Current Dukie Taking Questions!!

<p>So I know when I went through the traumatizingly exciting and exhausting process that is applying to college, CC was a significant help in allowing me to make a good and informed decision on where to apply. I know I had a ton a questions about Duke and honestly still do but I'd love to help answer any that may help clear up choosing where to apply and how. </p>

<p>And please no chance me threads- rest assured there is only one yes or no that ultimately matters, and all you can do is trust you'll get the right one from the right place! For some that's Duke, for even more it's not.</p>

<p>So bombard me if you so choose!</p>

<p>A thousand likes. I’ll obnoxiously chime in as well, even though nobody asked.</p>

<p>Even though I know Duke, like every other elite school, prides themselves on ‘diversity’, how diverse is it? I’m a Hispanic from South Florida in an area where seemingly everyone is a minority (a middle-upper class public school with 55% Hispanics and 20% Blacks. wierd. i know). Will I be at all shocked or out of place at Duke?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>I know that the course load at duke is very challenging, but how doable is it really? I am hoping to go to duke for my undergrad and then go to medical school. I am worried that the curves at duke will hurt my chances. What have been your experiences with the academic rigor?</p>

<p>Could you describe the computer science department at all?</p>

<p>@Flstudent</p>

<p>Well believe it or not, I’m also from South Florida and understand the demographics you describe pretty well. I wholeheartedly believe diversity allows for unique and otherwise unapparent ideas to arise and think it CAN have a very positive impact on communities, but in high school, my experience was it all felt very contrived- it was diversity for the sake of diversity and people had no interest nor incentive of mixing with one another.</p>

<p>Duke could not be more different. Don’t get me wrong, Duke is an affluent Christian-by-tradition College in present day America. The school is predominately white, but that should come across as no surprise here or any other upper tier school in the US. I would however like to believe that everyone here has earned their spot amongst their peers, and it’s for that reason I think the diversity transcends simply black or white, etc. living together. I say this genuinely, I’ve never felt so close and comfortable with people of different ethnicities, religions, political attitudes, and what not, and I think my advice to you is that this will be the least of your worries at Duke and should not be the deciding factor in your application.</p>

<p>@jibler</p>

<p>The reality is that your applying to some of the best universities in the world, and the condition for your admission is that you will work hard and utilize all the resources at your disposal (unless of course you’re a varsity athlete but then again most varsity athletes aren’t interested in med school) but, if you’re a legitimate applicant, this shouldn’t be of any surprise as you will have to have had worked hard to get this far.</p>

<p>I think the real question you’re asking is how much work is there relative to what you’re used to and does the competition make good gpa’s harder to come by than say, your typical state school. The answer to that is entirely dependent on the major you pursue and the way you allot your time. I got the first D I’ve ever earned in my life in econ 201- yes I worked hard but yes I also invested more time in my social life. I now have an A and that’s only because I decided the tradeoff I was making was not worth it for me. I could have gone to UF, my state alternative, and I would have easily made an A and have time to do whatever else I want, but that’s a choice I made.</p>

<p>College, life, whatever else is only as difficult as you make it, and that’s a decision you make for yourself based on your own values. </p>

<p>And pre-med… good luck!</p>

<p>Sorry about the wrong response @, BUT</p>

<p>@jibler</p>

<p>I’m currently an Econ major or tentatively at least, but I am interested in adding CS as a double major. As far as describing it, I don’t know if there’s much I can say that can’t be better stated on the site for the department aside from all of my friends who have taken CS courses all have really enjoyed them. Compsci really requires such a different type of thinking that I think can have far broader benefits than the already useful ability to program. </p>

<p>I can say the University does a great job in allowing/forcing you experiment with so many different areas of academia that even should you not enjoy the CS track, you can easily pursue something else.</p>

<p>What’s your major?</p>

<p>@Crazycon</p>

<p>Economics with a likely double in Computer Science. I will pursue the Markets and Management certificate as Duke does not offer a specific finance major.</p>

