<p>WOW all of you are so petty and misinformed. For undergraduate students Penn is every bit as good as Columbia and Duke. The 3 schools are virtually identical in terms of Prestige and student bodies. Give props where props are due, they are all excellent schools second only to HPY in my opinion, the OP will be successful regardless of the school he chooses to attend specially with schools that are so similar academically. In my opinion:-</p>
<p>Tier 1:- HPYS (maybe M)
Tier 2:- Penn Duke Columbia
Tier 3:- Brown Dartmouth Chicago NU
Tier 4:- WUSTL Cornell JHU</p>
<p>To the OP :- It seems like you are leaning towards Duke I would encourage you to explore all your options and visit each school’s campus to get a feel of the atmosphere. However, don’t let anyone other than yourself influence your decision. If you choose Duke you will have chosen an excellent institution that is unarguably one of the best in the country. If you choose Penn I can assure you that we will welcome you with open arms and ensure that you will have the experience of a lifetime. That is of course provided you get into these institutions in the first place. Your application is definitely impressive though, Ill hand that to you.</p>