Duke vs. Northwestern

<p>im posting this for a friend who is having trouble deciding between going to Duke and Northwestern. she's an asian-american currently living in the bay area, california. she's not entirely sure about her major, but is thinking along the lines of business/international relations, and maybe a minor in music. one concern is that if she does go into that major, which school would she benefit from the most to continue into grad school?</p>

<p>also, what is the diversity like at Duke? around here, she's practically a majority...is the "southern lack of diversity" statement valid/would it make her feel feel uncomfortable at Duke?</p>

<p>any input is nice :) thanks!</p>

<p>hey i got into duke n northwestern too!!! i herd about the whole lacrosse scandal n stuff..many ppl told me to b careful bout duke..but its been my dreamm...tell her to choose duke..hehe depends frm person to person..im goin fr engr so its good..plus the duke package is freaking gr8...northwesterns pack is like on a diet! DUKES fat hehe...iv herd there r a loota indians there...n now hopefully a bagladeshill b there..so diversity stats will improve!!</p>

<p>One thing to be aware of - as far as I know, you have to be a music major to be in a number of ensembles at N'Western. While we may not have a music school, we definitely have a department with lots of professors, teachers, and ensembles open to students with any major.</p>

<p>Internships, jobs, and grad schools galore for business/IBanking - econ is often the preferred major for that track.</p>

<p>If you read other posts, you can get a good description of the diversity here - and there's a strong asian-american community that puts on cultural programs throughout the year.</p>

<p>Here's some data on diversity for the class of 2009:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2009profile.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2009profile.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>21.5% asian, asian-american, pacific islander</p>

<p>Hi, I'm the "friend" who's confused between NU and Duke. I was wondering if I could hear opinions on the Greek life at Duke? from what I know it is pretty big.. like I'm sure frats are big, but would a girl be inclined to join a sorority once at Duke? I'm sure there are always options to not join the system if you didn't want to.. but just wanted to find out a majority kind of feel on that..</p>

<p>Also, what are some popular majors at Duke as of this moment? (bc I'm not completely decided, trying to get a feel for each campus though both are extremely well-rounded I'd assume.)</p>

<p>Actually a larger percentage of girls go Greek than guys do at Duke (this is the case at the majority of schools) if I am not mistaken.</p>

<p>mm.. are asian students considered "minorities", is there mingling (significant, i guess.. haha), do the students tend to self-segregate.. if yes, is it at all hostile..?</p>

<p>actually, according to my 2006 ed US News & Business Reports, 42% of girls at duke are in sororities. that is a HUGE number compared to the other top schools. are girls at duke really pressured to join sororities or what? </p>

<p>and about the asian percentage, my US News says duke is only 13% asian...</p>

<p>Yeah, there are a lot of girls that go Greek. But I didn't. My roommate didn't. Some of my close friends didn't, and some did. I went through the rush process just for the hell of it, but during it I decided that the entire Sorority thing was just not for me. Honestly, I also wouldn't judge before coming here. I mean, I was 100% against sororities my whole life, would talk about what a terrible idea they are, how they're awful, etc. But once I came here, seeing what some (albeit, not all) of the sororities are ACTUALLY like and how they truly defy stereotypes convinced me to at least give it a chance. Some sororities truly are focused on philanthropy and sisterhood. Some are not. And so it goes.</p>

<p>Oh, P.S.: Sororities don't live together. That makes a huge difference. Essentially, you can join a sorority to meet a bunch of cool, new people...and not have to live in a house surrounded by girls. That's really the only reason I even considered rushing in the 1st place, since almost all of my close friends are guys.</p>

<p>My sister goes to Duke and she's asian american. She likes it there.</p>

<p>im azn american as well and I've really enjoyed my first year here. Academically, its really intense - be prepared to work hard (I've found that there is less to do than in high school in terms of the amount of work you get, but its twice as demanding because the exams really probe you - there's barely any factual recall, if at all, mostly application and extension questions. Regarding social demographics, I really don't feel like a minority on campus. The 13% statistic is outdated - the current percentage for the University is around 18% and for the class of 2009 its near 22%. I haven't found self segregation to be a major concern on campus - certainly not to the extent princetonreview makes it out to be. I have friends from all ethnic backgrounds and tho a degree of self segregation does exist on campus, as it naturally does anywhere, I really don't feel its a major social concern. Some ppl prefer hanging out with others in their own ethnic group while others prefer to hang out with a diverse bunch of ppl.</p>

<p>The reason why the sorority # is so big is because sorority life at Duke is very, very chill.</p>

<p>It honestly can be as much or as little a part of your life as you choose. You don't live together, you don't go through a pledging/hazing period, dues are relatively inexpensive in comparison to other schools. My freshman year dorm was very inclusive and very close, and I felt like I needed to meet new people. I had never anticipated going through the recruitment process and ultimately joining a sorority (and honestly, I was skeptical of it as I went through everything) but looking back, I'm glad I did. It's nice having a whole new world of opportunities. I've learned about great classes, work opportunities, classes to take, etc. through my sorority... and when I'm bored over the weekend, there's always a social event etc. It's been fun, not daunting, and I understand the statistic.</p>