<p>Once again, I concur. Duke and USC are not even remotely close to being academic peers at the undergraduate level. Comparing them is tantamount to comparing Harvard with Emory. Having said that, USC does provide a well rounded college experience for the moderately serious student, and appears to offer a good quality of life. I’m not bashing USC in any way, I have good friends who go there, but its no Duke by any stretch of the imagination. I usually admit that I am biased in favor of Duke, but this decision is an easy one from anyone’s (academic) perspective.</p>