Duke or Georgetown..which would you choose??

Okay, I exaggerate. Give me a break. I'm an alum of G'town. I'm not gonna totally trash my school. I do think DC gives Georgetown the edge over Duke.Stanford is to me, an Easterner, an upstart. Look at it: founded in 1898?! Lets give it another century before we call it great school shall we?Having lived on the West Coast too, Stanford seems to be more prestigious there, like USC which I'd never heard of before moving west. A few comparisons:DC World capital of politics>Palo Alto aka Silicon Valley>Where?1789>1891>183822 (need more research, faculty kicks though)``5 (because of research)%%10 (research again) US New Report Ranking20.1>7.3 (surely influenced by the weather)Stanford (West coast oriented)>Duke (got juice?)>DukeI agree with the other poster who said Georgetown and Duke are both fine schools.

i went to unc but went to hs right next to duke. duke is a far better school than georgetown. apply to a number of schools and go where you can get the best financial situation.

Interesting link to the top academic/athletic programs:

1. Stanford

2. Florida

3. Texas

4. Duke

5. UNC

Top Women's for track:

1. Stanford

2. Texas A&M

3. Oregon

4. Florida

5. Oklahoma

6. LS

7. Texas

8. Duke

9. Tennessee

10.UCLA

My daughter runs for Duke. There's is nothing negative I can say about the school or the running program. She loves the learning process there, really enjoys her classes and is excited about planning her future academically. As far as the running program, she loves the coach, feels like he really cares about her and does not feel a ton of pressure to perform. She puts pressure on herself both academically and athletically. (no she doesn't have an eating disorder nor do the majority of the girls on the team, just find a photo of them on Facebook the majority, by far are not underweight - maybe the girls who have eating problems came into the school with them, no different than any other program)

Once you're out in the real world, the difference between Georgetown and Duke is negligible. Job performance doesn't care which school you attended. Go to the school that you feel most comfortable at and which has a good reputation in whatever field you decide you want to study.

I would choose this based on 1) how you like the girls on the teams when you visit (you are going to visit right?) and 2) How you feel about Durham vs. Georgetown as towns. Also, D.C. is more of a "big city" than Durham, but Georgetown is its own beast; when you cross the river it's like entering the suburbs. Super wealthy suburbs with overpriced cupcakes.

Where does Notre Dame fit in this discussion?

Um, Georgetown grads get different and sometimes better opportunities than Duke grads especially in DC and NYC.

DL13 wrote:

Once you're out in the real world, the difference between Georgetown and Duke is negligible. Job performance doesn't care which school you attended. Go to the school that you feel most comfortable at and which has a good reputation in whatever field you decide you want to study.

As a junior I would strongly encourage you to cast a wider net at this point in your search. There are many very good academic/athletic programs out there and it is important to go to the school where you you enjoy being an athlete AND a student. From a competitive standpoint there is not a more grueling athletic path than XC/Track, as competition runs from early September thru early June. In four years, the likelihood is VERY high that injury, burnout, coaching changes (ie UNC/UVA/FLA), or just the need to decompress etc will be part of your college experience. You need to have a life outside of athletics that will provide stability and enjoyment. Agree with others that search should also include UVA, UNC, Villanova, Vandy (my #1 recc), Cal, Stanford, Michigan, Notre Dame. Good Luck!

That may be true but that's not the point. And what you view as a better opportunity may not actually be a better opportunity. It all depends on the person. For me, i would choose Gtwn over Duke. I don't know the original poster so what fits for me might not necessarily fit for her.

Just to be accurate--roughly half of students accepted to both Gtwn and Penn choose Gtwn, the other half Penn. Its pretty even on common admits. Penn wins most of the common admits to Bschool and Gtwn wins most Georgetown SFS vs Penn Lib Arts--

The same is true for Gtwn and Duke--The schools split common admits roughly 50/50--They are pretty much similar in terms of undergrad quality--make the choice based on where you feel most comfortable.

If tuition is a factor, think Ivies. Princeton, in particular, gives away large grants to middle class kids, very frequently considerably more than a running scholarship will do. Remember that the ivy money is "needs" based and therefore cannot be taken away. With an athletic scholarship the coach owns you.

The best running Ivies for women, in alphabetical order are Cornell, Dartmouth and Princeton.

Visit both. Meet the team and coach then figure out what works best for you. No one can answer this question but you. My daughter visited both and chose neither.

Interesting this debate. The admissions officers from Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Penn, and Georgetown travel together around the country telling high school students and their families about their schools. As a Georgetown grad and interviewer, I would lean toward GU, especially due to its tradition of middle distance excellence. However, this is a personal choice, and I echo those comments that said you have to visit both schools.

Big Brass Acorn wrote:

[quote]Duke team wrote:

Chapel Hill is even further removed. It would take you 5 hours to drive from Chapel Hill to Raleigh at rush hour.

This is just fvcking wrong. I've lived here for 19 years.

Go to Georgetown. I have never known anyone who went there that didn't love it. I can't say that about Duke.

Hmmmmmm wrote:

Go to Georgetown. I have never known anyone who went there that didn't love it. I can't say that about Duke.

Just depends on who you know. I have known friends that have gone to both schools. Most were happy with their selection, except for two friends who attended Georgetown. One ended up finishing up at Georgetown but was never happy there and the other transferred.

Georgetowns school of foreign service is great. Dukes undergrad, law, business, etc are a step above. Everyone knows that. And Vandy, UNC, UVA, and Georgetown are peers. G and V probably a touch above just because they're private and get a resultant bump in lay prestige.