From a Parents Perspective

Colleges & Universities Duke University
1

<p>I just dropped my kids off at Duke and I was shocked at the experience. Prior to arrival, communication about scheduling, advisors, programs and housing were fantastic. If the guys had a question the response was amazingly prompt and helpful.</p>

<p>I expected the worst for move-in day and honestly my household of 4 doesn’t run as smoothly as the move in did. I never lifted a box- they had teams of kids unloading and hauling all of the stuff to the rooms. Yes- it’d be nice if the dorms on East campus were air conditioned but…that is the only thing I would change.</p>

<p>The campus was beautiful, the students (freshman anyhow) were enthusiastic, well-spoken, friendly and diverse! The parents were the same. The administration and profs were also helpful, enthusiastic and engaged. We spoke casually with the heads of 4 different departments. The arts, sports, and entertainment opportunities were extensive and the food was delicious.</p>

<p>My kids had the choice of all but one of the Ivy’s and today they said if they had known that the school and student body were going to be like this- they never would have given their decision to attend Duke a second thought.</p>

<p>And I left them without a tear because I felt so good about where and with whom I was leaving them. </p>

<p>Amazing graduate programs that reach out to the undergraduate population makes Duke even that more of a top rate school. Blue skies, great weather in the heart of the research triangle - wow.</p>

2

<p>As the parent of an 09 grad, I am happy for you and your children. We had a similar experience (with only one Ivy app in the mix.) My son never attached to Duke emotionally as he felt it was a reach for him…and he wisely prepared to attend colleges where he was sought after. He was shocked to be admitted and visited with apprehension in April…</p>

<p>The minute we pulled up behind his freshman dorm and we got a look at the upperclassmen waiting for him…our hearts lifted. The sophomore assigned to him actually kept up with him for the remainder of their Duke years as a mentor and friend. The roommate was a Prince of a young man…strong and good-hearted. The rest of the hall seemed to be full terrific people his age. He joined sports teams on East that were pure fun, and joined some arts programs. The faculty members teaching his FOCUS section were exceptional people who were doing fascinating things in their fields. Instead of disliking the shuttle from East to West, East turned out to be a cozy home for the class to settle into for a year, and a place they look back on fondly as they age up and out of Duke.</p>

<p>Even better, at graduation, each of his East Campus hall mates have grown into exceptional people…most of them have served abroad in some capacity or another already, most of them are now preparing for very difficult careers.</p>

<p>Duke is tough academically but undercut with high spirits, sunshine and fun. If you are into the arts, you will be surprised at what Duke can deliver. If you are into sciences, you are blessed. Duke is a wonderful college to be an alum from as well…lots of reasons to stay connected in life. The university is constantly altering and is young at heart in what we used to refer to as the New South. </p>

<p>While no college is perfect, I have to say that my son’s peers and classmates were just terrific people and he learned as much from knowing them as he did from anything else.</p>

3

<p>Faline- your posts have given me great encouragment over the last months. Everything I know about Duke I gleaned from you so thank you sooo much. I know a big part of it is that my kids are just glad to be back in such a geographically diverse atmosphere. Though we have been in NC for 7 years we lived in a smaller city, and went to a small private school and both are fabulous but very different from Chicago and Philadelphia or really any larger city. </p>

<p>So thank you for all the info that you have shared from computers to Parents weekends- you gave me a lot of the information that I shared with my kids as they made their decisions.</p>

4

<p>I really don’t post at Duke so much because of some regard for my son’s privacy…so I am surprised my old posts were helpful. Thank you for saying so. </p>

<p>My son lost his wonderful job offer October of his senior year to the recession…rescinded. Found himself unemployed at graduation.</p>

<p>He is now working in a major city…for a Duke Alum in a good transitional job as he waits out opportunities in a major downturn in the economy. I find this humbling/and am grateful and he is active in the Duke Club in this city…There are very good Duke Clubs in many major cities…the largest I believe I read…is in NYC? Then it was either Boston or San Fran…then Atlanta…so Duke is truly a national university…a downside is that the friends scatter to the winds…however we are taking son number two to his chosen college…this week…and Duke son is coming up to see Duke alum in their grad schools…and to see his brother off.</p>

<p>Best wishes to your kids as they find their own friends, mentors and corners of Duke to call home.</p>

<p>Duke is not perfect but it is a hugely fun school for your twenties and as you age up in my view…as the connections are far-flung and if you like sports…you also have teams to root for as well…</p>

5

<p>I hope your kids stay safe…</p>

<p>Shooting, robbery raise safety issues
Senior recovering from gunshot wound after Aug. 8 robbery
By: Zachary Tracer</p>

