This info is outdated by several years. All of the East Campus dorms have air conditioning now, though most of the older ones have window units or floor units for the time being since Duke can close and renovate only a couple of dorms at a time.
To clarify the “away from campus” statement for OP who hasn’t visited, Duke technically has only one contiguous campus, but traditionally Duke’s campus has been divided into three parts:
[ul][li]West Campus (sophomore-senior dorms, most academic classrooms, the Chapel, K-ville, etc.)[/li]
[li]East Campus (freshman dorms, the arts library, the music building)[/li]
[li]Central Campus (formerly apartments for juniors/seniors, now being demolished)[/ul][/li]Several important buildings are between East and West Campus, including the art museum, the center for Jewish life, and the gorgeous new arts center (opened 2018), so many students travel regularly between campuses even as upperclassmen.
The freshman dorms are about a 30 minute walk or ~10 min bus ride from most of the academic classrooms on West Campus. East and West campus have their own gyms, dining facilities, libraries, etc., though students can use the facilities on either campus. East Campus is a completely dry campus, whereas West Campus is a wet campus (Duke would rather have students drink safely on campus than drink and drive).
@drivesuccess I really like Durham and enjoy visiting when I can, although I’ll admit it’s undoubtedly more appealing to grad students and young professionals than college students. In any case, keep in mind that Duke students are not limited to Durham. Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Raleigh, etc. are all easily accessible and offer more than enough to keep you busy for four years.
For what it’s worth, I was an extremely liberal, queer kid from a poor family and found some great friends at Duke and loved my four years there. It’s gotten more progressive over the years and is a VERY different place from the Duke of 20 years ago.
I was an independent at Duke and never felt any pressure or desire to join Greek life. If you do decide to consider rushing, note that not all frats are the same. I spent one year living down the hall from a frat that left the quad littered with solo cups and trash every weekend, while another year I lived downstairs from a frat that spent way more time playing video games, grilling, and playing frisbee and threw only one or two parties the whole year.