Current Students: What Distinguishes Duke?

<p>Its in such poor taste to bring up something that was said in 2006 after the scandal, specially when this thread does not concern you in the slightest. I would really like to meet with you in person and give you a piece of my mind, you are appalling.</p>

<p>It is not my intention to offend anyone–it is just wrong to suggest that Durham, or the Research Triangle for that matter, is a positive component of the Duke undergraduate experience. In fact Durham is considered a negative for most students who attend the school, and the Duke-Durham relationship has been strained for decades, pre-dating the lacrosse scandal. Duke is a great place, and provides a great undergraduate life for students who want a college bubble experience–in fact, few places can rival the Gothic Wonderland in terms of idyllic college campuses–but all prospective students should be aware that the neighboring environment plays no real positive role in the lives of Duke students–it is not the same as going to college in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, or even places like Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, or Ann Arbor.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the replies! Just curious, is Duke very cliquey? Is it a place where international students can be an active part of?</p>

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It’s been a while since hoyasaxa last prodded some buttons on the Duke forum.</p>

<p>Duke students are actually very involved in the broader community. Off the top of my head, I can think of:</p>

<p>– An animal care group volunteering at the local animal shelter
– SAT tutoring for local high school students
– Science majors going into local schools to educate about science
– LGBT students going into local schools to spread awareness
– A student group dedicated to improving local neighborhoods
– A student group that raises money to end hunger in Durham
– A Duke chapter of Habitat for Humanity (also a pre-orientation program)</p>

<p>I’m sure there are many more. </p>

<p>Durham is not an ideal college town, it must be admitted. It has many weaknesses, among them a relatively high crime rate and inefficient public transit. There is certainly a great deal more tension between Duke and Durham than between NCCU and Durham. At the same time, however, the tension and negatives of Durham are somewhat overblown. I was in Durham during the Lacrosse hoax and for several years after; Duke’s relations with Durham have steadily improved. People in the local community are happy to work with Duke students on projects, and I always found Durham residents extremely friendly. As one example, one semester I had an independent study with an emeritus professor, and I had to walk to his house about a mile off campus every other day. I always passed and greeted a woman working in her front yard along the way, and one day in October, when it was absolutely disgustingly hot and humid outside, she offered and made me a glass of iced tea. This sort of hospitality is virtually impossible to find in a city like Boston or DC. </p>

<p>Yes, the Research Triangle is a bonus. It is a hub of technology that draws people from across the region (and outside it). Research is not limited to technology, however, and things like the National Humanities Center (similar to the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton) are also located in the Research Triangle. </p>

<p>The Triangle area is one of the [top</a> 10](<a href=“http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/real_estate/1103/gallery.Fastest_growing_metro_areas/4.html]top”>10 fastest-growing cities - Raleigh, N.C. (4) - CNNMoney.com) most rapidly growing parts of the country and has been ranked a very good place to live – sample honors include #3-4 for jobs and businesses (Forbes), the “foodiest” small town along with Chapel Hill (Bon Appetit), #1 place to retire (Money Magazine), #7 best place for college students (American Institute for Economic Research), etc.</p>

<p>[Duke</a> and Durham Rank Among the Best in the World | Duke & Durham](<a href=“Durham, Our Hometown - Duke Undergraduate Admissions”>Durham, Our Hometown - Duke Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

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Not as enjoyable, perhaps, but I would not say that nerds can’t enjoy Duke. I was pretty much a nerd in high school and was bent on getting into/attending Chicago. I wound up choosing Duke for various reasons, and I enjoyed my time there a lot. It’s large enough that most people can find their niche. I will admit that Duke is a very social school, however, and if you insist on staying in the library 24/7 (which some do), you’ll be missing out on a lot. I think Duke is a good thing for most of the nerds/bookworms who attend, as they are encouraged to expand their horizons (academically and socially) and improve their social skills, something vital for the real world.</p>

<p>The ACB thing really isn’t true–no one really cares about the rankings. One of my friends in a frat was “hired” to be the “collegeacb guy” (a joke position of course) and he wrote a few posts making his frat seem good, claiming he was a sorority girl. It was actually quite funny and not at all serious.</p>

<p>As for the topic at hand, Duke is awesome because it’s a research heavy school that cares a lot about its undergrads. There are tons of things to do on campus and it’s really easy to get involved with research (most of my engineer friends do really cool stuff). I came unwilling to join the party scene, and it was ridiculously well-received. While frats may “dominate” the social life, I’ve managed to have a great time without really getting involved with them.</p>

<p>You’ll find tons of school spirit here, people are generally really happy, the weather is great, and yeah, the basketball is awesome. I’ve found that the kids are a lot less intense than at other top schools, and it leads to a pretty relaxed feeling across the campus.</p>

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<p>This. 100%. I definitely felt an increase in my social skills over the past two years as I interacted with more and more Duke students.</p>

<p>ACB doesn’t exist anymore. Noone has posted on that in years. There are no “committees.”</p>

<p>I’ll concede that for whatever reasons ACB heated up in december and january with rush, but that is literally the only time. I was around when Juicy Campus was where it was at, and it was hugely popular; however, these sites were clearly run by small groups of sophomores that are much lest prevalent. A lot of the stuff is actually kids’ friends messing with each other trying to be funny. There CERTAINLY was some mean spirited, and messed up things said about one another, but go look at Cornell, it certainly was no better. Juicy Campus/ACB/blipdar are done and won’t be an issue in the future. The people who do actually post are 100% underclassmen. Freshmen that think they’ll run ****, or insecure sophomores. Seniors (guys at least) and to less extend juniors simply don’t care in my experience.</p>

<p>it’s important to note that for quite a long time, a solid group of people (or a few VERY dedicated individuals) spent a Lot of time spamming posts off. For every 5 real posts, there were Easily 100 posts that just said SPAM, or STOP, or GET OFF ACB too try to make the “experience” too frustrating for people to navigate. That 5000 number is probably very inflated.</p>