Duke draws from a more moderate political base. Penn like most Ivies attracts very liberal crowd with exception of Dartmouth. Culturally, Duke is more like Notre Dame or higher academic Vandy. Duke still has strong ties to Methodist Church but now Catholics are the single largest denomination maybe Coach K influence.

Kids are more well rounded at Duke. To be happy at Duke one would probably like sports something not available at Penn. Know lots of Dukies very few had any interest in Penn maybe Princeton or Dartmouth.

It depends on your kid and their proclivities, OP. And honestly, I don't get how you can have lived for so long without understanding this.

You are beyond stupid. There's no helping you. I hope your kid is wiser.

Anonymous wrote:Hello, just curious what might yield a better trajectory for an ambitious kid. It seems UPenn kids flood Wall Street and tech at a level only matched by Harvard and Stanford, while Duke also has very good placements but perhaps is less prominent in Wall Street, but Duke might benefit from a more loyal alumni network. Thoughts?

If you are just talking about finance, there's not much that compares with Penn-Wharton.

As for everything else, Harvard and Stanford are just as good as Duke. Stanford and Penn will be much better for most STEM majors. But Harvard and Duke do ok. No shame going there, except Harvard for things like engineering. Duke and Penn are better for the serious majors.

Anonymous wrote:2 very different schools always were and hopefully always will be. Penn is poor cousin to HYP and perhaps Dartmouth.

Which I guess means Duke is the poor stepchild to the entire Ivy League?

Anonymous wrote:Totally different schools with very little overlap. Would not think many people would apply to both. Different demographics at Duke. If want a great 4 years go to Duke if want only 1 dimension do to UPenn.

You are as ignorant as the original poster but are even worse because you posted with so much confidence and bravado. You are 100% wrong. Stop with the ignorant hyperbole. There is a huge overlap as they both draw tons of kids who are brilliant but a notch below HYPS. And yes, DCUM world, if you are not qualified for HYPS but have a decent shot at Penn, Duke, etc. you are brilliant and smarter than 99% of the population.

Neither, Bucknell is the clear choice.

2 very different schools always were and hopefully always will be. Penn is poor cousin to HYP and perhaps Dartmouth.

IB and tech both are one tier below quant finance, which Penn fares a little better than Duke.

Totally different schools with very little overlap. Would not think many people would apply to both. Different demographics at Duke. If want a great 4 years go to Duke if want only 1 dimension do to UPenn.

Troll bait

I think this question has been asked a million times here. The way you phrased it makes you sound like a total uneducated striver.

Yes, college is expensive, and yes, you want a good ROI for that big expense. But between these schools you are largely splitting hairs and there is so much else that goes into it.

These posts are so dumb. An ambitious kid at either can do perfectly well and achieve the same outcomes.

Penn

Hello, just curious what might yield a better trajectory for an ambitious kid. It seems UPenn kids flood Wall Street and tech at a level only matched by Harvard and Stanford, while Duke also has very good placements but perhaps is less prominent in Wall Street, but Duke might benefit from a more loyal alumni network. Thoughts?