Hi everyone. I am trying to choose between Harvey Mudd and Duke. Cost is not a factor (got nearly full aid at both).

I was admitted as a physics major (very interested in astrophysics), but I’m also considering double majoring in ECE/MechE or maybe switching into engineering with a physics minor. I’m planning to pursue graduate school in engineering or physics (M.S., and potentially a PhD).

I love being outdoors, engaging in the community meaningfully, and am just looking at which one has the better vibe.

After visiting both, here are some pros and cons I came up with:

Duke

Pros

• Better social life and clubs/sports
• Super nice campus
• Great dining hall food
• More specialized engineering fields
• Large R1 uni with variety of research opportunities
• Bigger alumni network and better name recognition
• Closer to home (~1.5 hrs by flight)
• Perfect weather

Cons

• Larger class sizes
• Not as prestigious for engineering/physics
• Less personalized experience

Harvey Mudd

Pros

• Intense STEM education
• Highly collaborative environment
• Extremely small class sizes and personalized experience
• Good food/nice campus
• Part of Claremont consortium
• Easy access to research
• Strong grad school outcomes
• Can run D3 track/cross country here
• More prestigious for physics/engineering

Cons

• Only general engineering major offered
• Less variety of research conducted
• Limited name recognition outside of Cali
• Claremont doesn't have as much stuff to do
• Far from home (~connecting flights, 6+ hr travel time)
• Less time to do fun stuff

I also got into GTech, UMich, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Swarthmore, Pomona and Middlebury (all for physics/astrophysics) so please let me know if I should consider those more strongly.

Any advice would be much appreciated!