Cornell vs. Duke - which is more selective?

warblersrule
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:53:39 +0000

I’ve heard rumors of Durham being a “dangerous” city; is that necessarily true?

Well, that depends.

If you’re walking around Durham during the day, even by yourself, you’re likely to be perfectly fine. I walked several blocks off campus every other day one semester to meet with an emeritus professor for an independent study, and people in their yards or on their porches would always wave and say hello (one thing I’ll miss about leaving the South…). If you’re walking around Durham at night, try to stay with a group and out of the sketchier areas. Generally this is also not an issue. If you’re walking around Durham by yourself at night – YES, that is dangerous. Not much happens except muggings, but it can still be rather unpleasant. You are, with the exception of a few places on Central at night by yourself (which has improved recently), perfectly safe on campus at all times. Most of the reports you hear from Duke police are about people wandering off campus by themselves at 3 AM.

I went to school in Durham for four years and am in my second year of graduate study in a far more “dangerous” city. I have found both to be surprisingly pleasant places, and I’ve yet to be mugged, stabbed, shot, poisoned, ambushed by vampires, etc.



Which one would you prefer?

Alexandre and collegehelp are Cornell alums; oldfort is a Cornell parent. Monydad is both a Cornell alum and parent. Harambee is a Duke student, I’m a Duke alum, and par72 is an unaffiliated Duke fan (he has good taste ;)).

While CC is a very helpful resource, remember to consider the source and take all posts, including this one, with a thoughtful portion of salt.