<p>I’ll take a shot at this. One of my international friends from China told me that he recognizes Duke as very prestigious. (Not in relation to Brown, just in general. We didn’t talk about Brown.) He said that for international students, attending a school of Duke’s caliber is highly regarded. He also noted that he was admitted at Oxford and Cambridge, but he and his family recognized Duke as being a better choice. But obviously that’s one small circle’s opinion, not the whole international community.</p>
<p>I agree with kenyanpride about Duke’s prestige, especially when focused on graduate schools. The medical school here is extremely sought after and is considered one of the very best in the nation (I’m thinking top 5). Brown just doesn’t have that type of draw for grad students.</p>
<p>Finally, an anecdote. I’m from the U.S. and live very, very close to the University of Pennsylvania. Many people from my high school were concerned with going to Ivies, probably more so than most because I’m in the Northeast, where said Ivies are. You could say that most of my friends are well versed in school rankings and the Ivies and whatnot. However, a bunch of people have mistakenly classified Duke as being an Ivy. My friends, my friends’ parents, my parents’ friends… So many have said to me, “Wow, you go to an Ivy League school?” (Some of whom were educated at Ivies themselves). So I think this case of mistaken identity speaks to Duke’s character.</p>
<p>Oh, and I’ve met a lot of people who turned down Ivies to come to Duke, by the way. Two of them even turned down Harvard 
But I don’t think that you should decide which school you want to go to based on prestige. Once you get up into the top ten, all schools are going to give you a fantastic education, and all employers are going to be very impressed with your alma mater. Rather, I think you should decide based on which school you feel most comfortable at, and which one best serves your individual needs.</p>