Alternatives to Duke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wake, UR, Vanderbilt, BC, Rice, Georgetown, Northwestern

If he would consider public, UVA (it is Duke lite).

What’s UR?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake, UR, Vanderbilt, BC, Rice, Georgetown, Northwestern

If he would consider public, UVA (it is Duke lite).

What’s UR?

richmond

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake, UR, Vanderbilt, BC, Rice, Georgetown, Northwestern

If he would consider public, UVA (it is Duke lite).

What does this even mean? UVA is not "Duke lite." My oldest went to UVA and is at Duke for grad school. They are both separate and distinct schools with different cultures... all schools are. People need to stop doing these weird comparisons for all of these schools.

Agree! I had one go to Duke undergrad and one go to UVA. They are extremely different culturally and grind-wise.

How are they grind-wise?

Duke is by far more grindy. The students work hard even on weekends. They love it—or most do—but it has far less party/greek culture than UVA. Classes are fairly small from the start so class participation is part of the education; meeting and getting to know professors is expected to maximize networks/get tips on grad/med school.

To be honest, Duke has always attracted grinders, even in the 1980s onwards. They always had the same prep contingent as the ivies, but I think their biggest feeder high has always been TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By refusing to consider a school like UVA simply because it’s public is silly. It’s probably the closest thing out there to Duke and is easier to get into and cheaper. And isn’t that what you mean by “alternative?”

NP. This is a conversation happening now with one of my kids. Several of his academic peers say any public school, including UVA and Michigan, are not good enough because they are public and have to let lots of “lesser” students in. Or some such drivel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vandy
Wake
U Miami
Tulane

Thanks. Vandy on the list but others not quite academically appealing to DC. Lehigh ahead of Wake, Miami and Tulane.

Wow, none of the top publics are good enough and all the other privates are beneath you. Seems like you have Duke, Vandy, Stanford, Northwestern, and ND but with your discerning taste imagine NW and ND are too cold.

It's fascinating to me that a HS kid has an attitude like this....sounds like a recipe for lifelong misery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By refusing to consider a school like UVA simply because it’s public is silly. It’s probably the closest thing out there to Duke and is easier to get into and cheaper. And isn’t that what you mean by “alternative?”

NP. This is a conversation happening now with one of my kids. Several of his academic peers say any public school, including UVA and Michigan, are not good enough because they are public and have to let lots of “lesser” students in. Or some such drivel.

I'd take the typical strong student at UVA, Michigan, VT and UMD over Wash U. Tufts, Emory and Rochester any day of the week

[Anonymous]

OP,

Please please return and let us know of the results of DS' applications and final destination.

Will be a either a huge success for your family or a huge eye opener for similar OPs in future years. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake, UR, Vanderbilt, BC, Rice, Georgetown, Northwestern

If he would consider public, UVA (it is Duke lite).

What does this even mean? UVA is not "Duke lite." My oldest went to UVA and is at Duke for grad school. They are both separate and distinct schools with different cultures... all schools are. People need to stop doing these weird comparisons for all of these schools.

You need to calm down. This entire thread is about comparing schools. Why are you even on it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By refusing to consider a school like UVA simply because it’s public is silly. It’s probably the closest thing out there to Duke and is easier to get into and cheaper. And isn’t that what you mean by “alternative?”

NP. This is a conversation happening now with one of my kids. Several of his academic peers say any public school, including UVA and Michigan, are not good enough because they are public and have to let lots of “lesser” students in. Or some such drivel.

I'd take the typical strong student at UVA, Michigan, VT and UMD over Wash U. Tufts, Emory and Rochester any day of the week

Do they know that top companies are now recruiting from publics more than privates? I guess not, since the kids' career goal is obviously TikTok nepo baby. Rags to rags in how many generations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By refusing to consider a school like UVA simply because it’s public is silly. It’s probably the closest thing out there to Duke and is easier to get into and cheaper. And isn’t that what you mean by “alternative?”

NP. This is a conversation happening now with one of my kids. Several of his academic peers say any public school, including UVA and Michigan, are not good enough because they are public and have to let lots of “lesser” students in. Or some such drivel.

I'd take the typical strong student at UVA, Michigan, VT and UMD over Wash U. Tufts, Emory and Rochester any day of the week

Do they know that top companies are now recruiting from publics more than privates? I guess not, since the kids' career goal is obviously TikTok nepo baby. Rags to rags in how many generations?

They don't because it's not true. Companies are recruiting from privates and publics as they have always done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By refusing to consider a school like UVA simply because it’s public is silly. It’s probably the closest thing out there to Duke and is easier to get into and cheaper. And isn’t that what you mean by “alternative?”

NP. This is a conversation happening now with one of my kids. Several of his academic peers say any public school, including UVA and Michigan, are not good enough because they are public and have to let lots of “lesser” students in. Or some such drivel.

Those kids would be lucky to get into the likes of Michigan and UVA, especially out-of-state publics like UNC Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, UT Austin (especially McCombs and Cockrell), and UCLA, among others. These are the most competitive public institutions in the country. UVA regularly denies students in the DC area with near-perfect grades and SAT 1500+/ACT 35+. It's that competitive. Any student snubbing their nose at these incredible public institutions may be in for a real treat by the time they receive those admission decisions. Life comes fast.

[Anonymous]

The only dookies I know who are decent people hated their time at dook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only dookies I know who are decent people hated their time at dook.

The only people who refer to “dookies” are UNC grads. And jealous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only dookies I know who are decent people hated their time at dook.

The only people who refer to “dookies” are UNC grads. And jealous.

Stanford alum here. We also call it dookies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By refusing to consider a school like UVA simply because it’s public is silly. It’s probably the closest thing out there to Duke and is easier to get into and cheaper. And isn’t that what you mean by “alternative?”

NP. This is a conversation happening now with one of my kids. Several of his academic peers say any public school, including UVA and Michigan, are not good enough because they are public and have to let lots of “lesser” students in. Or some such drivel.

Those kids would be lucky to get into the likes of Michigan and UVA, especially out-of-state publics like UNC Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, UT Austin (especially McCombs and Cockrell), and UCLA, among others. These are the most competitive public institutions in the country. UVA regularly denies students in the DC area with near-perfect grades and SAT 1500+/ACT 35+. It's that competitive. Any student snubbing their nose at these incredible public institutions may be in for a real treat by the time they receive those admission decisions. Life comes fast.

I half agree with this kid. It makes sense to go to these schools if they are your in state option. It doesn’t really make sense to pay oos tuition equivalent to a private college to attend.