Duquesne University Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Cassidy

Greek life is popular.

Yaxin

I don't really know about groups here, but I have been involved in SWSG (strong women strong girls) program. This is a volunteer group, aiming at help girls in primary school to know how to be a strong women in the future.

Alex

It helps to have a car on campus to get around, or to learn the bus routes ahead of time. I've spent much of my freshman & sophomore year getting stranded in various places, because public transportation isn't very reliable in Pittsburgh. Even the cabs. There are no sorority/fraternity houses on campus, and you can't drink on campus. Not to worry, there are plenty of parties elsewhere, in Southside, Oakland, etc., and the happy bus takes all the Duquesne students there and back.

Tristan

Sports are not that important at Duquesne, but if any are relevant I would say it would be basketball. There are more females than males, and if you are not a partier, you probably dont experience the dating scene. I had few good friends at Duquesne. Most people drink in the Southside on weekends and week nights. Sororities and frats are not big.

Jenny

The Greek life seems to be a huge popularity contest. Every frat or sorority comes with a stereotype (all of which just came to your mind are correct). I'll just leave it at that. All other organizations or activities are very open to the public - meaning that being part of the drama club does not equal uncool. Stereotypes exist in college, but the line between cool/uncool seems to disappear.

Lauren

Student Government is fairly popular but you will find it is dominated by the same group of people, but it's really not that important. Fraternities and sororities are pretty prevalent, but I would never feel out of place not being in one. You notice their presence and they have parties and you see people wearing letters, but it's not really a big deal. The theater companies are small, but they put on good shows and people support their friends and watch them. I think a lot of people leave their dorm doors open, although they always advise us not to. My neighbors in my on campus apartment building always left their doors unlocked, and though we just met each other that year, we walked into each other's apartments all the time. I met my closest friends from living on their floor freshman year or through class. I am always up at 2am, I feel like. Usually studying on a weeknight, or if I don't have as much to do that day, chatting with friends, dancing around, or watching movies. People party a lot freshman year I feel like and then again once they turn 21. You pretty much have to go off campus to party, and Duquesne "owns" the nearby Southside. On campus, some people take advantage of the Nightspot which offers programs on the weekends, but I almost never go there. Occassionally I'll go when they show a good movie and get free popcorn with friends.

Daniel

The greek life on campus is pathetic and the sports programs are inadequate and not entertaining.

Julie

Freshman year students did leave their doors open but that does not happen as much as you progress through the years. Most people move off campus after sophomore year. People party a lot. Most of it does not happen on campus but rather at Pitt or on the South Side. Frats and sororities are very important and they make up most of the school.

Blake

Greek Life is very popular at Duquesne. I'm not sure what the exact number is but I think it's about 85{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students are in a Sorority or Fraternity. But there are professional (by major or school) and social sororities and fraternities in addition to the traditional social ones which gives people a lot more options. There are also plenty of other acitivites to get involved in as well. Volunteering is HUGE at Duquesne. Every student is encouraged to give back to the community and most people do. There are an unlimited number of opportunities given its location in the city of Pittsburgh. Some of my favoritie memories at Duquesne involve volunteering. Partying is something that most people assume happens at all colleges. Duquesne is no different. There are definitely parties all the time if that's what you're into. But there's plenty of other things to do as well. I'm was never much of a partier but I never ran out of things to do on the weekends and still had fun. There are so many great places in the city and its not hard to catch a bus or the "T" (our metro system) if you want to go somewhere a little farther away. It would take me all day to list all of the other things you can do, but trust me, you won't have trouble finding something to amuse you .

Marie

Greek Life at Duquesne is smaller than other campuses but it is an amazing place to meet friends. Currently there are 7 sororities and 8 fraternities on campus, and it is easy to find a place where you fit in because they are all very different. I have been on the dance team for 4 years and we cheer for Basketball games. The basketball games during the week are getting to be very popular and its a lot of fun. There are constantly comedians, movies shown, speakers, etc. on campus which are very popular. People at Duquesne like being involved and busy. Many people date other people at Duquesne-- many of my friends have boyfriends and girlfriends. People within Greek Life usually date each other as well. However, not everyone is taken obviously. The partying at Duquesne is definitely not crazy but it does exist. Sometimes people who are sophomores and not yet 21 complain about things not happening on weekends but Greek Life is a great way to fix that! Also, when you do turn 21, Pittsburgh has the most bars on one street out of any city in the US! The bar scene is definitely crazy here. Also, if people at Duquesne do not have parties, there's always parties at Pitt or at CMU, though I don't personally like them. Many people do because they have much larger campuses and large fraternity parties.

Natalie

Greek life is very popular (yet over rated). In my opinion, paying money to have friends is ridiculous. There are many things to do that don't involve drinking, yet many still feel it is necessary (like most college students). Our football team is pretty good but not many people go to the games. Our baseball team this year is the best it's ever been and are some of the nicest, most intelligent guys at Duquesne. There are two 'loop buses'. One goes to the Waterfront which has a great movie theater and TONS of stores. The other goes to the South Side works which has sopping and the cheesecake factory, it's just smaller. These buses are free to students on friday and saturday nights from 7-3am.

Ashley

Duquesne is NOT a party school ON CAMPUS...there are many dorm rules, but there are plenty of places to go if you want to party...we are very close to Pitt, CMU, RMU, and southside. There are a lot of groups on campus, as well as sororities and fraternities. Duquesne does not have frat houses though. Sometimes Duquesne has guest speakers, comedians, hypnotists, etc come to campus.

Andrea

Basketball games are big events and draw large crowds. All the student organizations usually put on some sort of event annually. The girls outnumber the boys on this campus, so the odds are better for the guys. But Pitt and CMU are not far away!! If it is a weekend there is bound to be a party somewhere, or just ask around. For those that don't drink there are things to do as well and some under 21 clubs and what not in the city.

Brian

There are not many events on campus that are popular to go to. Duquense Basketball is on the rise and I feel will soon pull in large crowds. Outside of them, I do not see much popularity anywhere else. I met all my closest friends freshmen year. They all lived on my floor in the dorm and we have stayed close ever since. The dating scene is a little difficult. The girls at duquesne are very attractive, however the majority seem to have steady boyfriends, usually from home. Most of the parties will be found on southside or in house near Mercy Hospital. I think there is a large populous of people that go to the Fraternities and sororities. However, the administration tends to barely support the greeks and houses for frats and sororities are not allowed.

Ashley

Since Duq. is near the city, it's easy to find things to do if you're over 21. You can walk or get a cab for cheap if your planning to go out. The college scene is great and Duq. is near to Pittsburgh University and 2 other colleges all within 15 minutes of each other.

Amy

People at Duquesne are usually involved in on campus activites. Greek life is popular -- int he form of social or professional. Students Government and DPC also attract a lot of students. Duquesne kids aren't huge partiers during the week, and almost all partying is off campus. On the weekends students want to have fun.

Alex

Throughout the week not too much goes on at all. Maybe I just didn't know cause I was locked in my room doing work. Weekends there are barely any parties except for Towers. Otherwise you have to go to South Side or Pitt. South Side is generally more personal feeling than Pitt. If you go to a Pitt party, you'll smell gross, and probably get your ass grabbed at the least. If you want to actually socialize verbally and have a good conversation, go to South Side. Duquesne in general is NOT a party school. You have to go out and find the parties or make your own fun. Another reason I left... What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking? They have a lovely arts and crafts area open to students who are ranging from 17-23!!!!!! It's really pathetic.