Looking for info about Wake Forest and Duke social climates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for Davidson.

What is the social life like there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Interesting thread! A few have asked why the geographic restriction. We are a small and close knit family, DS is not very independent yet, and I think he feels more secure knowing he would be a car ride away if he wanted to come home for a weekend. So it will take a very special school to get him on a plane, at least at first.

I have always thought Chicago could be up his alley, but I have heard bad things about the neighborhood (like students getting mugged) .

Hyde Park is a perfectly decent neighborhood-I lived there for seven years. And Midway to BWI is a cheap and easy flight. I'll admit to be biased toward UofC, because my time there was such an intense intellectual experience. They pushed me to make my mind do things that I never thought I could do. I had always been sort of depressive, but that changed for me at UofC, and I realized that I just needed to be completely intellectually engaged in order to be happy. It's not for everyone, but if he is the type of student who would thrive at UofC, it would be sad to send him to a place like Davidson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Interesting thread! A few have asked why the geographic restriction. We are a small and close knit family, DS is not very independent yet, and I think he feels more secure knowing he would be a car ride away if he wanted to come home for a weekend. So it will take a very special school to get him on a plane, at least at first.

I have always thought Chicago could be up his alley, but I have heard bad things about the neighborhood (like students getting mugged) .

Hyde Park is a perfectly decent neighborhood-I lived there for seven years. And Midway to BWI is a cheap and easy flight. I'll admit to be biased toward UofC, because my time there was such an intense intellectual experience. They pushed me to make my mind do things that I never thought I could do. I had always been sort of depressive, but that changed for me at UofC, and I realized that I just needed to be completely intellectually engaged in order to be happy. It's not for everyone, but if he is the type of student who would thrive at UofC, it would be sad to send him to a place like Davidson.

wow, what's the rap against Davidson? What a strange comment.

[Anonymous]

Went to Wake. It is a true Southern school. Duke is Yankee school in the south.

Probably more dweebs at Duke than Wake. Wake would probably have more social pressure to fit in with all their Southern high culture events.

[Anonymous]

wow, what's the rap against Davidson? What a strange comment.

Not PP, but I don't think so. The culture is different at Davidson (or Duke, or Wake Forest, or Vanderbilt) than at Chicago. It doesn't mean the kids at Davidson aren't smart, and that it isn't a great school. Just totally different vibe than Chicago socially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Went to Wake. It is a true Southern school. Duke is Yankee school in the south.

Probably more dweebs at Duke than Wake. Wake would probably have more social pressure to fit in with all their Southern high culture events.

+1
I went to Duke

[Anonymous]

I toured Davidson and chose Duke (Don't hold my bad grammar against the place; I'm not feeling well today). This was a while ago, but Davidson seemed like a very nurturing place. The people I met there seemed kind, and they seemed to understand that the students were still kids and needed a bit of guidance. It seemed like one big family. If I remember correctly, they said that if you leave your purse anywhere on campus, it will still be there when you come back for it. I didn't find Duke to be a kind place. For example, people were purposefully mean to other people to try and gain social standing. Maybe that's a NYC thing or something, but it wasn't really my speed. I ended up finding some good friends, but I don't have it on the short list for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went to Wake. It is a true Southern school. Duke is Yankee school in the south.

Probably more dweebs at Duke than Wake. Wake would probably have more social pressure to fit in with all their Southern high culture events.

+1
I went to Duke

Agree totally!

[Anonymous]

I went to Wake too. What are these southern high culture events you reference? Frat parties don't count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I toured Davidson and chose Duke (Don't hold my bad grammar against the place; I'm not feeling well today). This was a while ago, but Davidson seemed like a very nurturing place. The people I met there seemed kind, and they seemed to understand that the students were still kids and needed a bit of guidance. It seemed like one big family. If I remember correctly, they said that if you leave your purse anywhere on campus, it will still be there when you come back for it. I didn't find Duke to be a kind place. For example, people were purposefully mean to other people to try and gain social standing. Maybe that's a NYC thing or something, but it wasn't really my speed. I ended up finding some good friends, but I don't have it on the short list for my kids.

I wish I had gone to a place like Davidson. Duke seems to be a place where people are hung up on social status - jocks, frat douches, lacrosstitutes, beautiful people, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

wow, what's the rap against Davidson? What a strange comment.

Not PP, but I don't think so. The culture is different at Davidson (or Duke, or Wake Forest, or Vanderbilt) than at Chicago. It doesn't mean the kids at Davidson aren't smart, and that it isn't a great school. Just totally different vibe than Chicago socially.

I've known several boys who went to undergrad at Chicago. Smart but very weird, all had long hair and did lots of drugs. Definitely for kids marching to a different drummer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

wow, what's the rap against Davidson? What a strange comment.

Not PP, but I don't think so. The culture is different at Davidson (or Duke, or Wake Forest, or Vanderbilt) than at Chicago. It doesn't mean the kids at Davidson aren't smart, and that it isn't a great school. Just totally different vibe than Chicago socially.

I've known several boys who went to undergrad at Chicago. Smart but very weird, all had long hair and did lots of drugs. Definitely for kids marching to a different drummer.

I've also heard a lot of stories about drugs at Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

wow, what's the rap against Davidson? What a strange comment.

Not PP, but I don't think so. The culture is different at Davidson (or Duke, or Wake Forest, or Vanderbilt) than at Chicago. It doesn't mean the kids at Davidson aren't smart, and that it isn't a great school. Just totally different vibe than Chicago socially.

I've known several boys who went to undergrad at Chicago. Smart but very weird, all had long hair and did lots of drugs. Definitely for kids marching to a different drummer.

This is so funny; it made me laugh. I was on the UofC campus last fall for a wedding and the kids look pretty much like kids you'd see at any other comparable campus -- e.g., they looked a lot like the students at Columbia, where my son goes to school. It's true that there are lot of kids at UofC who are quirky (I mean this in a good way -- original thinkers who pride themselves on that), and that pretty much every kid there is passionate about learning, but the school has changed a lot in the past 10 years. The switch to the Common App and a major marketing campaign has raised its profile and increased applications dramatically. As a result, some alumni actually feel that it's become too much like its competitor schools.

[Anonymous]

Op drop the distance thing and find the right school. He will have to grow up and do things on his own. If he does not want frats, look over sea in the UK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
wow, what's the rap against Davidson? What a strange comment.


Not PP, but I don't think so. The culture is different at Davidson (or Duke, or Wake Forest, or Vanderbilt) than at Chicago. It doesn't mean the kids at Davidson aren't smart, and that it isn't a great school. Just totally different vibe than Chicago socially.


I've known several boys who went to undergrad at Chicago. Smart but very weird, all had long hair and did lots of drugs. Definitely for kids marching to a different drummer.


I've also heard a lot of stories about drugs at Chicago.

Yes anything that is not in the south is bad. I see your point b/c southern frat schools never do drugs.