Duke University Top Questions

Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!

Guilbert

Duke students are very well-rounded, and Duke is an institutional reminder of that fact. Where else can you have a top ten academic school that is consistently in the top ten of the men's basketball rankings? Duke is strongly disliked in the athletic sphere, and I like to think that is because other deem it unfair that such an elite institution can prosper in so many various ways. The multitude of resources that Duke offers and the areas of specialization are seemingly endless.

Alexandra

Figure skating club; great study abroad options

Jim

It has an excellent athletics program combined with top academics. It's basketball program is legendary, the weather is great, Duke students rock the "work hard, play hard" mantra.

Lillie

I LOVE DUKE! Despite anything that might be improvable, Duke is an AMAZING college! I chose it over ivies (including Harvard!) and full rides, and I could not be happier with my decision. Duke is an absolutely unparalleled and incredible education, and I could not ask for any better.

Jerrica

Duke is a large-scale top-notch university with a southern flare which makes it perfect for students who want the smaller atmosphere of a private university and the academic level of a larger university. I chose Duke because they are the top university in many fields, and many classes are taught by the top researchers in the country. Their financial aid program makes the dream of being a blue devil possible for students of any economic background and they provide a culturally diverse atmosphere.

Kelly

The coursework is demanding but the classes you take are almost completely up to you. Our general education requirements are not specific at all. You just need to make sure that before you graduate you take a couple courses that are of a specific type, for example, a smaller seminar class in whatever field you choose, a quantitative studies course in whatever field you choose, etc. So you end up fulfilling requirements with whatever class topic you would like. That makes the work desirable because you are generally interested in what you are learning.

Monica

It has a great mix of academics and yet people know how to have fun, and there is great school spirit, with strong support for our athletic teams. There is always something to do and someone to hang out with.

Caitlin

school spirit souther hospitality

Alice

It is definitely filled with a passionate and diverse and intellectually active student body.

Nutishia

The professors are all very welll-known and their teaching styles are great.

Aaron

We have so much school spirit here. People are constantly wearing branded clothing and for good reason. We have the most successful men's basketball program of any school in the last 20 years.

Matthew

Not much, but a combination of strong athletics and academics. Most other schools only have one.

Joyce

huge basketball culture, huge frat/sorority culture that is unhealthy and exclusionary

Kirill

Pristigeous, great professors here (not all though), basically a lot of potential if you are willing to work.

Diana

the love for basketball

Lida

it's awesommmme!!!! lots of school spirit; work hard, play hard

Blake

Easy to do well at Duke, if you don't enjoy it you don't belong and shouldn't be there.

steffi

If you have lofty academic pursuits, and if you have original ideas, and are looking to pursue something, and anything beyond the beaten path...go to duke. No where else will you find the resources and opportunities available to help you and propel you beyond what you thought was possible. If you want to spend four year partying, enjoying you college experience, and traveling a very narrow path...meeting your graduation requirements fulfilling major requirements, but not doing much else, not writing a thesis, not pursuing an independent study, not doing original research...then go to duke. Duke can be really fun, lots of drinking, lots of sex, it can be a good time if that is your priority. If you are somewhere in the middle, where you know you are interested in academics, but not quite sure what. you know you like to party and "have fun" on occasion, but are not a huge party person....DONT GO TO DUKE! It is not a place to find yourself and discover your passion. It takes a very self assured confident, aggressive personality to succeed there and maximize the benefits of going there. It is not for everyone. and regardless of what anyone tells you---everyone does not love Duke!

Devin

If you consider yourself at all "artsy" (I know thats kind of gay sounding but you know what I mean) Duke is not the school for you. That said, solid education, great opportunities, and mysteriously, no fat people.

Carson

I LOVE IT AT DUKE!

Bria

Regardless of the little things I would change, I love Duke and most people I know do!!

KJ

Duke is awesome, but you have to be ready to study your ass off if you come here.

Christine

Someone once said, "you have to make your own Duke experience, it won't make you," and that is very true. But if you take the leap, the opportunities-academically, socially, extracurricularly- here are endless. You really do get what you pay for with the $48,000 a year education.

Jeff

Don't go to Duke unless you really are there to focus on your studies. Though a party scene does exist at Duke, it is very exclusive and primarily remains in the top frat/soroities. If you were the one who went home everyday in highschool to study and always got straight A's then Duke is for you. If you take pride in not being the nerd steriotype, than you will feel out of place.

Matt

You'll love it if you come.

