I am a rising senior interested in applying ED to duke. Can anyone provide some pros and cons of Duke. Here is what I have so far
Duke
pros:
very strong BME/ biology programs
school spirit/ basketball (I’m a huge basketball fan)
weather seems nice
lots of opportunity for research
new facilities finishing up this year (can someone tell me about these)
great campus
lots of on campus activities
proximity to UNC / research triangle
Medical center om campus
prestige
cons:
Not much info on administration quality
Durham seems quiet and dead
Duke at night seems shady
greek life/ party culture
dorms are disparate in quality
from what I’ve heard food options are limited
elitist attitude (I have heard of it but not seen it)
east campus is far away from the central campus
So it sounds like you visited, right? I don’t think you’ll get anyone to agree with all the items on your list. Several of them apply to 100s of other schools (med center, great campus, weather, research opps, spirit…). I wouldn’t over-analyze it too much. Did you like the vibe? Do you know anyone who attends, and can go visit overnight?
Duke recently was voted as having the #1 best campus dining in the country, and if you’ve been inside the newly renovated West Union it’s not hard to see why. And College administrations all across the country are having to deal with student protesters, recent social and political issues facing universities, of which Duke’s administration is no exception to; I would argue that Duke gets somewhat of a negative slant in the media when the “next Duke scandal” erupts because we are located in the South with its history of institutionalized racism.
Students at elite universities are all going to be elitist to some degree or another just because many of them do come very privileged backgrounds and sheltered lives and they have been taught that they are the best at everything they do. So yeah, you’re going to meet people with big egos who think that just because they go to Duke they are special.
And I actually like having a separate East Campus, it creates a sense of community for the freshman, and as a sophomore I kind of miss living in my own freshman world filled with fellow newbies trying to make it at Duke. And the campus is not that far away, buses come every five minutes between classes to transport students from East to West and vice versa.
The area of Durham surrounding Duke is actually quite nice and gentrified with a lot of restaurants and pubs.
The quality of dorm rooms varies from building to building, but Duke is making an effort to renovate and build new modern ones. Wannamaker, one of the oldest dorms on campus, was recently renovated and looks amazing with new furniture and large beds.
@jmcguire yes I did visit for a day but I did not get to see the area outside of duke. I really like the campus and opportunities the school offers. My only concerns are the safety and liveliness of the surrounding area and the hierarchy of greek life. I know people who like the school very much, but I just want to get more information before I decide to apply early here. What are your thoughts on this?
@Idoc97 Thank you so much! Most of the reviews about duke have come from a year ago so I have little information about the renovations. It is great to hear that renovations are taking place.
OP I visited Duke with my D this past spring, so I don’t have even the same level of detail as you, unfortunately. I guess I would be nervous of applying ED if I had even a shred of doubt. Understandable. If Duke did not make you absolutely fall in love with it, just be sure that is the direction you want to go. It’s a big commitment. Also, I wouldn’t be ‘concerned’ about the liveliness of the surrounding areas. I would be concerned if I were you parent and I learned you were concerned about the liveliness of the surrounding areas. You’re going there to study, right
I know I’m not being much help. It’s a terrific school, and the campus is gorgeous. My D did not feel it, and is not applying. It’s all such a personal decision. Good luck.
Greek life/party culture is overblown. It exists with a segment of the population certainly, but if you want to avoid it, you easily can and still have an enriching social life. I wasn’t in the Greek system, but had friends that were and friends that were not – and everybody glows about their Duke experience. The surrounding area is actually getting really popular and revitalized – they’re been converted old tobacco warehouses into music clubs and hip restaurants. There is actually a TON to do in Durham and the surrounding areas. More than enough. In fact,there’s enough to do ON CAMPUS that you don’t even need to set foot off campus if you don’t want to. Yes, it’s not like Duke is in the middle of Manhattan, so you won’t get that, but I personally enjoyed having a distinct campus that built a sense of community with the option to go elsewhere if I so chose. Durham is also a great foodie city surprisingly. Google it and check out the NY Times article.
I agree with @bluedog. A new dining hall opened on campus known as the West Union. It’s an old building but it was recently renovated. I walked in this past summer and it was simply breathtaking.
