<p>Thanks, splashdown94. I also want to know what is the common characteristic of Duke students and what are the specific qualities that Duke is looking for in their students (such as initiative…)?
What is more, I am interested in Sociology and Global Studies, but I’ve learned that Duke only have International Comparative Studies, so could you explain to me the difference between Global Studies and International Comparative Studies? And is Sociology a popular major in Duke?
Also, as there is no air conditioning in dorm, will it be very hot in summer in Duke?
What is the average size of class in Duke? And can everyone has a close relationship with their professors?
Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>@SichunLiu - I’m not sure how well I can answer all these questions, but I’ll try. I don’t know that there’s one “common characteristic” of Duke students, besides maybe the fact that we all work hard? I mean, I don’t really think that there’s one quality that the admissions office looks for. It’s not like they specifically sort through the applications looking for one trait, and if you don’t have it, you’re out of luck. In general, though, I would say that Duke students are hard working (like I already said), intelligent, dedicated, friendly, and service based (e.g. volunteering). So I guess that last one would be initiative.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but I don’t really know much about Global Studies/ICS. Speaking for ICS at Duke, though, I know it looks at the interconnectivity of the world and the different problems and people we happen upon in such a diverse society. I also know that ICS majors have to pick one of seven (?) regions of the world to concentrate on. I have a friend who’s in an ICS class, but I don’t know much beyond what I’ve picked up from him. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how popular sociology is as a major, but I do know that we have a Social Sciences building on campus, haha. The most popular majors at Duke are economics, psychology, pub pol, poly sci, and biology. I guess sociology is somewhat related to psych, right? But to be honest, it doesn’t really matter how popular a major is here - you’re still going to get world class professors and an excellent education, even if it’s not the most well-known subject.</p>
<p>A/C. Okay, so as a freshman, you live on East Campus. On East, there are 14 dorms. Of these 14, only 3 have air conditioning (Blackwell, Randolph, and Bell Tower). However, all dorms have an air conditioned common room where you can chill with your fellow house mates. In addition, no matter where you are, you can still get A/C if you have a doctor’s note for something such as allergies, asthma, etc. So it’s really not hard to get A/C if you want it that badly, but keep in mind that you do have to pay extra for it. I’m in a dorm with no A/C, but I have two windows and three fans in my room. And honestly? After the first two weeks of school, you don’t need A/C and it’s a waste of money (my roommate and I actually turned off our fans two weeks ago). The first two weeks are bad. That’s when everyone floods to the common rooms and gets to know everyone else. But after that it really cools off and it’s totally fine. In fact, my room temperature is perfect right now, but I was just in Bell Tower and was getting too cold. A/C is really not something to worry about. You will survive.</p>
<p>I believe the average class size is somewhere between 15-25 people. Most of the intro classes are large lectures, but besides that, most of your classes will be pretty small. Also, in the large lecture classes, they break you up into discussion groups that meet once a week with the TAs so you can still get that individual attention. Everyone can definitely have a close relationship with their professors if they want to, it just might take a little extra effort. For example, in a large lecture, go up and introduce yourself to the professor after class. Ask questions. Be engaged in class. Go to office hours. It’s easier in a small group, but the principle is still the same. YOU have to take the initiative, but if you do, there’s no reason why you should be able to get close to your professors. Also, you can always take your professors out to FLUNCH (go and eat with them somewhere), which I believe the university pays for :)</p>
<p>Hey splash, thanks for all the thorough answers. Currently Duke is near the top of my potential ED schools and I’m trying to figure out if I should apply.</p>
<p>One question is - and this might sound very shallow - is how predominant is the asian population there? I’m asian and I would like to go to a school with a decent asian population.</p>
<p>Also - what’s the social scene like at Duke? What do people most people do for fun? Are there a lot of on-campus parties? I’ve heard at some schools that since the city is so attractive, campus life is quite stale and thus school spirit is lacking. Thanks!</p>
