<p>Hey guys! I'm a current student, and I remember that this time last year CC was my lifeline for all things Duke. Soooo if you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. I'm just trying to give back to the website that did so much for me. Ask away!</p>
<p>Hey, slashdown. I PMed you! :)</p>
<p>Yeah, I got your message. I just replied to it :)</p>
<p>My daughter has 2380 in SAT1 and a Gpa of 3.5, Is it ok to apply ED. Her ECs are very good. Essays were worked on throughout summer and are good ,too. Has 800 in MATH2. Working on LItt for Oct.</p>
<p>What do you think motivates most Duke students to work hard in academics? The hope of making a lot of money one day or knowledge for knowledge’s sake?</p>
<p>@fatherofm - Your daughter clearly has very competitive standardized testing scores. I would be a bit concerned about her GPA; it’s on the lower side for the average admitted Duke student. Of course there’s still a good chance that she could get in, but the GPA is certainly not going to help her. The admissions process is very holistic, so it’s not only going to focus on the numbers. I obviously don’t know about her ECs/essays, so I can’t judge very well, and I’m also not an admissions officer. Just remember that Duke rejects applicants with perfect test scores and perfect GPAs. If Duke is honestly her number one choice in school, then she should definitely apply ED.</p>
<p>@tropicalslushies - Interesting question. In my opinion, it’s probably a little bit of both. Obviously we had to work hard to get into a top school, and going to a top school like Duke is definitely going to pay off in the future. However, that’s not the only reason we do it. The honest truth is that we’re all nerds here. I, for example, am in the FOCUS program, which is a completely voluntary academic program offered at Duke. You have to write four essays in order to apply for it, so you have to really want to do it. And FOCUS isn’t something that’s necessarily going to give us money in the future; it’s something we all did because we love the subject of our FOCUS cluster and want to learn more about. In fact, the other day I just sat around in the common room with several of my FOCUS cluster members and discussed something we read for class. We didn’t talk about it because we had to, but instead did it because we wanted to. I think, in short, that the reason most Dukies work so hard is because we honestly love learning, but obviously there’s still going to be some monetary motivation behind it. So I would say it’s mostly because we want want to learn, but obviously that’s just my experience, and it’s something that changes from person to person.</p>
<p>@splashdown94 I PMed you! :)</p>
<p>I got it and just replied :)</p>
<p>So Splashdown, do a lot of students sign up for FOCUS for first year. It impacts who is on your hall right? Do people stereotype the FOCUS kids? Sounds interesting to me. Assume you socialize with kids not in your study area. Say more about how it works. Does your whole group end up heading to Shooters? Thanks!</p>
<p>How justified are the following rumors?
- Duke is very cliquey.
- There is a pressure that Duke students feel to be perfect, i.e. smart, good looking, fit, popular (in the sense of having a lot of friends, not necessarily “cool” popular).
