<p>I hate athletics (that includes basketball)... and i want an intellectual experience. I also got into reed but my dad's from duke and want's me to go there. so do you think duke will be a good choice for me ?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Of course. Like every campus (just about) Duke has its jocks. It also has some very intelligent individuals (which makes sense seeing as Duke is ranked #6 in the nation for med/pre med). It all depends on who you hang out with. There are people who got in just fro athletic ability and are taking the easiest courses to graduate. There are also some of the best and brightest students in the nation attending. You should have no problem finding other intellectuals and having a truly “intellectual experience.”</p>
<p>While duke is intellectual, if you *hate<a href=“emphasis%20mine”>/I</a> athletics then you might want to reconsider Duke, it’s really an integral part of the Duke experience…</p>
<p>LOL Duke is an elite university, of course its intellectual…silly question.</p>
<p>Yes, but not the kind of pretentious pseudo-intellectualism that I used to imagine college being filled with. Intellectual conversations here are just normal conversations that you have with friends. The only difference is the substance–conversations about the economy, about politics, etc. You will learn a lot by just talking to your friends, if that was what you were asking.</p>
<p>A word about basketball at Duke: If you come here and you still don’t like following sports/college basketball, your apathy won’t necessarily detract from your college experience (in that it won’t be any different from if you had gone to a school where sports weren’t big in the first place). If you don’t care, you won’t be shunned. When there’s a game on, you’ll just live your life as if it isn’t. Are you missing out? In my opinion, and in the opinion of all the other “Cameron Crazies” here, yes. But you won’t feel left out. It’s just another extracurricular here–some people participate, others don’t. You’ll still find plenty of people in the library during basketball games.</p>
<p>^^ im deeply saddened by that my friend. duke students in the library during a duke game. <em>shakes head disbelievingly</em></p>
<p>^It does happen. While Duke basketball is honestly one of my most memorable experiences, I have many friends who couldn’t care less. And hey, they’re still my friends :p</p>
<p>The reason Duke is so special is because of its ability to foster intellectual vitality AND top notch athletics. You will be going to a school with ivy-league (or better) level academics with the bonus of a stellar athletics program.</p>
<p>It would be a lie to tell you that Duke is as intellectual as some other schools. We have a lot of students; you can find people of every kind.</p>
<p>You can still survive college while ignoring basketball.</p>
<p>Knat: Re pretentious pseudo-intellectualism. Did the Gang of 88 resign?</p>
<p>I have spent many conversation with friends talking about topics that range that range from implications of modern male chivalry in terms of physiological standpoint to discussing the biological and philosophical definition of plants. While in line at Cameron. </p>
<p>So yes. Duke is intellectual and it mixes perfectly fine with sports. 
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<p>And while basketball does get crazy here, I know many people who could have cared less when we won the NCAA tournaments. They were studying at the time. I probably would have been studying at the time had I not had guests that night.</p>
<p>I personally haven’t experienced the level of intellectualism I expected before I came here. Sure, I knew before hand that Duke is known for its athletics more than its intellectualism, and I knew coming in that this wasn’t going to be UChicago; however, I can only count in one hand the number of stimulating discussions I have had here at Duke (and believe me, I do try to make an effort). Perhaps it’s my group of friends; however, I don’t see many people reading fiction for fun or taking “intellectual” classes unless they fulfill T-reqs. The professors, on the other hand, are amazing and are simply a joy to talk to if you appreciate “intellectual” conversations. However, all of this may be biased due to the fact that most of my interactions are within a small group of friends. </p>
<p>I think my definition of intellectualism is different than the ones stated here previously. By intellectualism, I mean an appreciation and genuine curiosity for the liberal arts (and knowledge in general) that goes beyond the classroom. People here…seem to digest what’s in class and seemingly not want to explore any more knowledge than what’s offered in class.</p>
<p>I think this is all relative, especially depending on the people you hang out with. I have friends who have the most interesting, intellectual conversations about mixing chemistry and philosophy to an argument about the merits of humanities/sciences. (Don’t judge me.)</p>
<p>I feel that people tend to embrace the liberal arts education a lot, actually. Personally, that’s a big reason why I came here.</p>
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<p>I would disagree. My biggest complaint about Duke is that too many people are sooooo pre-professional (pre-med, pre-law, pre-business, pre-grad, pre-whatever) that the liberal arts ideal of learning for the sake of developing the mind and broadening worldview is… lost. A lot of people treat their classes as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, which I think it really sad.</p>
<p>However, with that said, there are definitely lots of people who fall outside of that stereotype and truly love learning (I’m glad that I found a good group of friends that <em>are</em> incredibly intellectual - and aren’t ashamed of it). And generally, if you prod people in classes and challenge them, they <em>will</em> become passionate and responsive about their thoughts. More often than not, though, the prerogative will be on you to stir things up a bit and be a real-life ■■■■■. 
Take it as a challenge.</p>