<p>@Insightful - Ahaha, it’s actually very funny that you asked this question because it’s something that I’ve discussed a lot with my Asian friends (I’m not Asian). I have personally found that there are a TON of Asians here, or at least compared to where I went to high school. I think the actual statistic is that somewhere between 25-30% of the undergrad population are Asian, and that it’s more towards the higher end of that statistic. I’m not sure how this compares to other schools, though. I do know that there are many associations on campus for Asians, such as the Asian Student Association, and also others geared towards more specific identities, such as Taiwanese students. </p>
<p>The social scene at Duke is always going. The weekend typically starts on Wednesday, which is a big Shooters night. Shooters is this 18+ club/bar just off East Campus with a Western theme that everyone goes to, and it’s not really known for being the classiest place around. There are parties nearly everyone night, specifically from Wednesday forwards. Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be more quiet. The parties are mainly on campus, either on West or on Central. East is dry, so generally no one’s stupid enough to through a party there. The frats do have off-campus houses, but most parties won’t be there. In short, yes, there are a lot of on campus parties. </p>
<p>There are also a lot of school sponsored events that are tons of fun. The Griffith Theater in the Bryan Center shows free movies every week, and on certain Fridays that show Disney sing-alongs that are actually tons of fun (not lying). There’s also Devils After Dark on East every weekend, which mostly involves free food. They just had a chocolate fountain thing last week and it was soooo good. In addition, the numerous a cappella groups and dance groups will give showcases/performances (there are swing dance lessons every Friday), and you might even catch the odd DUI show (Duke University Improv). The school also sponsors concert series and the like. There is literally always something going on on campus, so you will have no shortage of things to do. </p>
<p>“I’ve heard at some schools that since the city is so attractive, campus life is quite stale and thus school spirit is lacking.” HAHAHAHA. Have you been to Durham? I mean, it’s not horrible, but is definitely not an attractive city. Sure, there are some things to do, but Durham is no college town. I mean, you have your malls and some good eateries and stuff, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not what comes to mind when you say “college town.” I’m fairly certain that the ratio of people staying on campus to people venturing into the city ridiculously high. Don’t worry about the social scene being stale. It’s not.</p>
<p>As for school spirit, Duke is KNOWN for having tons of it. Come visit campus some time, and if you can’t spot an exorbitant amount of people wearing Duke apparel, there’s probably something very wrong. If you want to know what I’m talking about, just YouTube the Cameron Crazies, also known as one of - if not the best - student sections in college sports. What other school has students that sleep in tents for a month to get seats at a single basketball game? #goduke</p>
<p>Duke actually has more Asians than all the Ivies which is surprising. I think its somewhere around 20% which means that Indians and East Asians are very well represented in the student body. As far as lacking school spirit, let me show you some links that should put all your doubts there to rest.</p>
<p><a href="http://www./top-ten-lists/top-10-colleges-with-school-spirit/%5B/url%5D">http://www./top-ten-lists/top-10-colleges-with-school-spirit/</a>
[Opinion:</a> College rivalries must be preserved | USA TODAY College](<a href=“USA Today Educate - Teacher & Student Resources & Guides”>USA Today Educate - Teacher & Student Resources & Guides)
[Dick</a> Vitale picks the best rivalries in college sports - ESPN](<a href=“http://espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/story/_/id/7561633/dick-vitale-picks-best-rivalries-college-sports]Dick”>Dick Vitale picks the best rivalries in college sports - ESPN)</p>
<p>Haha, thanks goldenboy.</p>
<p>Take a look at this one: [Crazie-Talk:</a> Duke vs. UNC 2011 (The Crazie Point-of-View) - YouTube](<a href=“Crazie-Talk: Duke vs. UNC 2011 (The Crazie Point-of-View) - YouTube”>Crazie-Talk: Duke vs. UNC 2011 (The Crazie Point-of-View) - YouTube)</p>
<p>Man you guys have me pumped about Duke now haha. It’s certainly moved up a lot on my list. Let’s hope I’m qualified - I really do love blue. :P</p>
<p>Btw hope you don’t mind me asking, how are the girls like there? In terms of like, looks, personality, in general, etc?</p>
<p>EDIT: Hehe I was looking through your posts splashdown and found out that you’re a girl from your Decisions post, maybe that above question isn’t suitable haha. </p>
<p>So cute how you were asking people to chance you just last year and now you’re doing this. Maybe this time next year I’ll be answer Duke question threads too :P</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your detailed answer!!!
