studious

Thanks guys and gals. I'm happy to hear that from people who have actually attended these institutions. I've never even taken a class at any college like that! I was accepted to Columbia, Yale, Vandy, and NYU for my undergrad, but was offered a boatload of money by a top-tier public school, so that's where I wound up. I couldn't be happier either, because that's where I met my wife It is funny though, we both planned on attending NYU, but then decided against it at the last minute. So if things had gone a little differently, we could have met there instead. In my case, Columbia & Yale offered me a pittance, less than tuition, and Vanderbilt offered me litterally $0. NYU offered me tuition, probably because I would have been a legacy--that's my family's alma mater for undergrad, master's, and doctorate. I just couldn't go through with living like a relative pauper for four years in Manhattan though, when I could live really nicely at a public university also in the top 50. jdmhotness, I did notice that about Duke! I have to say I was surprised by that! The majority of Duke grad students are coming from public undergrads. I was expecting half would be Tulane, Emory, Vandy, and Rice; the other half would be a mix of other top-tier universities, and the odd public institution. Even though it's smack in the middle of the doctoral programs my wife is considering, ranking-wise that is, she thinks she will probably wind up there, even if she gets offers from them all. Slightly off topic, how do you like living in the Raleigh Triangle area? Any recommendations on neighborhoods? I've heard good things about Cary, NC, mostly because I'm a New Yorker, and it sounds like that's where most of us wind up. The Hillsborough Historic neighborhood sounds really interesting too...

My wife has been encouraged by her graduate advisor to apply to several top-tier schools, including Columbia and Duke for her doctorate. She's working on her Master's at the moment, and has graduated at the top of her class in high school, and for both of her undergraduate degrees with honors. In the past, she has attended public universities, very highly ranked ones, but still well beneath the league of where her advisors are guiding her. She's worried slightly about admission, but more so about the workload. Though my wife is a world-class student, she is not a genius. I mean that in the literal sense, not derogatorily. Her resume is stellar, regional tennis & swim champion, community services, lead singer in campus productions, and a near-4.0 GPA. The thing is she kills herself to accomplish all of that—during her busier seasons she’s left with maybe an hour or two of free time. Her fear is she won't be able to measure up if she's among peers with similar work ethics, and the added ability of a much greater natural intellect. Anyone with experience in this area?