Did undergrad at UNC and grad school at Duke and still visit the area quite often.
Duke campus is very nice; facilities are top notch and they have been expanded significantly in the last ten years. The student union, the new dining hall, main library are some of the highlights as well as the new engineering facilities. The great NC weather is a big plus.
Durham is a small Southern city. When I went to school in the area, it was a bit rundown and had some sketchy areas. It’s undergone an interesting transformation the last ten years or so, particularly in the downtown area where there’s now more bars, restaurants and hotels (pre-Covid) as well as some office buildings. That area is close to East Campus, which houses freshmen students. There are still areas that are blah at best.
Chapel Hill is a short drive away while Raleigh is further out.
I received a likely letter for this year. However, last year, my best friend got in without a likely letter. So not every admitted student will receive a likely letter. Hope this helps!
From what Ive seen so far, they sent out some Likely letters last Thursday and Friday. Not many letters and no rhyme or reason that I can determine (interview vs no interview, legacy vs no legacy, deferred vs no).
