WashU vs. Duke

mtldad
Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:52:05 +0000

Older son was WashU class of '11 (chose it over Northwestern by a “nose”…younger son is about to choose Northwestern over WashU by a “nose”, class of '16). Our son and we, as parents, loved WashU. A very nurturing, friendly environment for students…campus life is very much a “bubble”…brand-wise, no doubt that Duke has better “brand-awareness” than WashU…we haven’t been able to figure out why, after many, many years of being an elite university, that WashU’s brand-recognition is not equal to its peer schools. In our visits to Duke, you can definitely feel a southern vibe to it, even if its defenders will say it’s a national university that attracts students from everywhere…so, there was a more “preppy” feel to it than WashU (which attracts a lot of metro-New Yorkers). Of course, academically, you can’t go wrong either way…so, if you have time (the clock is ticking!), you should really go visit both. Also, no contest on ResLife, WashU does that, in our opinion, the best of everyone…dorms are beautiful, food (for college) is excellent. We hate Duke’s East Campus (daily 7-8 minute bus ride back and forth to main campus for all freshman), but that’s us! Our younger son is choosing Northwestern because he feels the “fit” is a little more him than it was for his older brother, but we were completely neutral…so, back to the discussion, like we said, if you can visit, hurry!