<p>I'm a prospective student for Duke's class of 2018. I'm nearly positive I'm sending in my early decision application this week, which is super exciting! But I had a quick question first: On my tour, my tour guide did a poor job explaining the difference between the three different Duke campuses. I get that East is for Freshman, but that's really all I know. Could someone explain the three campuses and their roles in how the school runs?</p>
<p>Do the separate campuses ever make the school feel overwhelming? Is it hard to get to know people because they could be at ANY campus at any time? Will I get to know upperclassmen when I'm a freshman even though I'm on separate campus?</p>
<p>These are all questions racing through my head! Any responses are appreciated</p>
<p>Absolutely. So East Campus is the campus that first-years live on, but it also has classrooms (and dance rooms, music rooms, Baldwin Auditorum, the advising center…). West Campus provides dorm-style housing to many upperclassmen, as welll as more classrooms, the E-Quad, Science Drive, etc. that you saw on your tour. Central campus is mainly apartment style living for some upperclassman with limited classroom space (Hull Dance Studio, Trent Hall).</p>
<p>Most people will have classes on East/West campuses in their first semester, if not your first year. I have three classes on East and one class on West this semester, and classroom assignments seem pretty random. However, I also work/participate in a ton of ECs on West campus, so I end up spending about equal time on East and West campuses. I haven’t really been on Central Campus, with the exception of visiting the Chinese food there (Grace’s), though I do have friends with a class on Central, and I have upperclassmen friends who live on Central.</p>
<p>I am really good friends with people on my floor (other first-years), and then through work, other classes, and extra-curriculars, I’ve also become really good friends with many upperclassmen. You’d be surprised at how, even in a larger student body, you pass by a lot of people you know, and I definitely feel like the opportunity to make friends across classes exists. I definitely don’t know the entire student body or my entire class-- I’ve made friends within classes/clubs/work/hall, and I always feel like I have people on campus I can turn to for support, advice, and fun.</p>
<p>The bus system during the day is fantastic as far as getting from East to West campus; the only thing that can be frustrating is evening/weekend service, where buses will run every twenty minutes or so from East/West, and it definitely requires extra planning. Central buses run a little less frequently.</p>
<p>Everything purpleacorn said is totally accurate, but I’d add that most people really love being on East as a freshman and view it as much more of a pro than a con. Having all of the freshmen on one campus really builds a great sense of community; lots of people identify with their freshman dorm all the way through graduation. Especially at the very beginning of the year when everyone is new, it’s just so comforting to know that almost everyone else you pass on the quad or see in the dining hall is a freshman, too. East has pretty much everything you could need—library, gym, dining hall, tennis courts, running trail, music studios, etc. Yeah, sometimes you’ll get tired of the bus system or only having one place to eat, but overall being on East is a really great experience. And like purpleacorn said, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet upperclassmen through extracurriculars and classes.</p>
<p>One more thing I’d add for Central—it’s kind of a hub for Greek life, with all of the sororities and about half of the fraternities being housed there. But as a freshman, you’ll probably spend most of your time on East and West between being in your dorm and taking classes.</p>
<p>When I was at Duke (admittedly a looong time ago), having separate campuses actually made the school feel smaller. When I lived on East, it felt like I was taking the bus “to work” in the morning, then returning home in the evening. When I lived on West, I still occasionally rode back to East for an activity - especially since most off-campus activity is near East. Central was a place for people who either preferred apartments to dorms or else simply didn’t quite fit in - there were no classes on Central back then.</p>
<p>[Model</a> House | Duke magazine](<a href=“Duke Mag”>Duke Mag)</p>
<p>The foregoing Duke Magazine article does a fine job of explaining the new (now approximately two years old) undergraduate residential paradigm. I suspect it will both answer many of your questions and provide insight regarding why Duke has adopted a strong, multi-year “house” concept. Please read it. Further, the earlier responses are excellent.</p>