Duke University Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Eddie

I believe that my first stereotype is true and I'm a person that enjoys engaging with many different races but sometimes it appears that they are always in the same packs and it can be quite intimidating. On my second stereotype I believe it false I believe that duke does take the best students and any leniency in bringing in African-american students is warranted. Although it might not say it on their record it is a difficult being black and intelligient when the general norm tells you should be considered with more superficial things. The third is very true and the fourth one I thought was also true but ever since spring I believe a majority of them have started to bloom.

Sandy

absolutely. we are the smartest and we deserve the best

Ryan

to some extent - no stereotype is 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} true, but these exist for a reason.

Amanda

To some extent, there is a lot of wealth here, and a lot of preppy. But this school is incredibly diverse (I know, since I do not fit the stereotype), with people from all over the country and the world. The people here are really smart, and really cool. They're not all cookie cutter. And we're definitely not rapists, contrary to the popular belief of those oh-so-witty haters.

Lindsey

The idea that everyone here is from the South is completely inaccurate. Duke students come from all over the country and around the world, and there is no single stereotypical Duke student. Regarding the party scene, it is definitely true that there is almost always something (or many things) going on at night, so students are never stuck on their room on a Friday night with nothing to do. Duke manages to strike the perfect balance between academic intensity and fun.

Hunter

As a member of dukeDebate, the president of Duke Students for the Protection of Animals, a political theory thesis writer, daily reader of the New York Times and occasionally Financial Times, I'd beg to differ. Duke basketball is just one of the many overlapping, mutually edifying communities that enrich campus life. What Duke does lack are good undergraduate publications, particularly creative and humorous ones. Thankfully, this school offers the most funding to start and maintain student groups, perhaps in the nation.

Devin

both hold kernels of truth. Most student here, in fact, are nerdy in some way (they have to be to get in) but tend to be socially adept and interested in having a good time, all the time.

Brett

Unfortunately, a lot of the time they are, and I am often appalled by the behavior of people here. Of course, most students here are very intelligent and hardworking, but they are overshadowed by the rude behavior of others. And even the obnoxious students are often smart too, but they buy into the system and social norms of Duke and don't let their intelligence shine through.

Blake

They are all extreme examples of subcultures that certainly exist at Duke, but they only define a few? though easily identifiable? sectors of a much more diverse, progressive, and dynamic campus.