<p>If u are currently a duke student (or if ur a well informed prospective student), what are the major complaints about Duke (in terms of academic, social scene, location, dorms/anything in general)? I am not trying to find the negatives about Duke, I just want to know an unbiased explanation from ppl who have experiences with Duke.</p>
<p>well informed prospective student (so i hope)</p>
<p>wish duke would stop pushing the greek scene off campus, and allow them to have separate on campus housing (consider them one thing)</p>
<p>Call me a nerd, but I wish Duke students were more serious. There's this general laid back, "all-is-well" mentality. It feels rather superficial, especially all the majority of Duke does on the weekend is party, and nothing else (well... we don't have a nice, big city next to us, so there really isn't anything else too interesting).</p>
<p>Funny that you ask this. I'm thinking about applying to Brown as a transfer student, but that's not likely to happen.</p>
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Funny that you ask this. I'm thinking about applying to Brown as a transfer student, but that's not likely to happen.
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<p>It's actually reasonably easy to transfer to Brown (at least, relative to comparable schools or its admissions for freshmen). I believe this is because you can't apply for financial aid as a transfer student so you have to pay full cost. I know two people that transferred there - one from Umich and one from Wisconsin. They did well at their respective undergrad institutions, but had no chance whatsoever at getting into Brown as a freshman (got rejected from Illinois, waitlisted at Wisconsin, and then in). Didn't get into Duke as a transfer applicant though ;)</p>
<p>The hookup scene, it is disgusting.
It is dominant here.
Some of the smarter people here who got sucked into the scene seem to grow increasingly bitter towards it as times goes on, while the rest.. nah.</p>
<p>However, if you want out, you easily can and still have a healthy social life, :)</p>
<p>One of my friends got a 4.0 at NYU and is currently at Brown.</p>
<p>Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!</p>
<p>Every school has a hookup scene. I think Duke's might actually be smaller. Penn and Dartmouth are much worse in this regard.</p>
<p>I kinda wish people took extracurriculars more seriously here. I guess studying and partying eats up everybody's time though.</p>
<p>There is a general laid back mentality at Duke?? woww that's actually a huge turn on..I wanna be in that laid back atmosphere (while still being surrounded by highly intelligent peers)..</p>
<p>and RevDem, what r ur main reasons to transfer to brown from duke? just wondering..</p>
<p>iwannagotobrown, i agree. I like brown and duke for the more laid-back feel while still being able to kick it into high gear when things need to get done</p>
<p>I'm really attracted to Brown having NO REQUIRED classes aside from that of your major (well, duh). I mean, a lot of people complain about Duke's T-REQs, but I feel that they're actually more flexible than the requirements in other colleges. Still, it would be better without them. There's this liberal feel to Brown (or RI?) that attracts me.</p>
<p>I realized how much I missed having a nice city next to me (it really is driving me insane). To put it bluntly, Durham SUCKS. People (have to) spend their weekends on campus, which generally leads to the generic partying (unless you friend people with cars, but no one really wants to get out of Duke). On the other hand, I don't know if Brown is any better, but Providence sounds like a nice name.</p>
<p>I mean... Duke fits A LOT of people, but not me. I've heard that the first interaction in a bunch of IVIES consists of comparing SAT scores, but the chances of that happening at Duke appear to be ZERO percent. I haven't even heard SATs being mentioned until about a week ago when I was hanging around my relatively nerdy friends. It's pretty funny and awesome to me.</p>
<p>I was sitting on a bus and then I suddenly became surprised when I realized that the people around me have to have been pretty darn intelligent to come here. That doesn't shine through at all. It's all laid-back. Sometimes, I'd rather CONSCIOUSLY feel like there's a good deal of passionate nerds around me.</p>
<p>Duke is really laid-back and that is good and bad. So far I have found it mostly good because if your friends and peers in your classes aren't stressing out too often, you will be less inclined to do so as well. Plus it just creates a relaxed learning environment and for most classes and subjects it doesn't seem competitive at all. I have loved my classes in that everyone works together for a common good. The bad thing is that, the party seen does get out of hand sometimes and can affect non-partyers as well which is never good. But during the week, everyone seems calm, cool, and collected. </p>
<p>As far as Durham, parts of it really do suck, but there are some okay parts as well. Plus, Duke is relatively secluded from Durham especially on West Campus so you don't really feel you are in such a crappy city. </p>
<p>As far as Brown and the loose requirements, thats nice and everything, but honestly the great thing about Duke's curriculum is that at the beginning, basically the first couple years the liberal arts education allows you to explore much more than you would be able to do at most schools. But then, eventually, your majors curriculum gives you some direction which is also necessary. Accomplishing some of your T-reqs are in many cases beneficial to your major. Plus the required Writing class is necessary because everyone seems to come in with different writing standards. The T-reqs give you room to breathe but force you to explore other things that normally you wouldn't have done. At Brown, sure theres no constraints, but the curriculum doesn't force you to take a couple natural science classes if you dont want to. I for one, was not interested in the natural sciences until i was forced to try one out. And now ive gotten increasingly interested in them.
