录取难度综合起来差不多。但是，从出路和各方面来说，Duke is a stronger school

USN National Ranking: Duke (never outside top 10) > Brown (rarely made top 10, mostly ~#15)

Int'l rep: Duke >> Brown (depending on which world college ranking, it is like #20-30  vs. #50-80)

Endowment $$$ Duke >> Brown

Pre-med: Duke > Brown

Pre-law: Duke ~ Brown

Business & Pre-business: Duke > Brown

Wall Street: Duke > Brown

Sports (& school spirit): Duke >>> Brown

Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Duke > Brown

Graduate salary (中位数): Duke > 120% of Brown graduate's 

Campus/location: subject to individual preference/taste - but in general, Duke has a better campus.

Family profile of students: Duke ~ Brown  (中位 family income ~$200k). Almost the same

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About every category, Duke is a stronger school.

Brown is more like Princeton, which has a small graduate school but no business and law schools. 

Brown does have a medical school, which is typically ranked #30-40. 

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Then why Brown is as hard to get in as Duke?

1. Brown has the ivy group name. "Ivy" has become known worldwide as the word for "elite education".  (Although in US popular culture, Duke is actually better known).

2. Brown has rep for "flexible curriculum" ("design your own curriculum") - without the absolute required core courses, it will be more flexible (read: "easier") to graduate. (which draws a bunch of kids from rich and "star" families) -- this attracts a larger app pool.