<p>To elaborate:</p>
<ol>
<li>How far is Chapel Hill from Duke?</li>
</ol>
<p>Very close. It’s maybe 15 minutes max driving and 20-30 minutes riding the Robertson bus. That bus is amazingly convenient. People use it all the time (I would be dead without it!) It runs every half an hour during the daytime and every hour during the evenings, every day.</p>
<ol>
<li>How diverse is the campus?</li>
</ol>
<p>See numbers for class of 2011: “Asians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders constitute 28.4 percent of the student body. Black students made up 9.3 percent, Hispanic students 5.9 percent and other minority students 0.2 percent.”</p>
<ol>
<li>Is it true that the students segregate themselves based on race, wealth, whatever?</li>
</ol>
<p>I don’t think the segregation/clique problem is particularly bad at Duke, especially relative to northern schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Face it, there will always be a wealthy elite at the top schools. At Duke, wealth-based segregation is not a noticeable problem, although some aspects of Greek life could be said to be connected to wealth (eg, certain sororities and fraternities are associated with “money,” and dues for many Greek organizations are considerable). It’s really not bad, though. Greek organizations here are definitely much more open than they are at other schools–UNC is a good example of a school with a relatively exclusive Greek culture.</p>
<p>Aside from money and Greek life, people talk about racial segregation a lot at Duke, especially Asian “self-segregation.” I myself don’t really consider this to be a huge problem. Most Asian students I know associate with all types of students. The Asians who do mostly associate with each other are often internationals. I consider that to be understandable and not unnatural. People here aren’t racist, so it’s not Duke’s fault that these students tend to self-segregate based on race. It’s mostly their personal choice. That said, I think the relationship between black and non-black students here could be improved. I have heard my black friends complain that they don’t feel part of the University. Thankfully, there are several prominent black organizations on campus that are helping to break down the problem.</p>
<ol>
<li>How can you describe the students there? Snotty, they flaunt their intelligence, show-offs, kind, etc etc…</li>
</ol>
<p>I would never call Duke snotty. People at Duke are smart, but you will always find someone here smarter or better than you in some way. I am constantly surprised and humbled by the strength of Duke’s student body (so many valedictorians/high SAT scores/amazing leaders). Because so many top students go here, show-offs and snobs are rare. I also find that Duke students are very driven and ambitious. Duke prides itself on its enviable med/law/business school placement rates. This isn’t to say that Duke isn’t intellectual–it definitely is. But Duke students have goals.</p>
<p>Instead of snobbery, perhaps because we are in the South, Duke students share an amazing sense of community, warmth, and enthusiasm. It helps that our athletics aren’t half bad. Basketball creates a great sense of school spirit, but that’s not it. Wait till you get here and experience a Duke tailgate. Our football team sucks, but tailgates are still some of the best-loved events of the fall. Everyone has a lot of fun.</p>