Just something to consider.</p>
<p>The intelligence at Duke doesn't always shine, that is correct, but in the classroom it usually does. And the effort and work people put into assignments do show their intelligence. Its actually good, socially, that people don't show off how smart they are. It doesnt make people inferior to one another.</p>
<p>thanks for the info! that really helps..I feel like changing my username to iwannabeabluedevil now</p>
<p>The Marketplace - the freshmen cafeteria</p>
<p>At first it seems like you have many options, but it gets old. Fast.</p>
<p>Absolutely the bus system. C-1s all over the place, but only two C-2s in service? What is that about? Sometimes I'd see 3 or 4 C-1s pass by at the Chapel before a single C-2.</p>
<p>A bonus would be better drivers; some of them drive so terribly and are so unfriendly its not even funny. Also last month one randomly just stopped along the route and got off the bus for a smoke. I ended up being 10 minutes late to class even though the reason we stopped was being "ahead of schedule."</p>
<p>As a freshman:</p>
<p>The freshman meal plan. I always feel like I'm wasting my parents' money by not eating breakfast or eating anywhere besides the Marketplace. The plan is highway robbery, charging you about 15 bucks a meal for breakfast 5 days a week and dinner or brunch 9 times a week. </p>
<p>The lack of a city is not a huge deal day-to-day because most days, I'm too lazy to want to venture too far from just chilling with people in my dorm. It would be nice, though. Some days, I sort of wish I were at Columbia to have the city at my disposal, but I am not at all considering transferring. It isn't a priority for me. When I have a car next semester, I imagine it will be easier to find things to do off-campus (only another few days here before that - yay!).</p>
<p>As a parent I was completely unprepared for the social scene at Dukeorientation week parties at Shooters, costumed tailgates with beer freeflowing and lots of binge drinking pre-game, closing the bars on 9th street several times a week, and on and on. The pressure to go out and to be on the scene is high. There also seems to be quite a status-seeking culture on campus. My child's grades and academic performance have suffered, not to mention physical and emotional health. Parents are completely helpless. These kids are immature, many may be developing lifelong dependencies and bad habits. Scary environment. Heady mix of bright kids with money and opportunity and no oversight.</p>
<p>Nervous parent of a future Trinity student accepted ED ...collegeorama, has the party scene settled down? Blue Devils - opinions on the party scene?</p>
<p>My D does not describe "pressure" regarding a party scene, and to a point, finds other things to do. She's invoked in some activities and is often trying out for others (especially theatre stuff). She is quite content during the "day" ( until 10m ), but seems "lonely" at "night". It's a bit of a problem, but kids on CC suggest it just takes longer to find your "niche" if you'd rather not "party". She was actually happiest just prior to finals. Apparently the "scene" settled down for finals.</p>
<p>It will take a little longer to find a 'niche' if you don't like 'partying'.
People tend to party pretty hard their freshman year.
I was partying all the time.
However, I never felt like I actually 'fit in' with the social scene at Duke.
I was ready to send transfer applications to Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and Binghamton.
Then second semester came, rush began, I met an awesome group of people.
None of them are 'tailgate types', some don't drink at all, and I think they are way more fun to be around than most of the partiers if you want me to be honest.</p>
<p>If that's not your scene, you don't have to be a part of it.
You will find your niche and your group of friends.
Duke is a large enough school to do that. </p>
<p>I am very happy socially but I will admit that the one thing I regret about leaving 'the other side' of Duke is the lack of sexual opportunities.
Sex is the reason why people are so attracted to the status-seeking culture at Duke.</p>
<p>OK.... what? NVM</p>