- The average Duke guy is either jock-y/d*uchey or awkward and nerdy.</p>
<p>I know that none of these apply to the overwhelming majority of the student population, but do you feel that any of these stereotypes have any justification? And if so, to what extent? I’m trying to decide between ED Duke and Penn, and some of the rumors that I’ve heard have made me more uneasy about committing to Duke than I probably should be.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi, I plan to apply ED to Duke, but I have a concern about the rural setting of Duke. Do Dukies have convenient access to shopping malls or restaurants or famous museums or even concerts? Do you have a lot of opportunity for internship there?</p>
<p>FOCUS people for each cluster are all in the same dormitory, which helps you get to meet people. If you are interested in a subject, go for it, if not, don’t. FOCUS is just two out of the four courses that you would take/semester and a weekly dinner, so do it if you like the classes. Nobody really cares if someone is in FOCUS or not. Shooters is where people go after parties, its sketchy and not that good unless you had a lot to drink. </p>
<p>Duke has its groups like anywhere would, people hang out with their clubs, sports teams, dorm members, etc so social groups form but its not really cliquy. People always strive to do and be their best, so people study and want to look presentable, but people don’t wear suits and ties and dresses and all to class just normal clothes so its not a big deal. You mentioned two different sides of the spectrum, one is on one side and one is on the other, sure there will be a few of each extreme, but most people here are in the middle and study and have a social life so thats the cool cliched saying but really true for Duke. </p>
<p>Duke isn’t rural, its in Durham which is a city. A huge city? No, but its part of the Triangle and a good size. There is a huge mall one mile away from East campus and there are a ton of restaurants within a one mile walk (really within a 5 minute walk from campus). Durham is the foodiest city in America or something like that. They have a lot of science and tech research you can participate in, and opportunities for internships over the summer, along with DukeEngage.</p>
<p>@Murphy600 - Yes, many people do choose to sign up for FOCUS. There are twelve FOCUS clusters and somewhere between 15-30 people in each cluster. That adds up to about 15-20% of the freshmen class. As patriotsfan1 said, no one really cares if you’re in FOCUS or not except for you; it’s not something that’s cliquey, but generally I think FOCUS tends to be taught by more prestigious faculty. It’s also an excellent way for you to create an individual bond with your professors, which is very helpful when recommendation letters need to be written. Basically, each FOCUS cluster has its own topic, such as medieval society or neuroscience. Within that cluster there are four seminar classes relating to the topic, and you sign up for two of them. Every week your FOCUS cluster and professors meet for dinner. Usually there’s some reading to accompany that week’s dinner, and after everyone eats, you hold a discussion on the reading. Other times the dinner will involve a guest speaker, generally from a prestigious university or company. Also, most clusters take field trips throughout the course of the semester, either abroad or domestically. It’s a great program, but only if you’re really interested in the topic. FOCUS does house together. That means that all of the people in your cluster will live in the same dorm, but not necessarily the same floor, and your roommate will probably not be FOCUS. The classes, dinners, and housing model for FOCUS insures that you spend a lot of time with the people in your cluster and get to know them very well - it really is a tight-knit group. You’ll make some very close bonds with the people in your FOCUS program. That being said, you don’t only hang out with the people in the FOCUS program. I have lots of friends who aren’t in FOCUS, and a lot of them definitely aren’t in the field of study for my FOCUS. The whole group definitely won’t go to Shooters together, but that’s not to say that a couple of you won’t go together with some other friends. FOCUS is genuinely an awesome program; I cannot speak highly enough of it. I encourage you to research the different clusters and see if there’s something your interested in. But only do it if you find something in your niche because it is a very immersive program and you will do a lot of work relating to the topic.</p>
<p>@hbprincess - I think a lot of people say these rumors because they hate Duke and want to make it look bad. Honestly, you’ll find these things at any school. </p>
<p>Cliques are bound to happen anywhere, but Duke is not particularly more cliquey than any other school. In general, I’ve found that everyone is open to meeting everyone else; we’re all pretty friendly. If you really want to meet people, then just introduce yourself and say hi. They’re not going to look at you and say “you don’t fit in.” Here’s an example: I know a girl who’s on the Duke Chinese dance team, but she’s white. The president of the same dance team is also African-American. It’s not hard to mix; it’s just people’s perceptions of cliques that prevent them from going out and meeting new people.</p>
