Duke will impress you, but the entire cost of the program per the spreadsheet that was provided at my interview comes to $187,689. This amount includes tuition, fees, books, living expenses, etc. I interviewed and was accepted in December and just gave my seat up this week to attend another program. I thought long and hard about attending Duke, but in my humble opinion there really is no justification in spending that kind of money to earn the same three initials that you will gain at a fraction of the cost somewhere else. Duke has an excellent curriculum and clinical education layout, great faculty, and the campus is absolutely beautiful (picture castles everywhere). A first year student told me that about 20-25 students were accepted during early decision, 40 applicants interviewed in November, 40 in December, 40 in January, and I know from this board that there were interviews in March (not sure how many applicants interviewed during March). Based on this, it seems they are having a hard time filling the class, which may be an indication that many accepted applicants are deterred by the 'price tag'.
You ask "if anyone out there has anything good to say on why I should give up my other acceptance for Duke if I were to be accepted" and I have nothing, but good things to say about Duke except for the cost of attendance. As I stated before, there really is no justification in spending almost $190,000 if there is a better financial situation out there for you. If you have the financial means or do not mind accumulating that much student loan debt, Duke could be an optimal fit for you.
My moment of clarity came when I thought about student loan repayment. All depending on my repayment plan, in 5, 10, 15, or 20 years would I rather be still paying my school for my PT education or using the PT education provided to me by my school to pay myself.
