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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. Thanks to all who have contributed more from an athletic perspective. I did wonder about Duke's "pull" for athletes and suspect there may be some truth to that, but early indications seem to be that they would be okay at either. Note that it's definitely not Basketball! It's absolutely a non-revenue sport, and the teams are probably equal to each other (middle of the road within their conference, perhaps Duke being a little higher ranked than Brown, but that's not really important to my DC - they just want to continue competing and improving through college). [/quote]

As a Duke alum, I’m completely biased, of course. ;) But my take is that it’s hard to beat the rah-rah school spirit of Duke, if that’s your thing. As a student, it surprised me how much I loved that part. (And I wasn’t especially a “school spirit” type of kid in high school.)

In part for that reason, it’s hard for me to imagine a better place for a student-athlete, even in a non-revenue sport, as you said. The “Go Duke” thing is everywhere - not just for basketball. And the current athletic department is top-notch. It’s a well-run, sophisticated, top-of-class operation. (Google the Athletic Director, Nina King, to learn more!)

I recently visited Duke again with my DC, and they picked up on that “Go Duke” vibe, too. It’s hard not to. Duke still lacks the hard, cynical, urban-sophisticate or too-cool-for-school thing. Kids seem like kids - campus-focused and into being at Duke.

To be clear, I know this isn’t appealing to everyone.  I can see how some top students might find this vibe way too much of a college cliche - not sophisticated or “worldly” enough in tone. For sure. This is not to say that Duke students aren’t top-notch or aware of the world. But so much of that wider-lens experience happens in the classrooms. The rest of the experience just isn’t as “outwardly focused” as it is at some other schools. (For example, I can’t imagine protests at Duke like the one we’re currently seeing at Columbia.)

So for more activist kids or for kids who want a “bigger” experience in addition to a thriving campus life, Duke may feel small after a year or two. It’s obviously not a place where you can hop on a train and be in NYC in a few hours (or Boston even quicker.) If your kid imagines himself doing that, Brown may be the better fit. Roadtrips to Charlotte really aren’t the same. ;) [/quote]

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