<p>A Duke senior was shot in an armed robbery Aug. 8 near the intersection of Watts Street and Trinity Avenue. Six robberies have been reported within a quarter-mile of this intersection in the last year.
Media Credit: Michael Naclerio
A Duke senior was shot in an armed robbery Aug. 8 near the intersection of Watts Street and Trinity Avenue. Six robberies have been reported within a quarter-mile of this intersection in the last year.</p>

<p>In a span of 11 days this summer, three people were attacked in two late-night incidents just 350 yards apart.</p>

<p>A senior was shot and robbed Aug. 8 as he walked home on Watts Street with his girlfriend, and a junior was robbed at gunpoint July 28 behind the East Union building, which houses the Marketplace.</p>

<p>The senior was still recovering Sunday in Duke Hospital. His girlfriend and the junior were not injured.</p>

<p>The incidents appear unconnected and occurred in an area police say is relatively safe.</p>

<p>“I think if you look at the actual crime numbers, Duke is a very safe place,” Duke University Police Department Chief John Dailey said. “People just need to be aware, and not fearful.”</p>

<p>He added that even off campus, crimes committed against Duke students are rare. And the armed robbery was the first robbery of any kind reported on East since 2005, according to Chronicle archives.</p>

<p>This year, there have been six robberies committed within a quarter-mile of the Watts Street and Trinity Avenue intersection, including these two most recent incidents. In April, a freshman was also robbed at gunpoint in the area.</p>

<p>This is also the first time a student has been involved in a shooting since January 2008, when graduate student Abhijit Mahato was killed during a burglary of his apartment. Laurence Lovette and Demario Atwater are currently awaiting trial for the crime. Prior to that, Chronicle archives do not show any record of a student being shot.</p>

<p>With students returning to campus, DUPD and the Durham Police Department will increase patrols, as they typically do at this time of year, DUPD Maj. Gloria Graham said.</p>

<p>“People really have to be sensitive to placing themselves in the position where they afford people the opportunity [to commit a crime against them],” DUPD Crime Prevention Manager David Williams said. “Be aware of your surroundings.”</p>

<p>But just as students return and patrols increase, DUPD stands to lose about 9 percent of its police and security officers. Five police officers and 13 security officers will retire by Aug. 31 as part of the University’s cost-cutting plans, said Aaron Graves, associate vice president for campus safety and security.
Continued…</p>

6

<p>trollnyc has a valid point although an obnoxious screen name.
I read much about Duke and student safety just off of campus with dismay and concern over four years time. The depraved individuals who murdered Eve Carson in Chapel Hill were also Durham residents with rap sheets and no employment. The murder of Mahato, a highly regarded graduate student in nearby off campus housing was related to the Eve Carson murder. However, I am under no illusion that the arrest of those charged in the Mahato and Carson murders means that other students are not at risk.</p>

<p>Many great universities deal with crime issues, and students were murdered at the Univ of Chicago, Johns Hopkins and other places in my recent memory. </p>

<p>Personally, I am very impressed with the proactive stance at Johns Hopkins after their students were murdered near campus a few years ago. Security measures are very tight there now and students and staff conduct themselves with much thought when they venture off campus. Campus police stations are visible and a priority. Students are not lulled into believing that they are safe. </p>

<p>Durham seems more tranquil since it is not a major city but it is not any safer than New Haven or Baltimore. It is true that drinking and walking at night put you at risk in Durham. However, a couple years ago, Duke students were held up earlier in the evening at the Whole Foods grocery store parking lot…a place many students enjoy walking to and shopping in. I believe that was at 9pm…not exactly a time when students could be blamed as being rash. </p>

<p>I opposed my son (for the only time in four years) when he wanted to rent a house near Watts with friends in Trinity Heights.</p>

<p>The Chronicle should continue to fight the reduction of Duke security staff and measures despite the recession. </p>

<p>Duke students work hard as volunteers in Durham in many many venues. My son enjoyed living in Durham despite the obvious issues. I keep hoping Duke will get more proactive about student safety. My son watched two graduate students last year go to lunch and when they returned to the library…their laptops where gone…he was studying there that day. The library is open to the public and could be better screened. You can’t leave anything anywhere at Duke like you can at other colleges and expect them to be there when you return. The campus crime reports are posted for all to see online at all colleges and I followed them, as I will at my second son’s school.</p>

7

<p>Delicious freshmen food becomes not so delicious freshmen food after eating for a month.</p>

8

<p>noobcake: Just finished creeping on your chance thread from 2007… funniest thing I ever read.</p>

9

<p>So many creepers these days; sign</p>

10

<p>I logged in to CC just now to post about our wonderful experience leaving our freshman off at Duke, only to find 2by2 beat me to it. So I’ll join the chorus instead.</p>

<p>Wow. I am so impressed with Duke. Starting from our first visit last March, through offer of admission, questions over the summer, and the fantastic pre-arrival preparations, Duke has delivered. Has any other school anything to offer that rivals The Blue Book? Not in my experience.</p>

