<p>My top choice college is Duke University, but I have realized that it might be a slight reach school for me. I am a junior just beginning to look at colleges, and I was wondering what are some similar colleges to Duke (especially some that are slightly easier to get into)? I like that Duke is medium sized, renowned academics, strong athletics, and a lot more (and the beautiful campus is a plus). Boston College has been recommended to me before, and from what I’ve seen, I like it. Thanks for your help! </p>
<p>How about Wake Forest?</p>
<p>Vanderbilt?</p>
<p>Vandy is only slightly easier these days, it seems. Maybe your ECs don’t have to be as good as they do at Duke.</p>
<p>Since you’re a junior, have you considered cost of attendance at all? Have you run the net price calculators for the schools in which you’re interested? Have you had the Talk with your parents about affordability? That’s something you should be doing this year since you’re not going to Duke or anywhere else if you cannot afford it.</p>
<p>Perhaps Northwestern, Wake, Vandy. Might look at URichmond and Holy Cross.Richmond and Holy Cross offer good academics, nice social life and Div1 sports/ HC also meets 100% demonstrated financial need.</p>
<p>USC is a warm-weather sports powerhouse with good academics. It is less selective than Duke.
Southern research universities less selective than Duke include Tulane and the University of Miami. If you want to consider LACs, start with Davidson or Richmond. Both are in Duke’s general vicinity; both are less selective than Duke (but still within the top 100 most selective universities & LACs).</p>
<p>Some other schools to consider that are medium size, strong academically, less selective than Duke, and in a few cases have good sports programs include Emory, Tufts, JHU, William and Mary, Rice, Case Western, University of Rochester. Maybe Lehigh, Miami, Tulane as well. None of these has a sports program that rivals Duke’s other than Miami, and maybe JHU in lacrosse. You’ll have to screen them to see if they have the look/feel/vibe you want.</p>
<p>Georgetown is pretty similar. Don’t think it’s necessarily “easier” to get into though.</p>
<p>Great academics, good basketball team, nice campus, way more students from New Jersey than there should be…</p>
<p>@teenbodybuilder </p>
<p>"Georgetown is pretty similar. Don’t think it’s necessarily “easier” to get into though.</p>
<p>Great academics, good basketball team, nice campus, way more students from New Jersey than there should be… "</p>
<p>Maybe so many NJ students because the state’s got the best high schools in the country producing the best graduates! Kudos to them!</p>
<p>
Agreed, this should be the first step.</p>
<p>I second the Wake Forest suggestion. Wake is one of the smallest of the national universities, and it’s really more of a LAC-university hybrid. In fact, it has fewer large classes than some of the top liberal arts colleges. Beautiful campus, extraordinarily friendly students, tons of school spirit. </p>
<p>As noted in the original post, BC is the other private university that comes closest. </p>
<p>Not liking the USC suggestion. USC feels nothing like Duke. California schools have a very different vibe.</p>
<p>I like the suggestions of Tulane, Miami, Richmond, and especially Davidson, which is in many ways a LAC version of Duke. Rhodes is fairly similar as well except for a lack of D1 athletics and a stronger undergraduate focus. Furman might work too.</p>
<p>If you happen to be from NC, UNC Chapel Hill is strikingly similar to Duke in a lot of ways. (Given that UNC is the oldest founded public and much older, perhaps I should say that Duke is in many ways similar to UNC.) It offers cross-registration with Duke, and a bus runs between the two every 30 minutes. There’s a fair bit of academic and social mixing between the two, and obviously the two battle it out as athletic rivals. UNC’s campus is much more eclectic and less formally laid out than Duke’s, but it’s nevertheless rather attractive, and Chapel Hill is obviously a great college town. </p>
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<p>No. Just no. </p>
<p>
California these days. I graduated from Duke and took nearly a quarter of my classes at UNC. I had many friends and faculty advisors at both universities. You’re welcome to your opinion – but I stand firmly by mine. (I don’t doubt that my view would horrify a good many students at both schools. 
)</p>
<p>Boston College.
Im in the same situation as you, a junior looking around and love Duke but there is no chance that I would get in.
Look into Boston College, Notre Dame, and UVA</p>
<p>@Warblersrule
“If you happen to be from NC, UNC Chapel Hill is strikingly similar to Duke in a lot of ways.” </p>
<p>Yes, both are great schools and if Duke is a reach, it makes a lot of sense to apply to UNC. I would definitely do it. </p>
<p>Your comment that the schools are “strikingly similar”, however true it may be, takes a lot of courage. I hope you are in the witness protection program. ;)</p>