Do Duke Students hang out in Chapel Hill/Raleigh (Social Life)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
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<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Im a senior in high school and am applying ED to Duke but my one biggest turn off is Durham itself. I pretty much love everything else about Duke but to give you an idea on my other top schools (Tulane, Northeastern, UNC, Michigan) they seem to have great college towns or city's easily above Durham (not that durham is horrible but y'know). </p>

<p>So my question is i guess, is that offset or balanced by the fact that Duke students do leave campus to hang out at UNC chapel hill or Raleigh and so on. How often would students do so, or any other information along those lines. I am a pretty social person and coming from Europe drinking is a big part of social scene, but just socialising overall is important to me. Do most Duke students ever get bored on campus from the party scene or cultural events?</p>

<p>Thanks!!! :3 </p>

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<p>No, there is way too much to do on campus to ever get bored. And, honestly, while Durham doesn’t have the greatest reputation historically, it is actually a very nice a livable city with a lot to offer. There is a surprisingly diverse and upscale dining scene as well as several bars/clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters, historical sites, activities, sporting events, music venues, etc. And there are great weekend getaways to the ocean and the mountains not far away. This is coming from somebody who has lived in Chicago, DC, and London for long periods, so I understand large cities and what they have to offer.</p>

<p>Downtown Durham has really gone through a re-vitalization and they’ve turned a lot of the old warehouses into hip places – it’s a regular Brooklyn. :wink: But, seriously, most people come to Duke thinking Durham is the pits and the worst part of Duke University, but most students by the end grow to like it, experiencing a pretty good college town that caters to the university with plenty to do at a relatively affordable price. It isn’t NYC, but it’s not Lawrence, Kansas either. And you spend the vast majority of your time in college on campus anyways (and that’s what makes it a great community) that I think that having a good city at the expense of the community isn’t worth the tradeoff. I personally prefer Durham to Chapel Hill – much larger, more diverse, more interesting.</p>

<p>I would say that the vast majority of students go to Raleigh or Chapel Hill not very often at all, but there are exceptions and you could easily go every weekend if you wanted. I certainly would run errands to Target/Wal-Mart and check out some restaurants in between Durham/Chapel Hill (and occasionally Raleigh), but really only went to downtown CH/Raleigh a couple times a semester probably. It’s pretty accessible, though, if you prefer those towns. Chapel Hill is more of an upscale suburb than a city, but I realize has a very large student base so certainly has establishments to meet the wants of the students there. </p>

<p>I’d agree that Ann Arbor is a better college town than Durham, but the weather in North Carolina MORE than makes up for that shortcoming – way more time to enjoy the sun, play sports, have BBQs, etc. at Duke than UMich. To me, that makes a larger difference in one’s enjoyment / happiness / college experience than having a few more bars to go to (plus, Durham has places that let everybody in despite not being 21 – just aren’t technically allowed to drink – while Ann Arbor/Boston/Chapel Hill are exclusively 21+ at their bars). Same with Boston – a much larger city with a TON to do (I’ve worked in Boston extensively on projects) – but perhaps at the expense of some college community, WAY more expensive (so how much can you really do as a college student?), and not as nice weather, and no beach or mountains that close (I guess the Cape…).</p>

<p>To sum up, I think you’ll find Duke offers more than enough to do and Durham turns out to be a pretty decent place once you give it a shot (I chose Duke over Penn, Columbia, Michigan, so certainly saw the allure of cities with perhaps a better reputation, but thought Duke outshone it in other areas). Hope that helps. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Ahh thanks bluedog perfect!!! Thats exactly what i needed to hear aha :)</p>

<p>And of course If I get in I wasnt planning on spending all my time outside of Duke. I picked Duke as my favorite school for so many reasons, this was just my biggest worry which in all honestly wasnt that big of a factor overall compared to my other criteria for a great school. But hopefully you understand, even though you have to take everything with a grain of salt on the internet there are always different views and even though some are obviously untrue it can make you think… But i will say i do plan on going out to scout out Chapel Hill once or twice while im there, a scene change can always be fun sometimes!</p>

<p>Anyone else have a different opinion or anything to add? to me it seems that all Dukies love it for great reasons and on the surface seems almost perfect. </p>

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<p>Durham is gradually transforming into one of the most vibrant cities in America. The restaurant scene is already excellent, and there are sure to be more opportunities for entertainment in the coming years. </p>

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<p>Durham has massively improved in the last 10+ years. Who could believe ten years ago, for example, that the New York Times would rate it as the “Foodiest City in the South”? And, yes, Dukies are frequently are found socializing in Chapel Hill (we only request you don’t adopt any of UNC’s “ethical” habits :wink: ). Trust me, @Minitanks‌, if you’re (fortunate enough) to join Duke '19, the LAST concern you should have is inadequate things to do – cultural, educational, athletic, social and recreational opportunities – with our campuses, Durham and Chapel Hill all readily available (I like Raleigh, too, but it’s not less popular a destination). </p>

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<p>Thanks so much guys! But yeah this is really good to hear, and I hope so much I can get in to Duke I absolutely love it. that being said I love the rivalry of UNC vs Duke and can’t wait (I’ll even admit that UNC is tied for 2nd favorite school and I already applied Early Action) for the Cameron Stadium moments and all that jazz with burning benches, K-Ville arrgh i cant wait :3 </p>

<p>You guys have made my choice a lot easier and combined with other choices and events that literally all happened today I have no more second thoughts.</p>

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<p>Yeah, if I can pitch in, I have a good friend who attends Duke. He says that the campus is always vibrant and active with plenty of activities and action. He says, that while Durham isn’t NYC or LA, Durham has plenty of great restaurants and activities as well. He says one perk about Duke, unlike some other schools, is that it provides a great atmosphere on campus, where students don’t really want to leave, yet when they choose to, there is enough in Durham to explore. (unlike schools in the middle of nowhere, or schools located in huge cities like NYC, Boston, philly etc. that take away from the campus unity)</p>