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<li>I know more about Duke than USC</li>
<li>My son chose USC…hated Duke when he visited twice and refused to apply in spite of being “recruited”. He got into Harvard so he had good credentials.</li>
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<p>Duke is great school. campus is more spread out and is not in good neighborhood. The cit of Durham is simply not that nice.(I am from NC). The school has great reputation and qualified students and faculty. Duke has a higher ranking than USC.</p>
<p>The Duke atomosphere is toxic though for many students. The kids are bright but in many areas are “cut throat” competitive(expecially the sciences) and many have a chip on their shoulder attending Duke because they didn’t get into the Ivy of their chosing. It is not a happy place compared to USC. In spite of being in the south, the students/faculty are not as friendly as USC and the faculty are often not supportive of the students(note the lacrosse incident and the faculty that turned on the students before the evidence was presented). My son didn’t think he would be very happy for 4 years and thus, didn’t even bother applying. Several other of his super bright friends, did the same thing.(They all applied to UNC-CH, UVA , Vandy and some Ivys but not Duke).
So, that is personal opinion without statistical evidence. If you are considering Duke, apply and VISIT for more than the campus tour. I recommend staying for at least one night on campus and 2 days walking around to get a true feel for what it is like to attend the school. Good luck!</p>