<p>I don't mean to offend anyone, but I am struggling to make a college decision and I would like some more insight into the social scene and atmosphere of Duke.</p>
<p>I attending BDD and it seems to me that some of the the stereotypes about Duke (particularly about the southern, rich white boy vibe) have SOME truth to it. </p>
<p>I think most of you know what I'm talking about, so I'd like to stay brief. How pervasive and overwhelming is this aspect of Duke? </p>
<p>What opportunities are there for freshman to attend parties, drink, and do all that other fun college stuff at Duke? I heard from some Duke students that they sometimes think the Greek life is a bit too large for them. Is this true? Are there nice parties and a nice social scene for everyone at Duke?</p>
<p>Also, could you please shine some light on Durham and other nearby cities? How easy is it for students to go to the mall/shopping/restaurants around Duke without a car? I'm used to a slight urban feel and I would like to have opportunities to go into the city in college.</p>
<p>Again, sorry for being brief and for my massive amount of questions and if I was a bit too blunt or if I offended anyone.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>First semester freshman year there are a lot of open parties. Some frats will be entirely open, and some of them you’ll kind of have to know someone in the frat or have one of your fellow freshmen friends know them. If the Greek scene isn’t for you, then you have SLGs which you should check out which might be a better fit- have some social fun but are focused on other interests as well.</p>
<p>At any elite college, there are going to be rich white males, and that is the case for almost every college in the US. I’d say that Duke is pretty diverse though, and more diverse than other colleges I was looking at. </p>
<p>Durham- there is a mall about a mile from east, its not a bad walk, I wouldn’t do it at night but it is pretty much a straight shot from the marketplace side of east. There are a lot of restaurants and some shops in Brightleaf which is close to Aycock/Epworth side of East, and like a 5-10 minute walk from marketplace. Duke offers some busses to Southpoint mall (one of the nicest malls I’ve seen) occasionally and odds are some of your friends will have a car and might be going there some weekends. Then there is the Robertson Express which you can get a free pass for or pay 2.50 each way and you can go to Franklin/Chapel Hill which is nice with a lot of food and clothing places. </p>
<p>The current freshman class is 51% white, and only 32% of the class hails from the southeastern United States. The place is significantly more diverse than the nation as a whole and probably more diverse than a number of its peer institutions. Don’t let the North Carolina area code fool you. </p>
<p><a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/images/uploads/process/DukeClass2017Profile.pdf”>http://admissions.duke.edu/images/uploads/process/DukeClass2017Profile.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the help guys. I didn’t know Duke was that diverse, so I guess the rich white vibe isn’t that bad.
How often does Duke offer buses to southpoint mall? It doesn’t sound like Duke is completely in the middle of nowhere as some people say.</p>
<p>Are there ever any parties or other social events on east campus, or is everything mostly focused around west campus?</p>
<p>^I almost guarantee that you’ll know people with cars. I didn’t have a car my entire four years and went to the mall, movies, restaurants, and other places off campus all the time without relying on a bus. Duke definitely isn’t in the middle of nowhere and Durham (and the Triangle more generally) actually have an impressive array of high quality restaurants and cultural events. Durham has really been rejuvenated lately with a lot of converted warehouses into hip, eclectic locations for music shows, hang out spots, good eats, and other things. It definitely gives it a bit of an urban flair. Brightleaf Square and restaurants on Main St are popular among students (walking distance from East) as well as 9th St, places near Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and even venturing into Chapel Hill and Raleigh. I did take the Robertson Bus to Chapel Hill a few times. While Duke isn’t in NYC, there is more than enough around to make a college student happy and connected to the rest of the world. In fact, I preferred Duke having a bit more of a campus as it creates a better sense of community - and also there’s a lot of beautiful greenery!</p>
<p>If you do want to stay on campus, there is MORE than enough activities and things to do to keep you busy and engaged. Parties and events are more often on West, but there are a few freshmen-focused events on East and places just off East campus are popular among the entire student body. I wasn’t Greek, Southern, or rich (on financial aid) and met great people from around the world with various backgrounds. I had friends in sororities/fraternities and it wasn’t a big deal at all - they don’t fit the stereotypes (generally speaking…) and people expand beyond their particular faction. I still had an enjoyable social experience (and went to some Greek events).</p>
<p>I definitely knew wealthy people and not-so-wealthy alike - Duke is diverse enough to find people from all places and backgrounds. You should easily be able to find your niche and people that have similar interests to you. I found Duke to be a pretty welcoming community and inclusive. There are certain groups that are more exclusive, but you can easily avoid that and it’s not pervasive in the least. In fact, I found that you had to seek them out if you really wanted to be in that type of environment (which some do).</p>