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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Duke at $11.6 billion in beginning of 2025 is at number 11. UTexas system, UMichigan, and UPenn are slightly higher but their enrollment is multiple times larger than Duke. Michigan has 33k undergrads, Penn 10k and Duke at 6,800. The change in the vibe on campus has alienated lots of grads and development office privately acknowledges that trend. Same if not more noticeable at Princeton, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale. Notre Dame is a powerhouse at $20 billion and benefits as other top Catholic schools Holy Cross from a more homogeneous, continual demographic (wealthy Catholic families).

[/quote]

The vibe on campus becoming more academically intense, highly driven is a trend across most of the ivies more than it is at Duke. It is not new. The shift began around 2012. [/quote]

True. But Duke used to be different (more social) than the rest of the T10. It was part of what made it special.

But the article OP linked to above makes it clear that Duke no longer prioritizes the social skills and enthusiasm that made it desired compared to its academic peers.

At least it has [b]good weather and Nina King running a a successful athletics department.[/b] Otherwise, it may as well be Cornell (shudder) or Penn (minus Philly and the easy access to NYC) . [/quote]

Not things top students target. [/quote]

Not true.

Top students myst choose between T10 schools with equally extraordinary academic opportunities and post-graduation outcomes. Some choose strictly by the rankings. Others choose based on geography. And yes, some DO consider life outside the classroom as the tie-breaker.

This is where Duke used to be special.

The student social life at Duke was different than the rest of the T10 - kids were brilliant, driven AND social.

That said, my reference above (“at least” Duke still has good athletics and weather) was meant to be snarky.

As an alum, I’m genuinely disappointed that Duke has deprioritized strong social skills when choosing among equally brilliant kids.

So much of a college education takes place outside the classroom. And as a bonus, those social bonds in college become professional networks that last for decades. (DH and I continue to tap into our college networks for advice and connections for our children.)

Bottom line: Kids who are less able to connect with their peers detract from the overall academic experience.

Duke’s value proposition USED TO BE that it was full of “serious students” with strong social skills who knew how to connect with and enrich each other. Sad that they are now choosing a different path.  [/quote]

Perfectly said. Unfortunately the striver “merit” crowd doesn’t understand that having strong, mainstream social skills and being really smart are not mutually exclusive. Duke students were super smart but didn’t feel the need to advertise it as much as kids at other schools, and also well socialized.

I went to Duke a bit on the nerdy, awkward side, but with plenty of friends, interested in sports, concerts, etc. Four years at Duke in the 90s helped to make me more outgoing, confident, and better able to function in corporate America. I have been told repeatedly that Duke alums do well because not only are they smart but they are also fun, nice, interesting people to work with. Which is particularly relevant in client facing roles. And again, this was not just rich white people - it applied to all types of people from Duke.

Preparing to be bashed again by the know it alls who will accuse me of various sins. Whatever.[/quote]

Sorry but what exactly is nice about describing Duke students seen in a video as "not attractive at all"?   In what warped world is that nice?[/quote]

I agree that is a bit much. But even if you aren’t naturally attractive you can dress normally, act normally, etc. Control what you can control, These kids don’t do that.[/quote]

This is an honest question, but it’s probably an IYKYK thing: what is wrong with the way the students are dressed? They seem dressed normally to me. Is it that they aren’t preppy? And for what it’s worth, I would consider at least four of the students in the video as conventionally attractive.[/quote]

There is nothing wrong with the way the kids are dressed or how they look. This is what students look like unless you’re at a school with very little diversity. I would really like to see a video of all of you posting that these 19 year olds are unattractive. [/quote]

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