<p>Right now Washu is still my first choice; however, I just went Duke for 4 days and I have to say I had a great time. So, I wanted to know what are other people opinions on what school I should choose. Since it is a big factor when deciding which school to attend, which school has a stronger black community.</p>
<p>I have never visited Duke, but I can tell you about WashU.
Regarding your question, I think WashU has a very strong black community. One of my friends is president of the Association of Black Students, which seems to be quite active and cohesive, and many academic leaders and role models on the WashU faculty/staff are black. Our current student body president is also black. </p>
<p>Also,</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>according to [Rankings</a> | Facts | Washington University in St. Louis](<a href=“University Facts - Washington University in St. Louis”>University Facts - Washington University in St. Louis)</p>
<p>Just a few details, and I apologize if they don’t seem relevant to your question. Perhaps, be more specific as to what aspect of “community” you are inquiring about, then I can offer more pointed information. </p>
<p>And you could perhaps ask the database of WashU students available to answer questions about student life as well. On Facebook, search for the Group “WashU Bear Buddies 2009-2010.” There is a list of students in every major/extracurricular so they might be able to offer more information!</p>
<p>Best,
zenith</p>
<p>i have heard that groups of people hang out by race at duke. i understand that is a strong, sweeping, anecdotal piece of data, but i did hear it. don’t let that make your decision though.</p>
<p>
A few points:
[ul][<em>]The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education has regularly ranked Duke #1 in the country for “their relative success in attracting, enrolling, and graduating African-American students as well as their progress in bringing black professors to their campuses.” WUStL was ranked a respectable #4.
[</em>]Duke has a slightly larger black community (11%, 190 freshmen) than WUStL (10%, 150 freshmen).
[<em>]Duke’s graduation rate for black students (88%) is slightly higher than WUStL’s (87%), though really the difference is inconsequential.
[</em>]Duke has a center for [black</a> life and culture](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs) in the middle of campus, as well as a [Center</a> for Race Relations](<a href=“http://www.duke.edu/web/racerelations/]Center”>http://www.duke.edu/web/racerelations/). WUStL, as far as I can tell from its website, does not have something resembling either.
[li]Duke’s department of African & African-American Studies is ranked with Harvard’s as the nation’s best.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Needless to say, the claim that Duke is segregated is egregiously false. In fact, taking 5 seconds to glance around the dining halls on East or West would debunk that claim. You could certainly wall yourself off with friends of your own race or ethnicity should you care to do so, but most don’t. Diversity is one thing that attracts many people to Duke, and there is a extraordinarily strong sense of camaraderie that you don’t find at many colleges.</p>
<p>As for which to choose…well, this won’t be popular on this board, but I personally think only Stanford can give Duke a run for its money in the perfect mix of academics, athletics, social life, campus beauty, and weather.</p>
<p>Hmm. Looks like you can’t go wrong at either school if you’re using “strong black community” as a factor. From warbler’s data it looks like both Duke and WashU are ranked highly for being great communities for black students.</p>
<p>So it might be a tough choice. How is the quality of life at Duke? One of my friends here actually transferred from Duke to WashU; I’m not sure about her reason. </p>
<p>Just to put in a shameless plug for WashU, this school has got everything for the students. Great food (top ten of all universities); comfy dorms with housekeeping, huge common rooms, ACs; happy students, friendly staff and professors… the list is endless.</p>
<p>Decide which school you’ll be the happiest at.</p>
<p>Don’t forget, “Duke” might be great, but it’s still in North Carolina and there’s no getting around that fact.</p>
<p>I know I’m going to get slammed for this, but I would be less than 100% honest if I kept this to myself.</p>
<p>Perhaps it’s just the yankee in me talking, but unless you’re a white protestant, I would not go near any college down south. Between past history, recent history and current history… I’d say that region just is not quite so “welcoming.”</p>
<p>There, I said it and I feel much better!</p>
<p>
Hey, we’re proud of that. It’s the best state! Unfortunately, word is getting out, and everyone moving down here. The Raleigh metro area (including Durham) is the fastest growing metro area in the entire country. St. Louis, on the other hand, has been stagnant since 1950.</p>
<p>Let’s try to stick with what we know. To put this into context for you, I would imagine that people emphasizing that the majority of Brandeis students are Jewish (true), white (true), and not recipients of financial aid grants (also true) would make you uncomfortable, and the suggestion that one should avoid it at all costs unless one is a white upper class Jew would undoubtedly perturb you. Let’s not, therefore, go flinging around stereotypes at other institutions. Need I remind you, as a history lesson, that Missouri was also a slave state? Or remind you of [certain</a> racist incidents](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064126104-post9.html]certain”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064126104-post9.html) at universities NOT in the South? </p>
<p>Duke is smack dab in the middle of the Research Triangle, the highest collection of PhDs per capita in the US. The area is exceedingly diverse, and the city of Durham has roughly equal populations of white and black residents (45% each). The Durham city council recently passed a resolution in favor of same-sex marriage, and neighboring Carrboro and Chapel Hill were some of the first cities in the country to have openly gay mayors. In terms of liberal-leaning tendencies, Duke and the Triangle knock St. Louis out of the park. I’ve wandered off campus many times to local shops, professors’ houses for dinner, etc., and people will often stop working in their yards as I pass to wave and shout hello as I walk by. That level of friendliness simply isn’t often found anywhere outside of the South, and I absolutely love it. </p>
<p>Of course, that’s not to say that everything in the South is hunky-dory, or that everyone holds hands and sings Kum Ba Yah. I’ve been in Memphis for the past year, and racial divisions are much more prevalent than anything I have ever seen in North Carolina. This also holds true for the large parts of Arkansas, northern Mississippi, and southern Missouri I’ve seen. </p>
<p>That does not hold true for Durham or the Triangle, however, and I would encourage you to visit. I suspect you would be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>Duke, Duke, Duke.</p>
<p>WashU baby. FTW.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/washington-university-st-louis/878100-school-has-all-washington-university-st-louis.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/washington-university-st-louis/878100-school-has-all-washington-university-st-louis.html</a></p>
<p>warblersrule86:
Read my post carefully.
I wasn’t commenting about the institution (Duke in this case). I was commenting about the region, and my comments stand.</p>
<p>Take a look at some of the “Tea Party” rallies and all the good-old-boys burning the president in effigy, and the overt racism, etc. Sorry, but it’s still North Carolina any way you cut it. You can live in your little “Research Triangle” bubble all you like, but that’s not representative of NC or the region any more than Las Vegas is representative of the southwest.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s responses. After I go down to Washu on April 15-17, I’ll make my final decision. And “a strong black community” isn’t my only factor when choosing schools. I also want a strong academic core and support system. Additionally, I elieve Duke student’s know how to have a excellent balance between academics and social life, and I know some Washu students also have this “work hard, play hard mentality.” I think my final decision will come down to the level of comfort I have on each campus. I have to ask myself- Could I call [Duke or Washu] my home for 4 years?</p>
<p>bailey- I had to make the exact same decision you are now. It came down to Duke and WashU.</p>
<p>When I visited WashU, it was completely clear that WashU would be the best fit for me. However, I can understand perfectly why Duke would work better for someone else.</p>
<p>If you want specifics on how my choice boiled down, feel free to pm me- I’ll try to keep it as non-biased as possible.</p>
<p>bailey654, are you going down for Multicultural Weekend? I’ll be down there April 15-17 too!</p>
<p>Yes. I can’t wait!</p>
<p>Me too! where are you guys coming from?</p>
<p>Baltimore,Maryland.</p>