Charli

Duke's campus is one humongous plus. The gothic architecture blends and works with nature like nobody's business. The staff always keeps nice flowerbeds and the trees are just magnificent whether they have leaves or not. It really helps to be in a place surrounded by beauty. Although you probably wouldn't notice the pretty sites much or care, if you lived in a horribly ugly place, it would probably take it's toll.

Drew

I love Duke. I loved my freshman year. I think with enough effort people can love Duke. Often it is left out of the conversation when top schools are discussed, but it is undoubtedly in the top five to ten schools in the country when all is accounted for.

Brad

Great things about Duke: the climate (not too much snow, really wonderful spring weather), the fact that we have had artists like The Roots, Ludacris and Knaye West perform at my school, and the Gothic layout of our campus. The cafeteria food here is unbearable, but luckily we have a "food points" plan and upperclassmen have the choice to eat at the McDonald's, Subway and Armadillo Grill (a Mexican restaurant). There is also a 24-hour diner on campus so students can get something to eat at any time of the day or night. We can also use our "food points" to order food from outside vendors like Domino's. Housing at Duke sucks - freshman are basically forced to live on West campus their sophomore year, and their freshman dorm is linked to a particular quad on West campus.

KJ

I like Duke. You can easily get sucked into the main stream stereotypes (think Gucci bags popped collars), and that's fine. But you can also choose to stick out, and you will be respected for it. I would say, if you plan on coming to Duke, be strong, independent, and willing to be you at all costs. I promise you that you will find your group, get drunk, have massive amounts of fun, and learn a lot.

Will

the race relations can be pretty horrible. a lot of self-segregation. students who do not fit the mainstream of white, upper-middle class privilege are marginalized in the social scene. "freaks" are by and far not welcome.

Nate

If I had the choice again, I would definitely come here. It was, on the whole, a good experience for me. But that's probably only because my parents do indeed have money, I did choose to join a fraternity, and I did live in NY and thus had the opportunity to know people at Duke outside of Duke. But I couldn't imagine being in the LGBT or minority social scenes, its just so divided on this campus.

Jake

i love duke!

jordan

college is fun

danny

Duke blows

Kelly

nope

Bud

Duke is great, but not the best.

Dan

The Few Quad study room is the second highest point on campus and only one that is easily accessible. Best place to fuck.

Parker

need better weed, for cheaper.

Parker

Im good

Gene

Haha, so.. can I write about no holes barred or would that be inappropriate?

John

You know what pisses me off? All the negative press people insists on giving Duke. I mean come on, Duke is a tea party compared to the dysfunction of those whack jobs up at Harvard - I should know half of them are my friends. I wish the media would leave us alone. I mean I want to be able to get belligerently drunk on LDOC without worrying that I'm going to show up on Nightline. This school was ranked No. 4 when I got in. Now it's like No. 8. Fuck that shit. Leave us alone media.

Chris

Duke is a great place to be. First semester I wasn't sure I was going to fit in here, but I've met so many people that make life here awesome. I love where I am now.

Tate

anything!

Nick

go to hell carolina go to hell

Joe

Duke spends a lot less time trying to get us in trouble for breaking rules and instead makes sure that we are safe. This is how the world should work, but it is really only possible somewhere like Duke where we are protected from stupid, unneccessary laws that are going to be broken anyway. Maybe law enforcement could learn a lesson... If they'd quit trying to get good people in trouble and earn some quick cash (through traffic violations, underage drinking tickets, etc.) and spend that time busting real criminals, then our world would be a better place.

Peter

I totally have a crush on Kyle Singler and Phil H

Mike

Duke is easily the best decision I have ever made. EVER.

Eddie

Watch out next year because DTD will run this school and excel in every aspect i guarantee it. WE are pretty nice guys who won't brag about it. We'll let our actions speak.

Ben

I applied to Duke because of the name, something that no one should do, and it could have easily been a mistake. I was lucky. I'm sure I would have liked any school I applied to, but in retrospect there's no place I'd rather be. To talk about how prestigious Duke is would be a waste of time, because almost everyone knows that. Suffice it to say that I'm confident that Duke's reputation will get me far. There are many facets to Duke, but the people I've befriended make the experience unparalleled. I love it here.

Blake

Everyone loves Duke, and everyone hates it. The fun to be had here can be overshadowed by an unbearable workload, just as a successful semester can be soured by the intensity of Duke social life. To be a big fish in this sea can take everything you've got, and chances are the person next to you is smarter, wealthier, more well-connected, or can drink you under the table, even if their social skills were stunted by boarding school. If nothing else, we find satisfaction in the fact that it's always so sunny and that that quad is so damn pretty— plus there's a game on and we're probably winning.