My daughter is in Pratt doing a Major in ECE with a minor in Religon, and also thinking about doing the extra year for her Masters in Engineering Management, so I am not familiar with those program specifics. I know that the public policy program is very strong though. I am pretty well versed on the other aspects of Duke, outside of the specific programs if you have any questions. 
@hopewhite25 does your daughter find the other ECE students collaborative or is it a competitive environment?
She has found Duke as a whole to be pretty collaborative. She enjoys the professors that she has had in her engineering classes, and is even a TA this semester.
@hopewhite25 Do you know what my D should expect at the ED Blue Devil Days in 2 weeks?
My daughter did RD, so her Blue Devil Days experience was a little different, as they were trying to sway the undecided students (my daughter had already accepted, but wanted to go to meet potential classmates). It was also two days, with the potential for a overnight in a dorm, but other than that, a lot of it will probably be the same. I went with her and there was a ton of programming for the parents, separate from the students. Of course there will be campus tours and info sessions, but what she enjoyed the most was connecting with her future peers. There were plenty of social events and ice breakers that allowed the students to get to know one another, and their home for the next four years. She has thoroughly immersed herself in all that Duke has to offer and would not change a thing. Classes don’t start back until Wednesday, but of course she was back at 12:00 on Saturday when the dorms opened back up to the students. Lol.
Hi there! I was wondering if you could elaborate on the students’ vacation calendar? How often are the students able to come home? How long is each break? Thanks so much!!!
Labor day is a regular school day at Duke, so don’t let that come as a surprise. There is a fall break that typically starts on a Friday evening, with classes restarting the following Wednesday (Typically in October). Since there are many students that do not live close, a lot of students do stay on campus. We only live 2 hours away and our daughter has came home to take care dentist appointments and doctor appointments during that time. For Thanksgiving the students are done after their last class on Tuesday and classes resume the following Monday. Winter Break length will vary depending on when your student’s last exam is, but our daughter was done on 12/16 this year and classes did not resume until 1/8. There is also a Spring Break that is one week.
What are the top reasons to attend Duke!
- World-class educational institution of higher learning;
- Top 25 programs in economics, public policy, computer science, biological sciences, and biomedical engineering;
- Excellent graduate and professional schools in law, business, medicine, engineering, and public policy
- Diverse, collaborative, and very smart student body with 95% from top 10% of HS class;
- Top faculty who are experts in their field with 6: 1 student teacher ratio with 71% of classes less than 20 students;
- Smaller undergrad student population: 6,500;
- Residential housing with all Freshman on the east campus;
- Endowment: $9 billion
- Duke basketball (need I say more) / Division 1 sports
- New $100 million engineering building and facilities;
- Ranked as one of the top colleges in food quality
- 8,000 acres (7,000 forest) with impressive campus architecture (Gothic/Gregorian) intermixed with modern, beautiful facilities;
- Huge school spirit
- Excellent alumni network;
- FLUNCH - students given money each semester to take faculty out to lunch;
- DukeEngage -free community service opportunities and trips throughout the world.
To add to/elaborate on @socaldad2002’s list…
- I think you cannot underestimate the school spirit thing...which is somewhat tied to sports. And this trickles up to parents...we have another kid at an Ivy but I don't own a single piece of swag from that school...but have multiple Duke items. For whatever reasons, I feel more of a connection to Duke than my own alma mater, also an Ivy.
In many ways, it gives you the best of both worlds (academic prestige + school spirit/top-tier athletics)…only a handful of other schools have this (Northwestern, Stanford, and to a lesser extent — in terms of academic reputation, at least — UNC and Notre Dame). As much as Ivies claim to value athletics, IMO it’s nothing compared to Duke.
- The Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill area (the Triangle) has got a great culture/music/dining scene. Which makes visiting as a parent a joy.
- Going back to D1 sports...if you are an athlete at Duke — and it doesn't even have to be in one of Duke's "money" sports like MBB or MLX — I think you benefit from the investment/visibility/infrastructure of those halo programs. The facilities and services you get to use are top notch...and the Nike swag that you get is pretty amazing.
- The campus is beautiful and the weather is generally nicer than the Mid-Atlantic/New England schools. I believe in the power of place and Duke's got it in a way that only Stanford and Princeton have really done it for me (granted, I've not visited every college, but I've visited a lot of them).
D is having trouble finding other accepts from NM. Any of them out there? Hate to think she was the only one. Really excited about her getting in. Finally have a college to root for.
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I realize campus is officially closed for visits but I am wondering if anyone has gone recently to walk around town and do a self tour. My daughter would like to apply ED but has never seen campus/gotten a feel.
Hi! I know a lot of you are probably thinking about your children at Duke moving out with the lockdown, and I just wanted to let you know that our company, Storage Scholars, has spots available for those that want to stay on top of move-out plans! Visit Storage Scholars .com to learn more and register to secure your child’s spot today!
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