<p>Alright so move-in day is five days away (so pumped) and I (I'm sure like many of my other classmates) would really appreciate it if any of the current/graduated duke students had any advice for us. It could be anything funny from whether or not driving backwards around the west campus bus stop is a legit graduation requirement to anything serious like students' own, personal ways of maintaining good grades while still having "the best four years of your life". I think that I can speak for a lot of people that CC is extremely helpful for getting the inside scoop on how college life (both academic and social) is really like and I'd love to hear anything about anyone's experiences at Duke. Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s great to hear that you’re pumped up about going to Duke. By now you’ve probably moved in or are moving in, so here are my two cents about making your Duke experience as good as it can be (I’m a rising senior).</p>
<p>I still remember when I was in your shoes and was moving in on the first day. I heard from a lot of people including my mom that college was going to be the best four years of my life. I had this idealistic view of what college was like: I was going to get good grades, make lots of friends and have the best time of my life. Unfortunately, it really wasn’t the first semester of my freshman year as reality kicked in: I didn’t get along with my roommate, I got my butt kicked by Econ 51 and I missed out on a lot of college cause I wanted to get good grades to make it worth my parents spending so much dough. On the contrary, I met a lot of amazing people from those who were so idealistic about helping other people to those who only pursued money and nothing else. To sum it up, college is essentially life away from your parents: you’re going to have your highest highs and lowest lows. You’re also going to get as much as you put in. Sure you can take easy classes and slack off, but you’ll fell at the end of the semester you didn’t accomplish anything. You’ll see people party all day long and people who study all day long. Hopefully you’ll be somewhere in the middle, but the reality is it’s up to you to decide what you want from your college xperience. Duke has it all: great academics, athletics and a thriving social life, and it’s going to be up to you to decide what you want to pursue most during your four years here.</p>