<p>I second most of these questions being easily googled/searched for at the Duke site, but here’s my input.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are students taught by professors or TAs or other?
Generally, no. You’re NEVER going to find a TA or grad student teaching large lectures or the vast majority of classes. I have taken lower level foreign language classes and 1 class taught by grad students, but they were great classes…the best foreign language classes I took were taught by grad students, to be honest. You will find undergraduate (and graduate) TA’s leading discussion sections and lab sections, but that’s the same at any school. No professor can accommodate that. I did, however, have a few classes in my time at Duke where the professor would come to each discussion section 2 or 3 times throughout the semester to check in.</p></li>
<li><p>What is student/faculty ratio?
It might be more beneficial to give you an idea of class sizes. You’re going to have small classes. In fact, during your freshman year you take Writing 20 and a freshman seminar which are both capped at 12-15 students. You’re required to take 2 more seminars over your time at Duke, also capped at 12 students. Foreign languages classes are generally small, and, depending on your major, you may find many of your classes are small as well. I took a few upper level Art History classes with 4-5 students, and most of my foreign language classes (German) were between 5 and 10 people. The vast majority of classes are probably in the 30-60 range (That’s probably where most of your Polisci classes will fall). And, of course, we have large lectures but those will be your intro classes, and fortunately many of them break down into smaller discussion sections as well. All professors hold office hours, and from my experiences are WONDERFUL no matter how many people are in a class. If you take the time to get to know them and ask for help you can develop some really strong relationships.</p></li>
<li><p>Sequence of courses in majors?
Check out the Polisci department website, because it varies. For my Chemistry major, I had a strict sequence where I took Gen Chem–>Organic–>Physical–>Biophysical–>Inorganic, etc. I had some flexibility in the courses I chose, but not really the order, and those first three were set in stone. BUT that’s really just the sciences. With my Art History major it was 10 courses, including the two intro classes, and then I had to fulfill requirements for different time periods (those additional 8 courses had to include 1 modern, 1 ancient, 1 medieval, etc). BUT I could do that in any order and take what I wanted. I believe Polisci is pretty much the same. There are probably a few courses which have prereqs (the one polisci class I took did not), but just knock that out early and you’re fine. I’d say the vast majority of Humanities majors are similar to Polisci in regards to this.</p></li>
<li><p>When do you have to declare major?
Second semester Sophomore year, but you can also declare early and change anytime.</p></li>
<li><p>How hard is it to change major?
More like how easy is it. You go to the Student Services Office and fill out a form. Takes 3 minutes. Easy to do in between classes. AND you can do this at any time throughout your time at Duke. I changed majors around the end of my Junior year.</p></li>
<li><p>Enough majors to transfer into later?
Oh yes. Check the site…there are like, 30 something, all of which are feasible. I’d try and take a variety of courses your freshman year though. For me, I added an Art History major and didn’t take the bulk of my classes until my Junior year, so it was a little tough to fit everything in. You don’t want to switch to an entirely new major in the middle of your Junior year that you have no course experience in just for the sake of graduating on time. So my advice is really explore your freshman year.</p></li>
<li><p>Graduate school placement rates?
They’re out of control. I don’t think we keep track of placement to actual MA and PhD programs because it’s kind of a challenge to do since there are so many different programs offered out there…but students generally don’t have problems getting into programs at all if they’re well-prepared. Law School hovers in the 95-99% range I believe. Med school around 85%. I don’t know any student who applied to school this year and didn’t get into multiple places in any area (and it was a tough year considering the economy!). Check the various Pre-Professional Websites (ie the Pre-Law Advising site) for more info on this.</p></li>
<li><p>Where do those graduates go?
Anywhere they want, pretty much. Let me just throw out examples of schools my friends are going to. Harvard MBA (they have a 2+2 program), Yale Pre-MBA, ECU Med, UNC Med, Duke Med, UVA Law, Cornell Law, Columbia Law, FSU Law, Wake Forest Med, Cornell Med, UF PhD, Duke MA. That’s certainly not exhaustive. With the help of advisers you find programs that fit for you. </p></li>
<li><p>How many students go on to post-graduate study?
It varies on the year, and is really hard to keep track of. For instance, I’m planning on going on to get my Master’s, but taking a year off so in our senior year surveys I indicated I’m entering the work force this year. Many students aspire for MBA’s where you have to work for a few years. I’d say about half my friends are going to grad school and half working, with many having their eye on grad school eventually, and that’s probably pretty representative of the university as a whole.</p></li>
<li><p>Any special relationships w/ post-grad institutions or medical or law schools?
What do you mean? Do you mean you’d have a better shot getting in, because I don’t think many schools can make that claim when it comes to Med/Law schools. Some people debate whether you have a better shot at Duke Med/Duke Law with a Duke degree, but that’s probably just by nature of having a Duke education in itself. </p></li>
<li><p>What is the general atmosphere of the school?
Wonderful. If I could go back I would do it in a heartbeat. Students are happy and LOVE Duke. The reason I chose Duke was because you really get the best of everything. You get amazing academics where you’ll get to take classes and research with world-class professors. You’ll have a diploma from a Top 10 school. BUT you’re going to have a really great time also! Between Basketball games, things like Springternational/International Food Fest/Joe College Day/other fun Friday/Saturday parties on the quad, Tailgate (if that’s your kind of thing), LDOC, classy cocktail parties at the Nasher, and just going out/hanging out with your friends you’re going to have the time of your life. For me, it was a really good balance. Most students aren’t over the top in the library 24/7. They know when it’s time to work hard, but understand you need to have fun as well. There are going to be many other threads related to this so take a look.</p></li>
<li><p>Quality of related majors (sociology, economics, etc.)
Econ is the most popular major at Duke. As a result, classes are going to be larger, but the quality itself of the major is great. Professors are fabulous, and the courses I took were interesting and useful. The Sociology major offers some interesting classes, and most Soch majors I knew were very happy with their choice. It is more of a “softer” Social Science, however, so many of them had double majors.</p></li>
<li><p>Overall school quality?
Duke is a top 10 school. It’s the best university in the Southeast, and one of the best in the world. I had a professor who is taking big steps to cure cancer. My friends have taken classes with a Nobel Prize winner. I’ve taken many classes with the woman responsible for pioneering the “Visual Studies” field and writing the most important book in contemporary art. You’re classes are going to be hard and you’re going to learn a lot. When you do more research, you’ll learn you can’t dispute the quality of a Duke education.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In regards to Journalism/Communications there is not a specific major. I believe there is a Journalism certificate program, but I could be wrong. You may find it beneficial to get involved in various things on campus like writing for our newspaper, the Chronicle. That’s where you’ll get experience. I know people who have gone on to be very successful in the journalism field after graduation.</p>