Visited - Did I just get a bad impression? - Page 3

SBR · 10-22-2009, 02:36 PM

Here's what I think:

1) "Completely school focused" <-- I won't beat a dead horse but it's a weekday. It's like visiting a club during the day and saying it's not fun...

2) Self-segregated: that's a personal choice and it happens everywhere you go unless you go to a school with no diversity. It happens at Duke, that I won't deny but just because it happens doesn't mean you have to be that way.

3) Durham sucks: It's not the best place to live, but you could do a lot worse.

4) It was a "nerd" school: again with beating the dead horse. Duke is a top 10 school that places a lot of emphasis on sending students to professional schools and other prestigious careers. You are not getting into top law/med/dental/vet/business schools or Goldman Sachs without good grades and students know that, so they do what they must to reach their goals. Plus it was a weekday during the day and they are students.

5) Not focused on undergrads: not true unless you are comparing Duke to schools without graduate or doctorate programs. As a major research university, Duke places a lot of emphasis on undergraduate education, support, and advising. Personally, I've never met anyone at Duke who is too busy to talk with an undergrad.

6) Not a "southern school" whatsoever: that's because it's a diverse national university. Just like if you went to Atlanta, you won't really feel like you are in the south (except for the weather). Also, what is your definition of a "southern school?" People with strong southern twang walking around in overalls, plaid shirts, and straw hats chewing tobacco and eating chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes?

Cuse0507 · 10-22-2009, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Also, what is your definition of a "southern school?" People with strong southern twang walking around in overalls, plaid shirts, and straw hats chewing tobacco and eating chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes?

Southern school=huge (traditional) greek scene, football, dressing up (guys wearing ties and girls wearing sundresses) for football games, Bojangles, camo, and Southern Tide.

Duke isn't a southern school. It might seem lie it to a non-Southern observer, but it really is more of a Northern school with a southern location.

SBR · 10-22-2009, 05:31 PM

I wouldn't call it a northern school per se....there's a pretty strong Cali contigent also.

Duke isn't really in the deep south so maybe the southern flavor isn't as strong as say...UGA...

laxtaxi · 10-22-2009, 05:44 PM

OP - Your "starting over" is well-stated and far less-offputting. Nicely done. The tenor of the posts that follow it I'm sure are far more helpful than what you got the first time around! FWIW, I agree with all the posts that follow your do-over.

wjhsxc · 10-23-2009, 12:21 AM

I second the UNC suggestion
almost everything the OP has said fits carolina to a t

originpranks · 10-23-2009, 11:46 AM

Truth is, those "nerds" and "Asian computer nerds" are the ones that set the curve in exams, and it's the same story for pretty much every school in the top 10~15. You don't usually see "smart football players" or "smart jocks" setting the curve in say, an econ or a polsci exam (altho I don't wanna get too stereotypical here).
And you visited Duke during MITERMS. Seriously, do you expect everyone to walk around the campus with a can of Coors the day before an exam? Sure, Duke students party hard but that's in comparison to some of the Ivies and equivalent schools. There is no doubt that it's more "fun" than say Cornell of U of Chicago, but that doens't mean we pregame midterms (well not all of us at least) or get high at like 1pm during the midterm week.

You want "smart, but not too smart people" <-- you are kidding me, right? You are saying you are considering Duke when you feel uncomfortable around "too
smart people"? There is a reason that Duke is a solidly "top 10" (although I really don't like this phrase) school that ranks like #5 or sth in the # of kids that it sends to the very best law/med/business schools. You can't expect a school full of "smart, but not too smart people" that are just barely above average to be heavily recruited by big ass firms like Goldman Sachs and Bain.

And about you being worried that you will feel out of place- Duke has like 6500 undergrads. Almost everyone can find their own niche wen they are surrounded by 6499 other people. Sure, it's a diverse school with many "Asian computer nerds" that you seem to look down upon, but heck Duke is like #13 or sth in world university rankings. It draws students from all over the world. You might find comfort in that Duke is probably a little less diverse (both in numbers and in atmosphere) than other schools at its level- Columbia, Penn, Cornell, etc.

If hot girls, people having fun during the midterm week, and jocks are that important for you, seriously, just check out U of Arizona or sth.

koolaidmom · 10-23-2009, 03:16 PM

I have two kids at Duke. One is a freshman and one is a sophomore. I actually was worried last year that my child was partying way to much. This year she's down to 3 times a week. Of course there are people there who go out much more and much less than that. At any of these top schools, if you want to be successful academically you have to put in the time.

You can, however, have fun. My sophomore is in club sports, a sorority and a variety of other activities. Some of her friends sing, act, or play instruments. College is what you make of it.

