<p>My son and I have been following this thread because his final decision came down to Cornell or Duke and it really is a very hard decision to make. I think we both concluded that Cornell has the edge on Duke academically, but Duke’s campus is incredibly beautiful, and the weather is better. (We visited both, and older son is PhD student at Cornell). It was such a tough choice that the more information we looked at, the harder the decision became. Finally he suggested we toss a coin! When we tossed the coin, Cornell won, so then he wanted to toss it again. After several straight wins for Cornell, it became clear that his preference was Duke! Not suggesting this is the way to make a final decision, but we had looked at everything inside, outside, forwards and backwards, and were still stuck for which was the best choice.<br>
They are both great schools, so you really can’t go wrong whichever you decide on. Once you make your choice, be happy with it and go and make the most of the incredible opportunities available to you. Good luck!</p>