<p>Oh Econ. Do you happen to know anything about the mechanical or electrical/computer engineering departments. Class sizes, course load, professor’s likability?, etc.
I am interested in both so I may double major in mechanical and cs if I get accepted.</p>

<p>@Crazycon</p>

<p>A couple of my good friends are in Mechanical. I’ll say a couple things that are entirely my opinion, and I’m sure can easily be argued against. </p>

<p>I think on average Pratt students have more intense and involving work more frequently then their Trinity counterparts. The gradreqs for Trinity are so broad that you’ll find yourself in 101’s or higher levels like psych or culanth which do not necessarily have that much work vs. the Pratt prereqs which are Math Chem etc. classes which a lot of times can be considered weedouts for their associated major.</p>

<p>I think the trend generally holds well that as you progress through the ranks of a specific department, you continue to have smaller and more personal classes. As far as likability goes, a lot of times it’s hit or miss. I think Duke has some of the greatest professors in the country, but thats not to say you won’t encounter bad ones. I can say that Dr. Gustafson, who teaches Matlab which is a prereq, is considered by a lot of people to be one of the best professors at Duke- he’s quite a character.</p>

<p>@catamount17</p>

<p>Do you know anything about the study abroad programs and how an engineer could study abroad? From what you just told me and the research that I’ve done I’d say that engineers are most likely too busy during the school year to study abroad, but do alot of engineers at Duke take the opportunity during the summer to study abroad or is it simply too much?</p>

<p>Thanks for the awesome response, catamount! Although Duke is a reach (as it is for almost everybody), I’m applying as a Computer Science major.</p>

<p>@Crazycon7826. Studying abroad as an engineer at Duke is actually really easy. About 25% of Pratt students go abroad - I went to London for a semester and was able to fulfill key requirements (an upper level life sciences, two engineering courses, and a history course). That’s one of the appealing things about Pratt vs. other engineering schools as many make it more difficult or nearly impossible. Duke encourages its students (including engineers) to study abroad. </p>

<p>You need to plan your curriculum ahead of time, but it’s really not difficult - it’s just more likely that the classes abroad will fulfill electives as opposed to Duke-specific courses, but they can still be engineering electives if you choose your program wisely. I will say that most engineers go to England, Australia, or an English-language program as taking engineering courses in another language is difficult and you aren’t required to take a foreign language as an engineer. The coursework while abroad, frankly, is an absolute joke at most programs compared to Duke. There is ample time to travel around, etc. Great experience, definitely try to do it.</p>

<p>I’ll completely defer to bluedog for that question. I have yet to study abroad, but I know Duke tailors specific study abroad programs for each of its majors or at least most of them (for example, Duke in London at LSE or NYC interning at the NYSE for econ), and the school avidly encourages everyone with interest in an abroad education to try and make it happen. If you’re still curious, I would google Duke, your prospective major, and study abroad and I’m sure you’ll find more specific information about the programs.</p>

<p>Best of luck Jibler!</p>

<p>As I’m sure you already know, the admissions office has extended the ED deadline until Nov 8. [Duke</a> Pushes Back Its Early Decision Application Deadline | Duke Today](<a href=“http://today.duke.edu/2013/10/earlydecision]Duke”>Duke Pushes Back Its Early Decision Application Deadline | Duke Today)</p>

<p>@catamount I’m applying Early Decision as well but for engineering. I know Duke will be a reach for me, but could you please tell me what I can do to really stand out to the admissions office, given only 3 weeks or so to do it in. Here are my stats. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1565095-ed-duke-university-chance-me.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1565095-ed-duke-university-chance-me.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I have a 650 for Math Level 1 and a 750 for Chemistry.According to Duke Admissions site,one can apply to Pratt even if he has Math Level 1.Should i apply to Pratt with my 650 score or apply to Trinity using my Physics 680 score?i am applying ED.</p>

<p>I would send Math I, which is a higher percentile than the physics. However, do you have higher ACT scores or coursework in those areas? I would make sure that your slightly lower scores in the math/science are offset by some other type of support in your application.</p>