You are such a nice guy!
I’ve decided to ED Duke, got any tips?</p>
<p>Hi another question, do you feel very much personal attention in Duke as a undergrad?
And also about the class size, I heard that some popular courses like Eco or Poli Sci. has really huge class size up to hundreds plp is that true?</p>
<p>@Insightful - Haha, yeah, I’m probably not the best person to ask about that. One thing I have noticed about the student body in general, though, is that most people tend to be fairly outgoing, friendly, and social. I think that’s about all I can say, though.</p>
<p>@kevinchen1219 - The only tips I can give you are make sure to make your essays unique. The essays are really the only things you can change about your app now; you’ve already taken the tests and earned the grades. I know it sounds cheesy, but be yourself. Really. And I know you’ve probably heard this before, but write about something you’re passionate about. Get excited. Have fun with it. Be engaging. And, if you choose to do the supplement, make sure to show admissions that you really do love Duke in your Why Duke essay. Do the research and show them you’ve done it. Don’t be cookie cutter and talk about “great academics and sports” or whatever. That’s what everyone writes about.</p>
<p>Yeah, I definitely feel personal attention. The majority of classes at Duke have around 15-25 people, I believe. And even if you are in a big lecture class, a lot of them split up into small discussion sections once a week with the TAs. Also, professors are more than willing to talk to you after class or during office hours. I think that especially in big intro lectures, it’s actually a really nice thing to go up and show them you are interested in their class by asking questions. Not a lot of people do that. </p>
<p>And yes, some courses do have very large classes. However, this tends to be the introductory classes. Once you move beyond those, class sizes will definitely shrink. I think it’s mainly because people take intro classes because they fulfill Gen Eds and don’t require a lot of in depth knowledge. So once you advance in your field of study, classes will definitely get smaller. The largest class I’ve heard of is Econ 101, which I think has somewhere around 250 students in it. But then again, Econ is also one of the most popular majors at Duke and it’s an intro course, so that’s kind of expected. I wouldn’t say that having hundreds of people in a class is true of most courses, though. I have three classes of under 20 people this semester if that tells you anything.</p>
<p>Great thread. Very informative. Questions about social life at Duke. My impression is that the social life revolves around campus, since Durham is not a college town. Is Shooters a big draw? Is there a place for not big partiers? What is a typical weekend like? How prevelant is the drinking culture?</p>
<p>@yank13 - Yes, social life very much does remain on campus. Durham is fine as a city, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just… not a college town. Shooters is… Shooters. There’s really no other way to describe it. People go to Shooters because it’s there, not because they particularly want to. I mean, I wouldn’t consider it to be a “big” draw, but a substantial amount of people (mostly freshmen) still go to it. I think a lot of people go there once just to experience it, but then they’re done with it. Once is more than enough, trust me. </p>
<p>What do you mean by “place?” Like, a physical location, or is there stuff for people to do if they don’t want to go to parties? If you don’t want to go to parties, you don’t have to go to them. Not everyone does. In fact, you can miss out on a lot of really fun events by going out every night. The school sponsors a lot of movies on the weekends at the Griffith Theater, for example, and then there’s also Devils After Dark which puts on some fun things for freshmen every weekend. It’s also fun just to chill with your friends or go to Ninth Street and hit some restaurants. And actually, Friday/Saturday night is one of the best times to stay in the dorm because the common room is usually vacated, so you can get a hold of the tv or watch a movie. It’s also the best time to do laundry because all the machines are open. So yes, there is definitely a place for non-partiers.</p>