By the way, both my kids are girls are they are very pretty. If you're looking for "Southern" than Vandy is much preppier but Duke is a very good, fun school. As a matter of fact, many of my kids friends from UNC and NC State come to Duke all the time for tailgate.

Just FYI

traveler123 · 10-25-2009, 02:29 PM

Duke is a terrific school for a wide variety of students, but it doesn't sound like the right choice for the OP. We're lucky to have so many different choices here in the US; find one that fits your version of "right" for you. Some options to consider might be Wake Forest, Baylor, Arizona, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia.

Ringgold · 10-26-2009, 02:09 PM

Well, according to my niece, Duke University is a hotbed of radical Christian Conservatives and she wishes she had gone somewhere more liberal. So, it appears that Duke has many, many faces to each and every student.

The Class of 2013 is 45% minority - so Duke does has a very diverse population and the largest number of admits were from California.

One visit is not enough to base a decision on, but sometimes that is all that one has. So, if you do apply and are accepted another trip during Blue Devil Days is called for. But after reading these posts if you decide not to apply I certainly understand why.

SBR · 10-26-2009, 02:25 PM

Ouch Ringgold, while there is a fine line between school pride and intolerance, basing decision on these posts would be a terrible idea.

Posters on CC is a self-selected population to begin with, to add to that, such a sensitive topic, you are bound to have some radical opinions being aired. But to based application decisions off that? I'm speechless...

As for hotbed of radical Christian Conservatives, evangelical organizations certainly have a large presence on campus, but I would just note that I've never felt them to be pushy or intolerant. I have many friends in IV and Cambridge and none of them have ever pestered me to join after my initial refusal. You make it sound like Duke is a breeding ground for the next wave of crusaders or something

mam1959 · 10-26-2009, 03:58 PM

My brother was an All American athlete at UNC, and a Phi Beta Kappa student to boot.

Although he had a jock like personality like the initial poster, he was serious student and went on to a PhD in econ from a top graduate school.

His main complaint about UNC was that he had far too peers. As good a school as UNC is, he had to work to find a core cadre of very bright (in today's terms, 2300 and over SAT types) to hang with. He was a Yankee, too - with a sharp edged personality - made it harder to fit in.

He married a Duke grad, and dated quite a few too. I was not in the least surprised.

I find it hard to believe that the original poster is concerned about having enough fun at Duke. Walk through west campus at 3 pm on a typical Friday. It is hard to even hear yourself breathe because of the noise.

There are two problems with Duke (I am an alum and was also a serious athlete). First, it is not a great place for poor students - don't let anyone tell you otherwise. That is a real issue if you are poor (I can attest). Second, the practical problem is the opposite of what the original poster is worried about. It is too easy to get distracted from studies. Now, this doesn't mean distracted to the point of failing out - but to tackle the most difficult curricula at Duke and do well there is no easy feat - and it takes discipline. I knew I was getting the most out of school when, after coming in from athletic competitions late Saturday evenings, I often went to study in an empty classroom on East Campus so I could get a leg up on Sunday's work - a crucial catch-up study day for an athlete. And I was no nerd - I could have fun with the best of them - but the education was invaluable, and I had to attend to it.

I have a daughter now at Princeton. They profess to work hard and play hard there. But Dukies work just or almost as hard and play even harder.

Maizeeagle86 · 10-26-2009, 09:31 PM

I've decided to apply ED.

I think this thread has solved all of my concerns (which don't get me wrong, weren't a HUGE deal, just things that I didn't expect).

Cuse0507 · 10-26-2009, 10:02 PM

Quote:

I've decided to apply ED.

My condolences. Good luck, though.

mafool · 10-27-2009, 04:33 PM

mam1959- there are soo many students on financial aid at Duke now that I don't think the money thing is as big a deal as it may have been in our day. Yes, there are trust-fund babies and people with wads of disposable cash. Our son does not have access to that kind of money; he earns his spending money during the summers. Our finances have improved since he started 3 years ago and I can now afford to help with some expenses, but he never felt marginalized because he couldn't go on European ski trips, eat at Washington Duke, or such. Perhaps it helps that he did not go Greek; I think there are some expenses associated with that.

mam1959 · 10-28-2009, 10:28 AM

mafool - I am aware that more financial aid students are attending Duke.

It is still not an easy place for a poor person. Virtually none of the top schools are.

I would have far it easier socially at, let's say, a University of Michigan, with a number in-state students on a budget and an athletic department (I went to Duke on athletic scholarship) habituated to lots of run of mill the public school kids (my own team had lots of prep school athletes).

This is not a reason to refrain from going to Duke or any top school. But if poor, one must be prepared to follow the beat of your own drum, and not be concerned with the social habits of the rich.