting into elite NE schools are far more likely to choose them over Southern schools. It is nice to see Vandy, Rice, and Duke get the recognition that they deserve but to think that they are in any way being favored relative to top NE schools is naive.

How “top” though? MIT and Yale, you’re probably right. Tufts, Cornell and Dartmouth? I respectfully disagree.

My n of 1 sample size — my kid — picked Vandy over Columbia. They do not regret this choice and are taking advantage of the excellent academic experience AND greek life and the fun music/ bar/party culture of Nashville

[Anonymous]

DMV families lean liberal. Duke has always been more moderate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DMV families lean liberal. Duke has always been more moderate.

Don't disagree but I would say Duke is more apolitical. Politics just aren't discussed a lot. But agree that on a whole it is more moderate than its peer schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vandy and Duke academics are just as good as Ivy so a no brainer.

I agree with your comments on the academics. There are many schools with undergraduate academics just as strong as the Ivies.

However, the increased interest in the Southern schools isn't happening at the expense of elite NE schools. This is easy to see because applications at top NE schools aren't dropping in any significant manner as the applications to the Southern schools goes up. and, those getting into elite NE schools are far more likely to choose them over Southern schools. It is nice to see Vandy, Rice, and Duke get the recognition that they deserve but to think that they are in any way being favored relative to top NE schools is naive.

How “top” though? MIT and Yale, you’re probably right. Tufts, Cornell and Dartmouth? I respectfully disagree.

My n of 1 sample size — my kid — picked Vandy over Columbia. They do not regret this choice and are taking advantage of the excellent academic experience AND greek life and the fun music/ bar/party culture of Nashville

Could have gone to Columbia and had excellent academic experience AND Greek life and the fun music/bar/party culture of NYC. Not really seeing a difference there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a ooor single mother kid from Chicago and chose Duke on athletic scholarship because it was a beautiful place far different than my neighborhood in Chicago. I was a diligent student and found the honors program in my major to be very rigorous. I was entirely on my own financially so Duke was not an enjoyable place in any way for me socially. That was acceptable - first priority was athletics to keep the scholarship followed by academics- I was lucky and Duke delivered unreal social mobility for me. Certainly enough challenge for me, too. My daughters went to Princeton and through observation I thought it was very rigorous and difficult. My impression was that it was a touch more challenging (just a touch) than Duke. This is an entirely anecdotal observation though so it shouldn’t be given much weight. With the schools being discussed, education is what you make of it.

Duke doesn't have honors programs?

You're clearly too old to be Sean Dockery...

They may be referring to writing a senior thesis. At Duke, that's often referred to as graduating with honors/distinction in the major. In some departments, there's a class that goes along with it, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vandy and Duke academics are just as good as Ivy so a no brainer.

I agree with your comments on the academics. There are many schools with undergraduate academics just as strong as the Ivies.

However, the increased interest in the Southern schools isn't happening at the expense of elite NE schools. This is easy to see because applications at top NE schools aren't dropping in any significant manner as the applications to the Southern schools goes up. and, those getting into elite NE schools are far more likely to choose them over Southern schools. It is nice to see Vandy, Rice, and Duke get the recognition that they deserve but to think that they are in any way being favored relative to top NE schools is naive.

How “top” though? MIT and Yale, you’re probably right. Tufts, Cornell and Dartmouth? I respectfully disagree.

My n of 1 sample size — my kid — picked Vandy over Columbia. They do not regret this choice and are taking advantage of the excellent academic experience AND greek life and the fun music/ bar/party culture of Nashville

I agree with this. I have two kids that made similar choices. I don't think many students are saying no to MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. But it's not a surprise that a lot of students prefer the southern alternatives to the Ivies. No one is giving up anything by choosing Duke, Vandy, or Rice over Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, or Penn. And sports and weather may very well be part of the calculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vandy and Duke academics are just as good as Ivy so a no brainer.

I agree with your comments on the academics. There are many schools with undergraduate academics just as strong as the Ivies.

However, the increased interest in the Southern schools isn't happening at the expense of elite NE schools. This is easy to see because applications at top NE schools aren't dropping in any significant manner as the applications to the Southern schools goes up. and, those getting into elite NE schools are far more likely to choose them over Southern schools. It is nice to see Vandy, Rice, and Duke get the recognition that they deserve but to think that they are in any way being favored relative to top NE schools is naive.

How “top” though? MIT and Yale, you’re probably right. Tufts, Cornell and Dartmouth? I respectfully disagree.

My n of 1 sample size — my kid — picked Vandy over Columbia. They do not regret this choice and are taking advantage of the excellent academic experience AND greek life and the fun music/ bar/party culture of Nashville

I agree with this. I have two kids that made similar choices. I don't think many students are saying no to MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. But it's not a surprise that a lot of students prefer the southern alternatives to the Ivies. No one is giving up anything by choosing Duke, Vandy, or Rice over Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, or Penn. And sports and weather may very well be part of the calculation.

Rice doesn’t really have sports.