Duke University Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school?

Lillie

For some reason I've never really understood, Duke students are stereotyped to be toolish jerks. According to this stereotype, they are rich, Northeastern kids who party all the time and have little regard for the people around them. Growing up a UNC fan in North Carolina, I am well aware of this sentiment. However, for the most part, it is utterly false. Although there are toolish jerks at Duke (just as there are at any school), Duke is an incredibly diverse campus with people from all walks of life. Not everyone is rich and there is not stigma against those who don't have as much money as others - in fact, it's almost impossible to tell who has money and who doesn't. However, there is one notable area in which Duke students do conform to their stereotype; within some (but not all) fraternities in the Greek scene, men tend to homogenize into one kind of person - and that person is often a tool. Yet this is only a portion of the Greek scene, and a vast minority of the Duke student body. As a whole, I'd say the correct stereotype about Duke is students who are passionate. Students get whole-heartedly involved in all aspects of their school, from social to academic to athletic to extracurricular. They are passionate about their studies, their fellow students, and their school.

Lillie

For some reason I've never really understood, Duke students are stereotyped to be toolish jerks. According to this stereotype, they are rich, Northeastern kids who party all the time and have little regard for the people around them. Growing up a UNC fan in North Carolina, I am well aware of this sentiment. However, for the most part, it is utterly false. Although there are toolish jerks at Duke (just as there are at any school), Duke is an incredibly diverse campus with people from all walks of life. Not everyone is rich and there is not stigma against those who don't have as much money as others - in fact, it's almost impossible to tell who has money and who doesn't. However, there is one notable area in which Duke students do conform to their stereotype; within some (but not all) fraternities in the Greek scene, men tend to homogenize into one kind of person - and that person is often a tool. Yet this is only a portion of the Greek scene, and a vast minority of the Duke student body. As a whole, I'd say the correct stereotype about Duke is students who are passionate. Students get whole-heartedly involved in all aspects of their school, from social to academic to athletic to extracurricular. They are passionate about their studies, their fellow students, and their school.

Matt

That we are nerds. People think that all students are very concerned about grades, that our girls are not hot, and that all Dukies are well-to-do and private school educated.

Blake

Duke: Self-absorbed administration, work hard-play hard ethic Students: Rich, NorthEastern

Brett

I believe the most prominent stereotype about Duke students is the notion that the majority of us are stuck up rich kids who might actually be smart or just paid our way into the school.

steffi

The stereotype about effortless perfection is certainly a prominent one. Also, there is a general assumption that Duke is a very work hard-play hard environment. There are a lot of stereotypes about race----white people are wealthy and privileged, african americans are disadvantaged, usually are athletes and are not of the intellectual caliber of their white counterparts.

Luke

Duke students are rich and arrogant. They can get out of trouble with their parents' money.

Kelly

Rich, white and preppy

Devin

In my experience, the stereotypical Duke student is very into Duke and its sports teams, usually majoring in econ or poly sci, and of a fairly wealthy background. They are not about the arts. They do work hard, and party pretty hard as well. And there are NO fat people at Duke. It is a fact, and I'm not really sure why this is.

David

Rich/Upper Middle class white kids from New York, New Jersey, or the south

Carson

Some stereotypes are that all Duke students try to achieve effortless perfection, like getting straight A's, being in shape and good looking. Also, that everyone is extremely intelligent.

Bria

All the greek organizations have stereotypes ex: Southern, slutty, guidos, coke whores, etc. You also have the stereotype as boring or someone who doesn't go out if you dont join a fraternity/sorority. Duke in general probably has a stereotype of rich kids who are legacies. Not very racially diverse.

KJ

Duke students are smart. They're always studying or at the library. They're Asian. Duke students rape people.

Christine

Rich white kids up on a hill, privelaged of the privelaged, a "cooler version of Harvard".

Jeff

nerds and asian

Matt

A lot of people think of Duke as a finishing school for the students of the wealthy elite.

Charli

That Duke students are all rich in order to afford the tuition. And ,therefore, also stuck up.

Drew

All common college stereotypes are present at Duke, yet those stereotypes don't create walls dividing groups apart. But pervasive across campus is the general hard-working nature of most of the students. Of course there are lazy students, but the stereotypical Duke student is an overachiever.

Matt

party animals, jocks, smart but arrogant, preprofessional

Vick

ONLY rich white snobby kids

Brad

Duke is known as the "Harvard of the South" and is supposed to be a liberal school with great diversity.

KJ

From the outside, Duke looks like a formal, preppy, academically-minded school, where everyone will graduate and either work as an investment banker, go to Med School, or live off their rich parents' income.

Will

southern, conservative, country club-ish, wannabe Ivy

Nate

They are wealthy, they feel entitled, they all come from New York and New Jersey, the girls are stuck up, they act or think that they are cooler than they really are.

Travis

Rich, Smart

Jake

1) smart, but unable to make ivy league 2) nerds 3) rich 4) lots of division of race 5) lacrosse players 6) not attractive girls 7) hookup culture

jordan

stuck-up, arrogant, socially inept, party animals

Shawn

All Duke students are wealthy, preppy, and from New Jersey.

Alex

Rich.

danny

That we all suck

Kelly

Hook up culture, racists, rich, extremely private, segregated, divided, yankees, guidos

Bud

Rich, elitist, smart, alcoholic

Dan

That they are snobby and stuck up, but also smart.

Parker

their all rich and white

Eric

Preppy, rich, entitled, smart,

Parker

I-bankers and consultants, as well as stuck up good looking playboys.

Gene

Why does it matter?

Harper

Preppy, apathetic about politics, hookup culture

John

There are several. One is a rich white kid from New England/New York/New Jersey who went to some boarding school or another. Another is an Asian who spends all their time in CIEMAS.

Chris

That they are mostly rich and white stuck up and snobby kids.

Tate

work hard play hard

Nick

work hard play hard

Nico

Rich, white kids from New York and New Jersey who live off of mom and dad's money.

Joe

Fraternities are stereotyped as "frats" that do "fratty" things like shotgun beers, break stuff, wear preppy clothes, and hook up with lots of girls. Sorority girls (especially the "Core Four" -the dumbest, most stuck-up, snotty, bitch thing I've ever heard of with the exception of the "Key Three" which makes me wonder who the FUCK these girls think they are) are a bunch of cocaine using sluts. If you study a lot you are sometimes jokingly referred to as "Asian."

Peter

They are all wealthy wasps, except for the football team which is all criminals

Mike

Elitist, uptight, nerdy kids who spend all their time weirdly cheering for a less than stellar basketball team while worshipping their Gothic architecture

Eddie

The main stereotypes that are prevalent at Duke: 1) That as diverse as Duke appears to be it still appears that some of the social groups are divided along the lines of race. ( Specifically the asian kids who tend to have stronger connection to each other. 2) That the black students who are here are only here due to affirmative action 3) Duke does not really have much of a dating scene but is more of a hookup society 4) A majority of the girls at duke are not that attractive

Sandy

Smart and spoiled

Ryan

Elitist, rich, privileged, intelligent

Amanda

I personally didn't know much about Duke before I came here, so I kind of learned the stereotypes after I got to school. I think the main things are that the kids are all rich and stuck up, and white. And that there's the whole southern debutante thing going on. Oh and of course we're lacrosse-playing rapists.