Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 12:31     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Duke athletics is really just basketball. Nice campus but it’s small and not a whole lot to do. Many of the clubs listed are no longer active so it has been tough to meet people


Won their division in football this year


I think they mean from student attendance/interest. The stadium is often 40% empty and the most student attendance at any game was 4,000 students...and it averages much less than that.


There are only 6,000 undergraduates. So 4,000 students shows a lot of student interest!!

Kids can walk into the courtside student section at Cameron for the womens basketball games. No lines, no camping out. There aren't usually a ton of students there, but the ones who go are loud and rowdy and have a lot of fun! (I've taken DD to a few games there in the past three years.)

For kids who are into watching sports, they can always find a cohort to go with them to catch soccer and lacrosse games on West. Free to students who can come and go as they please (drop in for the first half etc.)

I believe there are also fields on East (where the freshmen live) where the softball team plays and maybe field hockey, too? So again, easy to drop in if your kid is into watching sports or just knows some of the athletes from their dorm.

It really depends on the kid and what they're looking for. Our DC doesn't care whether a team is super great in order to go watch them play. They just want to be at a school where it's EASY to watch various sports AND the student body is relatively sporty with lots of other kids who tend to like watching sports, too.

Duke does seem to fit both of these criteria. And then there's men's basketball, which is about as fun as it gets!!
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 09:25     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Duke is good in dozens of sports including football, lacrosse, golf, tennis, baseball, soccer. Its campus is among the most beautiful in the country and has more buildings than Penn which has at best a drab old worn campus.



This is accurate. Duke and Stanford the most valuable athletic scholarships on the country. It will always have a level of success in the non-revenue sports. Witness how they have a highly ranked team in softball after starting the program from nothing.

I was talking to a grad transfer to Duke. Top 20 athlete. I asked him why Duke. He said when he ran across 751 at the edge of campus on to Duke Forest he thought he was stepping into a national park. I felt the same way when being recruited and matriculating many years ago, although a silly way to choose a school. It is a beautiful place. I remember a Duke scholar telling me if I had academic work looming not to go to Duke Gardens on a sunny spring day or you won’t leave! Some truth in his guidance.

I like Penn too. Just a different experience. Make the most of wherever you go.

As a funny anecdote, in my sport there was a poll taken as to which school has the best uniforms. Penn won hands down! I have to say as silly as it sounds I agree with the poll. I knew guys back in the day who chose their athletic factory school with the uniform being a deciding factor. I can’t imagine anyone considering Penn or Duke doing that. But Penn’s uniforms a welcome touch.

In the end academics and value have to be a primary factor. And admissions at both are akin to a lottery.



Unless you play LAX, soccer, golf, tennis et al...who gives a shit? Duke football barely even gets students to attend the games (the stadium is always at least 40% empty and the record number of students attending a game was 4,000 students).

The student body cares a lot about basketball...kind of cares about football...and cares essentially zero about the other sports.

The athletes who play football, basketball and baseball enter the transfer portal constantly...when the Duke baseball coach left to UVA this summer, nearly the entire Duke baseball team transferred to UVA (well, all the players the coach wanted to transfer).
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 09:13     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:Duke is good in dozens of sports including football, lacrosse, golf, tennis, baseball, soccer. Its campus is among the most beautiful in the country and has more buildings than Penn which has at best a drab old worn campus.



This is accurate. Duke and Stanford the most valuable athletic scholarships on the country. It will always have a level of success in the non-revenue sports. Witness how they have a highly ranked team in softball after starting the program from nothing.

I was talking to a grad transfer to Duke. Top 20 athlete. I asked him why Duke. He said when he ran across 751 at the edge of campus on to Duke Forest he thought he was stepping into a national park. I felt the same way when being recruited and matriculating many years ago, although a silly way to choose a school. It is a beautiful place. I remember a Duke scholar telling me if I had academic work looming not to go to Duke Gardens on a sunny spring day or you won’t leave! Some truth in his guidance.

I like Penn too. Just a different experience. Make the most of wherever you go.

As a funny anecdote, in my sport there was a poll taken as to which school has the best uniforms. Penn won hands down! I have to say as silly as it sounds I agree with the poll. I knew guys back in the day who chose their athletic factory school with the uniform being a deciding factor. I can’t imagine anyone considering Penn or Duke doing that. But Penn’s uniforms a welcome touch.

In the end academics and value have to be a primary factor. And admissions at both are akin to a lottery.



Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 07:57     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Is Duke a rich kids school? Are there any middle class kids?
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 00:43     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Duke is indeed the go to place for families that didn’t want or need liberal Ivies in liberal Northeast cities. Don’t see much if any crossover appeal in these 2 fine schools.



Duke is just as liberal as any Ivy...and the research triangle is a very liberal place as well.

NC and PA aren't really that different from each other. The cities are liberal, the rural parts are not...and both states have Democratic governors (who both ran against complete nutjob republicans who were disasters as candidates).


Good insights. Even cities like Atlanta and Savannah have much in common with NC and the Northeast.
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 07:41     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Philadelphia, yuck.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 10:03     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:Both actually attract very similar students. Both are known for balancing "social life" with elite academics. Career opportunities are identical from each unless we are talking Wharton.

I'd probably pick Duke for the warm weather. Duke also provides D1 sports and one of the greatest basketball teams in the country. UPenn students don't get to attend a final four.


The 1979 class would beg to differ...but I know what you mean.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:47     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Both actually attract very similar students. Both are known for balancing "social life" with elite academics. Career opportunities are identical from each unless we are talking Wharton.

I'd probably pick Duke for the warm weather. Duke also provides D1 sports and one of the greatest basketball teams in the country. UPenn students don't get to attend a final four.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 20:34     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Would not do Penn for econ or business outside of Wharton. Why spend 4 years as a second class citizen.


You obviously don't know any Penn econ majors. Opportunities for all students regardless of school.


+1 just look at the outcomes data for where the grads go: Penn CAS is very similar to Wharton. Duke is close to them.
Pick based on fit/feel.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 20:01     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Duke is a top target from oretty much all top tier consulting and finance IB firms.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 19:19     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think it's strange that there are often two or three threads every application season asking specifically about "Penn or Duke".

Never Duke or Vandy or Penn or Columbia...but Penn or Duke.



Not quite top tier and popular with finance bros. Not complicated.


Yep, it's a financial bro thing.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 16:28     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Duke for career, connections and a lifetime of fun knowing one went to the best overall school in the country. Plus who wants to spend their entire life explaining you didn’t go to Penn State.


I thought that was Stanford.


Exactly!!! Duke is a far cry from Stanford.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 16:04     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Posts like this crack me up.

See where your kid gets in RD.

If they indeed have this choice, please come back to us. Otherwise, don’t waste your time!

Also, there are MANY previous threads re this exact comparison, including:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1123770.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1290702.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1157582.page
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 15:50     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Anonymous wrote:Would not do Penn for econ or business outside of Wharton. Why spend 4 years as a second class citizen.


You obviously don't know any Penn econ majors. Opportunities for all students regardless of school.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 15:50     Subject: Thoughts on UPenn and Duke
Duke gave us Stephen Miller.

UPenn all day everyday

Oh wait UPenn gave Musk a degree for nothing...