<p>At any top university, you’re going to feel pressure. That’s just a fact. But I don’t think that pressure relates to being perfect, just in the sense that we all push ourselves to get good grades. What makes Duke really unique from every other top university, though, is that as hard as we push ourselves in school, we still know how to relax and have a good time. I honestly haven’t felt any pressure to be “perfect,” and I feel as if none of my friends have felt it as well. We all study hard, but we help each other out and have fun together. We help each other out and don’t have cut throat competition, unlike a lot of other top schools. And honestly, I think that really helps to lower the pressure level. Overall, I would say that this rumor is not true for the majority of the student body, but obviously I can’t speak for everyone.</p>
<p>This one is definitely not true. Believe it or not, most of the guys here are one hundred percent normal. I’ve met some of the nicest guys ever here, and I’ve grown really close to a lot of them. Yes, there are some jocky frat boys, and yes, there are some nerdy boys, but overall, the lot of them are super normal. If you don’t want to associate with those types of people then it’s really not hard to avoid them at all. And honestly, even those two groups of people are actually pretty nice in general. Like I said before, we all do help each other out, and I have not met a single mean person yet. It’s really not an issue here.</p>
<p>You’re going to find these three things at any school, not just Duke. They’re really not a problem here. Don’t let them scare you away from making a decision in school. On another note, I would highly recommend visiting both Penn and Duke if you have not already and if you are able to. I probably would have applied to Penn if I hadn’t visited both, seeing as I live very close to Penn. Visiting really turned me off to Penn, and visiting is really what made me fall in love with Duke. So if you’re on the fence and haven’t yet visited, I would highly recommend it. On a personal note, Duke > Penn in every way. But hey, that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>@SichunLiu - Duke is not in a rural setting. It is literally in Durham, and once you walk outside of the campus boundaries, you’ll find yourself on a Durham street. Granted, Durham is not a huge city, but there’s still enough. There are a ton of great restaurants in Durham, especially on Ninth Street which is right next to East Campus - you can see it from the Backyard. Brightleaf Square is also a very short walk from East, and they have some good places as well. Duke students also receive access to the Durham Bull City Connector, which is the local city bus. That can take you to Southpointe Mall where they have a lot of major clothing outlets, etc., and also to the American Tobacco Campus which has some nice eateries. If you’re really desperate for a good college town, the Robertson Express runs every half hour from the West Campus bus stop and takes you to Chapel Hill, which (I will grudgingly admit) is not a horrible place to spend the afternoon. Franklin Street has so many good restaurants and shops, and it’s only a half-hour bus ride away. Just make sure not to wear any Duke gear. Moving on, Duke students get a discount for productions at the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center), which hosts both concerts and Broadway touring productions. I’m not quite sure what museums are around here, but we do have the Nasher Museum of Art right on campus. And yes, Duke students have tons of opportunity for research and internships. We have a website known as “Duke List” where professors will post opportunities for students to apply to. One really cool program that I know of is Duke in D.C. which allows Duke students to intern in Washington. Another great resource is the Duke Marine Lab if you’re interested in environmental/ocean sciences or marine biology. And of course there’s always DukeENGAGE or applied summer internships. There’s plenty to do here, so you should not worry about that in the least.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the detailed response! I’ll be doing an overnight at Duke sometime soon, so that’ll hopefully lock in my decision :)</p>
<p>Great thanks to splashdown94! I do not worry about my life there in Duke any more. As I am currently writing my personal statement essay (the long one), I am making a choice between two topics, one lated to sports and the other emcee. As Duke is good at sports, does it look for students who have special talents in sports and I had better write the sport one? or should I write on any topic that best demonstrate who I am? If I emphasize sport a lot in my application, do you think it an advantage?</p>
<p>Do you think that the Duke Trust’s requirement that 15% (? not sure of this number) of Duke admits have to come from North Carolina is a drawback? I mean, really . . . . North Carolina? This is a regressive State in the South, with no history of great public education – I doubt that North Carolina really produces enough numbers of brilliant kids (many of whom go to UNC anyway) to trump what otherwise would be admissions from California, Illinois, etc. In otherwords, do you think Duke is “dumbed down” because of the preference for North Carolinians, who can’t possibly exist in sufficient numbers to meet the standards of the other admittees?</p>
