Hi. I’m currently freshman at a top 15 university and I’m heavily considering applying to Duke as a transfer for next fall.
At the school I’m currently in, I think the academics are great. I’m a prospective Econ/Math or Econ/CS major. The school I’m currently in is fine for those areas.
However, I’m really unhappy at my current school. I’ve been trying really hard to find my social niche and, after a semester,
I still feel very lonely. Greek life is pretty big on campus and I went for rush week but wasn’t able to get a bid. Parties supposedly are going to get more exclusive and not being in a fraternity, I fear, isn’t going to help the situation. I’m going to try and get more involved with extracurriculars on campus this spring semester, but I still feel that my current school’s social scene isn’t for me.
There are other things about my current college that I dislike. Basically everything except for the academics. For instance, it’s a fairly big school too and several of the clubs I’m interested in are extremely competitive to get into.
When I was applying to schools my senior year of hs, I was absolutely in love with Duke. However, I have reserves about the greek system since my recent experience and am starting to feel that maybe greek life isn’t right for me.
How big is Greek life on Duke’s social scene? I know a good amount of students are involved with it, but I’m also wondering how is the social life of independents (do they go to parties, does the greek life exclude people from Duke’s social scene, is there a feeling of a social hierarchy there, etc.). Also, I was wondering what you guys felt about the size of Duke’s student population and its effect on student life. Are a lot of clubs competitive to get into?
Do you guys know of any transfers at Duke and, if so, how are they doing socially? thanks
I’m sure current/recent undergraduates will provide valuable information for your use. In addition, however, Duke’s (and Durham’s) culture and social scene have been discussed with some frequency on CC. You might want to check the archives and read several of these threads. My sole input is – overall – Duke has a rather inclusive environment.
As a member of a sorority in the greek community I feel like I could provide some insight.
If you are looking for a school without a large greek influence/social hierarchy, Duke may not be the school for you. Greek life is very prevalent on campus, and if you were unhappy with independent lifestyle at your current school, I’m not sure you’d find Duke’s independent social life any more fulfilling. You can definitely choose to ignore it, but a social hierarchy unfortunately definitely exists.
I love Duke but to speak to your specific concerns, I have to say that Greek life does dominate the social scene, and there is an unfortunate social hierarchy on campus. I’m not involved in Greek life and enjoy going out to bars with my independent friends, but independents–especially males–are typically excluded from the parties and mixers that regularly occur in the Greek community. If you’re interested in going Greek, rushing as a sophomore is challenging because very limited spaces are available for non-freshmen. If not, you can still have a good time at Duke, but the social scene isn’t very inclusive and the Greek influence can be hard to ignore. As far as clubs go, they are a great way to get involved on campus. While some may be competitive (I don’t know which ones are, but I imagine there may be a few), there are a ton of inclusive clubs to join at Duke. Duke’s size is ideal in my opinion, and I don’t personally know any transfers. Good luck!
I concur with those above - people often try to underplay the influence of greek life in the social scene of Duke, but it IS prevalent, and IS noticeable. That being said, it is up to you to understand whether that is bad or not. Personally, I am independent, and I have a great time on campus. I have friends that are both in and not in greek life. Ultimately, it is what you make out of it.