<p>To the OP: What kind of academic and social experience are you looking for?</p>
<p>Sure, US News lists Duke as a “better” school than Vanderbilt, but you have to do your own rankings. For me, Vanderbilt surpassed Duke by far. Duke fell short in terms the most important things that I wanted, so it would have been a really poor choice. It didn’t have ANY of the academic programs I was looking for, but Vanderbilt’s programs were stellar across the board - the best in the country (for me and my goals, obviously), without exaggeration. It had <em>exactly</em> what I was looking for in terms of so many different things, so it was a perfect fit across the spectrum. The other pieces fell into place perfectly from there: the balance (HUGELY important), social scene, and location kept me hooked (among other things). I applied ED and I’m really excited for next year. It really depends on what you’re looking for.</p>