<p>@SichunLiu - I would recommend writing an essay that illuminates who you are and what you’re passionate about. The goal of the admissions essays are to show the admissions officers who YOU are as a person. Mine, for example, was very informal and humorous and talked about language/writing because that’s me and what I’m passionate about. Don’t write about sports just because Duke is D-1. If sports are something that are very important to you and define who you are, then yes, go for it. But if you think there is another topic that is more important to you, then you should definitely choose the other one. While admissions is looking for a well-rounded student, emphasizing sports will not help you get in over your academic qualifications. I was involved with a varsity sport for four years in high school and I listed it on my app, but other than that I didn’t really touch on it. They’ll see that you did it and know that you’re interested in it without you writing a full essay on it. Remember, Duke is an academic institute first, and the primary emphasis is on intellectual growth and education NOT sports. Those are just an added bonus 
Hope this helps!</p>
<p>@placido240 - No, I don’t perceive this as a drawback at all. Also, I’m not quite sure that I follow your logic. Where is your proof that North Carolinians “can’t possibly exist in sufficient numbers to meet the standards of the other admittees”? Considering your numbers and the size of this year’s freshmen class, approximately 250 students are required to come from North Carolina. Are you implying that throughout the whole state, throughout all the counties and cities and school districts, there couldn’t possibly be 250 students who live up to Duke standards? Call me crazy, but I think that’s a very unlikely situation. To the best of my knowledge, there is no “set” number of people that can come from any one state. If certain people from California don’t meet Duke’s criteria, they won’t be accepted. They certainly won’t be denied admission just because a North Carolinian was admitted. So no, I don’t believe it’s a drawback, and I don’t really see that there’s anything wrong with it.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input and information bachelorphoenix. This is the first time I’ve heard of the whole “15%” thing; I was merely giving my thoughts on what now is proven to be an inaccurate and irrelevant statement. I totally agree with and support your post.</p>
<p>Hi, I’m really interested in what your curriculum is like.
How do Duke students usually have to study in the freshman year and later. I found the description on the website really vague.
Also, is course like introduction to music/composition popular for normal Liberal Arts& Science college students. I ask this because most of the LAC students do so and I want the same.
Thanks!</p>
<p>@kevinchen1219 - I’m assuming since you’re liberal arts, you would be interested in the Trinity curriculum. Basically, all Trinity students have certain Gen Eds they have to meet before they graduate. You have to take two courses in each of the five “areas of knowledge” and one to three courses in each of the six “modes of inquiry.” Basically, “areas of knowledge” consists of the subject matter and “modes of inquiry” is how you learn it. Each course you take has both a mode of inquiry and a area of knowledge assigned to it. The five areas of knowledge are 1) Arts, Literature, and Performance; 2) Civilizations; 3) Natural Sciences; 4) Quantitative Studies; and 5) Social Studies. The modes of inquiry are 1) Cross-Cultural Inquiry; (2) Ethical Inquiry; (3) Science, T echnology, and Society; (4) Writing; (5) Research; and (6) Foreign Language. In addition, as a freshman you must take at least one seminar and one “Writing 101” course (but these will count towards your Gen Ed requirements). </p>
<p>As for studying, YES, you will have to. Everyone has to study, regardless of whether or not you’re taking easy or hard courses. Duke is obviously more rigorous than high school, so it’s quite a change for those of us who never really had to work hard to get good grades. How much you have to study, though, depends on what courses you’re taking. People taking organic chem and multivariable calculus are obviously studying a lot more than someone taking, say, “rocks for jocks” (EOS 101). I guess the answer here is that you will have to study regardless of what you’re taking, but the more science/math related courses will require more effort. Courses that are poly sci, on the other hand, require more essay writing than tests. But to fulfill Gen Eds you will have to take a bit of everything, so studying is required.</p>
<p>From what I know, intro to music/composition courses aren’t really that popular for freshmen because you’re more focused on getting your Gen Eds out of the way. I’m not sure if it’s that way for upperclassmen or not, but I do know that you will have more freedom to choose what you want to take as you tick off requirements. There are definitely classes such as those though, so if you want to take them, they are available. I know of one freshmen course on jazz and the Beatles, which counts for your freshmen seminar, and I’m pretty sure that there’s a writing 101 course relating to music. So yes, they are out there for you to take if you wish.</p>