Duke
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Anonymous
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DC had never wanted to go to a southern school but after an overnight stay, sitting in on classes, etc, is now Duke's No. 1 fan.
I like Duke but am not overly impressed though I'm onboard if DC is admitted and still wants to attend. So Dukes and Dukettes out there...what is so great about Duke that I should join DC on the bandwagon?? |
Anonymous
| The joy of getting to cross a freeway running through campus everyday. That's something you really can only get at Duke. |
Anonymous
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I'm not sure I'd even heard of Duke until I really started looking at colleges around junior year, but I ended up falling in love with the school and choosing it for a number of reasons. I love the weather and scenery in the Carolinas (I wasn't looking for a southern school as much as wanted to avoid cold winters). I wanted a school that would be large enough to have plenty of people to interact with and small enough that I wouldn't get lost in a sea of students. I wanted a top ranked school. I wasn't certain if I'd want to stick with engineering or switch to humanities and Duke gave me both options.
DH and I met there and agree that alone was worth the tuition 
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Anonymous
| If you like Duke, check out NC at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest. I think you also find those schools attractive and obviously meeting the criteria of the Carolina Weather etc. Duke is VERY difficult to get in so you do need alternatives. |
Anonymous
| For Duke, admissions boost if child does ED and is full-pay |
Anonymous
What is ED? |
Anonymous
| ED = Early decision |
Anonymous
| Duke is great. Small, friendly, nice town, great academics. Nice that Greek life exists but doesn't rule the social scene. Freshman live in East Campus and tours don't go there. You won't hurt for a supportive alumni network if you stay on the east coast. And everyone will hate you when it's basketball season (but they are just jealous). |
Anonymous
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I have one child there now and another who graduated very recently. I agree with what 16:40 said. Both kids like the size, weather, Greek life that's not too intense, and the campus. Durham isn't as nice as Chapel Hill, however it's an up and coming town with a surpringly good assortment of fun restaurants. They enjoy the basketball team being good, although neither went to many games. It's just a fun vibe to part of though.
I'll mention something else. Duke has great resources for students and offers good financial aid! |
Anonymous
| Is it still referred to as the University of New Jersey at Durham ? |
Anonymous
Well, we were all wondering how long it would be before the thread crasher showed up. 
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Anonymous
Awww, did they turn you down? |
Anonymous
NP here. Aw, come on. That's funny! |
Anonymous
| I know a few people who did not have a great experience. It was too Greek dominated with the frats taking up the best housing and other pushed off to the far ends of the campus. All social life went through the Greeks and it was very stratified- ie these two are the best(riches kid), this one is next all the way down the line. Others have loved it. |
Anonymous
I went to Duke for very similar reasons, and also because it was the school that gave me the most financial aid, and honestly, I did not really enjoy my time there as much. A lot of this has to do with my own personality as anything else. I am a homebody and probably should have stuck closer to home. Part of my problem with Duke was the racial tension. I am surprised no one else ever mentions this. White students and black students really did not mix much socially, and even my parents noticed it when they visited campus. People did not seem to mix much with people who were demographically much different. For example, I am middle eastern and most of my friends, like me, were first-generation upper-middle class children of immigrants. Sometimes I felt like white kids on campus didn't really want to acknowledge anyone else. I've read this observation many times about many elite schools- that super-accomplished students walk in, get their outstanding credentials, and then walk out to go jump through more hoops/make tons of money, without really developing intellectually or changing their point of view in the process. I generally found this to be true. The unofficial motto was "work hard, play hard" not "think hard" or "live a good life hard." It didn't seem like a very healthy environment for young women. There were many, many girls on campus who were rail-thin, beautiful, perfectly dressed, accomplished in a million things, but there was something sad about them, like they were under so much pressure. I really didn't find the career services or academic advisement to be anything to write home about. I honestly felt that no one there who advised me actually gave two shits about me, and it was fairly obvious (i.e. no one ever followed up with me, gave any indication that they cared about me as a person, etc.). Durham was not a very interesting place to go to school. Again, I am an oversensitive homebody, but I really wouldn't send my kids there. It was a pretty campus, I made a lot of great friends that I am still friends with 10 years later, and I had a lot of career doors opened for me, but I really wouldn't go there again if I did it all over. |