<p>Still, I expected a bit of a cluster%&*$ on arrival, especially given the 90+ degree heat and high humidity. The level of organization was impressive, but more so were the high spirit and friendliness of everyone. The upperclass volunteers were sweating profusely, working for hours, with great enthusiasm and sincere welcome. The faculty, administration, even the Durham police on hand directing traffic were friendly and welcoming. </p>

<p>I loved the parents orientation. It struck the right tone of ‘we get your concerns, we have it under control, and it’s time for you to leave.’ Convocation was great - watching it by video conference in an air-conditioned theatre helped - and I loved the description of the incoming class. I accepted as sincere the welcome to the Duke family. I enjoyed that Brodhead said the early reviews are that the incoming class are, in addition to being high achieving and impressive, “nice people”. My experience in meeting many of my freshman’s classmates is the same - happy, smiling, open and nonpretentious.</p>

<p>I wish I could say the goodbye was without tears, at least from me, but that’s my issue, not Duke’s. I need to get a life now (or at least smother #2 who is still in HS). As for the outlook at Duke, if our experience to date is any indication, it’s thumb’s up. Well done Blue Devils.</p>

11

<p>As upperclassmen, you (family and friends) are responsible for unloading at move-in, however passers by offered assistance to us. Also, we were allowed time to park near the dorms to unload and there were moving dollies available for use. </p>

<p>Personally, I would recommend that all freshmen parents stay for Convocation if possible. I, too, felt is was sincere. My daughter’s Duke Experience started the summer before her hs senior year when we first visited the campus. From day one, everyone we encountered was helpful and friendly. She had an Ivy on her list, but Duke was always her first choice. As she embarks on her 2nd year at Duke, she still has no regrets. Echoing Faline2, being active on campus allows the students to build relationships. For my daughter, that got her through the ‘tough’ times when she became home-sick (and during 1st semester just plain sick).</p>

<p>On behalf of the Parents of 2012, 2by2 and laxtaxi welcome to the Duke Family!!!</p>

12

<p>We had a wonderful first year experience last year also. This year D got a plane ticket and a kiss at the airport, and she was gone. I know she left early because she’s doing some welcome thingy with her a capella group. Wonder how its going…</p>

13

<p>I dropped my daughter off at Duke this week and have been absolutely stunned by the number and breadth of activities offered to new students. Even as I write this, the freshman class is listening to Maya Angelou speak, after participating in an all-freshmen open house at the Nasher Art Gallery last night for the unveiling of a new Picasso exhibit. My daughter has been welcomed into the Duke community by not only President Broadhead, but also Coach K and the mayor of Durham. She is thrilled to be a Blue Devil, and the only tears I’ve shed are happy ones as I think of the possibilities that lie ahead. So far, so good!</p>

14

<p>Mother of a Duke senior here. Duke has been wonderful (not perfect, of course) for our son. He was one of the FACs (the students who help and advise the freshmen) his sophomore year. As he prepares to graduate, I am so pleased with the experiences and opportunities that have come his way because he chose Duke (and Duke chose him.)</p>

15

<p>I never visited the Duke campus before I chose to come to Duke, and honestly I have no reservations or concerns about Duke. It is honestly an amazing place. Everyone studies hard (obviously), but everyone is also friendly and supportive. There are fun activities all over the place. As I walk on the main quad on East campus I can always join in on a game of ultimate frisbee or head over to other dorms. While I find the bus system to be somewhat annoying at times, being on East campus has its benefits. I would suggest that everyone should really consider attending Duke if accepted.</p>

16

<p>haha wow, i guess things have changed since i’ve attended :slight_smile:
i was very unlucky and had a racist/homophobe roommate freshman year, he got kicked out. but mostly people are smart/great.
but there is still a disconnect between social and academic time. but things are much better than when i started! there is still a huge cliquiness. if you arent white/hetero you can feel left out, but not with most students, which is great.
have fun at duke! it can be what you make of it, despite its shortcomings</p>

17

<p>A word of warning - move in on West Campus is not so easy. You are limited to 45 minutes and you have to unload everything yourself. Many of the floors are not accessible by elevator so you find the one elevator in the dorm and take it as high as it will go. Then you have to lug everything up one or two flights of stairs by yourself. Streets on main campus are blocked off funneling all traffic to a holding area.</p>

<p>Duke does a wonderful job with East Campus move in - it should take this strategy and apply it to West Campus.</p>

18

<p>The problem with West is limited space and the broad time table. Upperclassmen can arrive any time they choose which means they all do it during the weekend. To add to that the cramped streets and parking on west and the lack of FACs, it all comes together to make move in not so pleasant. </p>

<p>Also, as far as I know most west dorms don’t have elevators. I could be wrong though.</p>