Duke or Dartmouth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the podcasts (I think it was Your College-Bound Kid) ran the numbers for Dartmouth and concluded that when you subtract all of the athletes, legacy, faculty/staff kids, donor kids, certain percentage of international students, first gen, etc., it leaves approximately 200 spots for males and 200 spots for females every year. Tough odds!

Our central pa area sends a kid or two to D almost yearly — unhooked (non urm) but stem girls

D is very proud of being a friendly place for women in engineering/stem

They will def give women with demonstrated interest in stem extra consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should visit both. They are both excellent, but the feel is so different, I cannot imagine a student happy at Dartmouth being happy at Duke and vice versa

Really surprised that anyone might think this. If I may ask, why ?

Duke & Dartmouth are overlap schools meaning that many applicants apply to both schools.

I know both schools and my impression is that they are much more similar than different.

Sports/party v nerdy in the woods
New England v South (weather, politics, etc)

May both be elite (I would say Dartmouth mote elite), but the feel is not the same - and yes, I know both fairly well, we have family members at both

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth says you can apply ED to other schools as well as long as you withdraw other applications if accepted.

This isn’t really correct. You can apply to any other NON BINDING schools and Dartmouth ED. So like Dartmouth & UVA is okay, Dartmouth and duke is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should visit both. They are both excellent, but the feel is so different, I cannot imagine a student happy at Dartmouth being happy at Duke and vice versa

I went to one for undergrad and one for grad school - loved both. Can’t see how you could go wrong with either. If you’re truly outdoorsy, I’d pick Dartmouth for sure. That area is beautiful and there’s so much to do. Duke is kind of in the boonies, but has less immediate access to amazing hiking/kayaking/skiing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Duke hands down

+1

[Anonymous]

Does your DS want a big sports culture? If yes, then Duke. If exploring the outdoors is really important to your DS, then Dartmouth. Would your kid rather be too hot or too cold? Let your kid decide which he truly prefers instead of trying to guess at which is an easier admit since they are both really tough to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should visit both. They are both excellent, but the feel is so different, I cannot imagine a student happy at Dartmouth being happy at Duke and vice versa

Really surprised that anyone might think this. If I may ask, why ?

Duke & Dartmouth are overlap schools meaning that many applicants apply to both schools.

I know both schools and my impression is that they are much more similar than different.

Sports/party v nerdy in the woods
New England v South (weather, politics, etc)

May both be elite (I would say Dartmouth mote elite), but the feel is not the same - and yes, I know both fairly well, we have family members at both

Are you referring to Dartmouth College as "nerdy in the woods" ? This is not my impression of the Dartmouth kids that I know & have known. They are all well rounded and intelligent, but not nerdy. Interesting that your experience shows otherwise.

[Anonymous]

ocation: Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, offering a traditional New England experience, while Duke is situated in Durham, North Carolina, providing a Southern setting.

Size: Dartmouth is smaller, with around 4,400 undergraduates, fostering a close-knit community. Duke is larger, with about 6,700 undergraduates, offering a more diverse and expansive environment.

Campus Culture: Dartmouth is known for its emphasis on undergraduate teaching and a strong sense of community. Duke is renowned for its research opportunities and competitive sports programs.

Academic Focus: Dartmouth follows a liberal arts curriculum, promoting a well-rounded education. Duke offers a broader range of academic disciplines, including professional schools in addition to liberal arts and sciences.

Sports: Both schools have strong athletic programs, but Duke's basketball team is particularly famous, while Dartmouth has a more traditional focus on sports like skiing and rowing.

Ultimately, the choice between Dartmouth and Duke depends on your preferences for location, campus culture, academic focus, and other factors that align with your personal and academic goals.

-chatGPT

[Anonymous]

I had no idea that Duke was considered better than Dartmouth.

If he wants to go to grad school in econ, I'd suggest Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Dartmouth. 100% no question!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the podcasts (I think it was Your College-Bound Kid) ran the numbers for Dartmouth and concluded that when you subtract all of the athletes, legacy, faculty/staff kids, donor kids, certain percentage of international students, first gen, etc., it leaves approximately 200 spots for males and 200 spots for females every year. Tough odds!

This. The early decision rate is deceptive at Dartmouth because of the high percentage of stundent athletes - 22% of students are athletes at Dartmouth vs. 12% at Duke. If you remove student athletes from the equation, Dartmouth has an ED acceptance rate of 11% vs Duke of 12%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the podcasts (I think it was Your College-Bound Kid) ran the numbers for Dartmouth and concluded that when you subtract all of the athletes, legacy, faculty/staff kids, donor kids, certain percentage of international students, first gen, etc., it leaves approximately 200 spots for males and 200 spots for females every year. Tough odds!

This. The early decision rate is deceptive at Dartmouth because of the high percentage of stundent athletes - 22% of students are athletes at Dartmouth vs. 12% at Duke. If you remove student athletes from the equation, Dartmouth has an ED acceptance rate of 11% vs Duke of 12%.

Eh it’s a little different than that. Duke’s athletes are a completely different caliber. They’re recruiting future pro athletes in many cases who end up with a completely different acceptance process. Duke scouts many of them a year+ in advance if they’re a top recruit

[Anonymous]

Has he visited both? My advice is don't apply ED to a school without visiting it.
DD visited both campuses before fall of senior year and chose to apply ED to Dartmouth where she now attends and excluded Duke from the list of schools to which she applied. I agree with PPs that the campuses are very different and while there may be some overlap between certain qualities of the schools, most students will strongly prefer one over the other. You can't go wrong with either school and since there may be little difference in the true ED acceptance rates, have him pick the one that feels best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had no idea that Duke was considered better than Dartmouth.

If he wants to go to grad school in econ, I'd suggest Dartmouth.

Of course Duke is better and has better econ department.

[Anonymous]

Dartmouth = Ivy.
There's your answer.