<p>A typical weekend starts on Wednesday, which is a big Shooters night. There’s usually some stuff going on on Thursdays, but those aren’t very popular because most people have class on Friday. The “big” parties that are advertised tend to be on Friday nights. Then people usually sleep in on Saturdays and lounge around the whole day. Saturday night is also a big Shooters night, so you’ll find people there. Then Sunday rolls around and the whole school is barricaded in the library to do all their work for Monday. I mean, that’s just the typical schedule as far as the party culture goes, but for a lot of people, the weekend means sleeping and chilling in their dorm room for the whole day. It really depends on what you’re into.</p>
<p>The drinking culture is, in general, what you would find at any college. If you want to drink, you’ll be able to. That’s just the fact of the matter. If you don’t want to drink, though, that’s cool too. No one’s going to judge you for that. I mean, I really haven’t felt any pressure to go out all the time. It’s really a kind of “do what you want” place. There’s a lot of diversity here, so you’ll find many people who like to go out and party and drink, and also many people who don’t want to. There’s definitely opportunities to have a social life if you don’t drink. The social experience is what you make of it.</p>
<p>hey, splashdown 94, i’ve decided to apply ED to duke! I live in the same city as IU and I’m pretty familiar with the party/go crazy scene. I like having fun, but I’m also very serious about my education and my career. At IU, the general trend is that only Asians go to the library and most people don’t study, but party/socialize; I feel like when I talk to my friends who go to IU, they either fit into one spectrum or the other. Since Duke is a great school with great academics and awesome basketball tradition, do you guys get good grades(A’s) and still go out to parties on weekends? Thanks!</p>
<p>@pilsburydohboy - There’s one phrase that you’ll hear about Duke over and over and over again: “work hard, play hard.” And I know it sounds clich</p>
<p>hey there, </p>
<p>thanks for doing this. Just wondering, what do you know about the pre-law programs? I haven’t really seen a lot about it, and I wanted to get a student’s input on it.</p>
<p>@WiredLocke - I’m actually pre-law myself, so I hope I can adequately answer this question. There is no “pre-law” major at Duke. Because, and this is actually very truthful, pre-law majors aren’t worth anything when applying to law school. There are, however, many pre-law programs and advisors here. We have a Bench and Bar club for pre-laws, which sponsors many events and programs every month. For example, just last week there was a mock admissions panel in which admissions counselors from UMich, UChicago, and UPenn went over “applications,” and guided us through the law school admissions process. There’s another panel next week in which Deans from four top law schools (Duke, Stanford, NYU, and Cornell) will discuss “Admission to Top Law Schools and to Hogwarts.” B&B puts on a lot of great programs/panels and they also offer practice LSATs and advising. The advisors at Duke will also recommend the best classes to take for those who are interested in law school, and some of them you might be surprised by.</p>
<p>I was recently at a pre-law session, and from what I can remember of the statistics rattled off, last year, of all the graduating Duke students who went immediately on to law school, the largest amount went to Harvard. Duke is considered a “feeder school” for places such as Harvard, NYU, Boston U, Stanford, UCLA, Vandy, etc. As you probably know, all of these schools claim top law schools, so being a feeder to these schools is no small feat. Also, Duke students consistently score higher than the national average on the LSAT. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>I’m doing an overnight visit next week and I plan on visiting some classes; however, I was told next week there might be midterms in some classes. Would it be appropriate to email the professors of classes I want to visit and ask for permission to visit / see if they’re taking exams on that day? I wouldn’t want to sit in on an exam…</p>
<p>@gmichski - I’m sure that would be fine. Most professors are very good about email and will get back to you within a day. I don’t imagine any would have a problem with you sitting in on a class. My professors love to have pfrosh visit! Definitely go for it, or ask your host if he/she can hook you up with a class.</p>
<p>Thank you for doing this, splashdown94.</p>
<p>How stressful are you and your classmates finding Duke? Is it more/less stressful than you thought it would be?</p>
<p>Can you explain Duke Engage beyond the “it’s a community service opportunity over the summer”? Thank you!</p>