<p>I was accepted to Duke University via likely letter a few weeks ago. I'm wondering if some students can chime in on why they love Duke. I have not been able to visit yet, but I'd love to learn a bit before I have a chance to get out there and see it.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for the help!</p>
<p>this is something I posted on another thread in response to a question about wealth and self-segregation at Duke. But I think it explains part of why our S loves Duke, and maybe it will spark more reponses to your question:</p>
<p>"Our son is able to attend Duke because he qualified for considerable financial aid. Many of the students around him come from families with substantial wealth. What does he call them? drum roll here: "Friends." Oh, and BTW, this group of friends is comprised of males and females of many backgrounds, faiths, races, and ethnicities. Many of them participate in campus groups oriented around their race or religion or such. But I don't see that as self-segregation when they attend the presentations of each other's organizations, deliberately meet for dinner now that they are scattered across campus, care for and about each other...you know, behave like friends.</p>
<p>According to him, money or lack of it has not mattered the tiniest bit to anyone. What matters is intelligence, humor, personality, etc.. </p>
<p>Now, there probably are some pretentious people with money; there was the same type at the prestigious State U I attended decades ago. But S has no interest in them, because he wouldn't like them anyway. Jerks are jerks, whether they are wealthy jerks or jerks of more modest means!"</p>
<p>Strange to quote myself, but there it is.</p>
<p>beware o the bros my friend, if anything!!!Im talking about your caucasian, polo shirt and j crew wearing egotisticle wise guy from an upper middle class southern background who is decently smart. Is you match the above description, then I am gravely sorry for possibly offending you.</p>
<p>I visited Duke about a month ago and the campus is gorgeous. from what i gathered from the tour guide (a current student at duke) everyone seems to like the school and many are able to study a variety of areas because the school has so many different classes. she said that you get to know your professors personally and that they have great resources (tutors, librarians, etc.). she also noted that you will only have to take 4 classes a semester for all four years at duke to graduate on time. she also commented on how great the academic advisors were and how they will inform you if the 4 classes you take will be a really difficult combination. from what i could tell, the students there were spirited (lots of duke clothing and spirit) and happy. there also seemed to be lots going on on the campus- sporting events, concerts, etc. hope that helps you even though im only a prospective student.</p>
<p>When I visited the Duke campus, I instantly knew that it was the place for me. The campus is stunning, and I don't think I've come across a single person on the CC forums who has said otherwise. Basically I'm reiterating what sparkle28swim just said: amazing campus, amazing academics, including great educational resources (professors have fantastic relationships with their students), amazing school spirit, amazing athletics, and overall an incredible student atmosphere. I like to put it this way: other top-tier schools have students. Duke has PEOPLE who are great students...if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>I visited about a year ago, and it took me about an hour on campus to say to my mom, "I'm not messing around. I'm applying early."</p>
<p>"beware o the bros my friend, if anything!!!Im talking about your caucasian, polo shirt and j crew wearing egotisticle wise guy from an upper middle class southern background who is decently smart." </p>
<p>And your point is? UNCfan33, there are quite a few of the above types at UNC also, and you can find variations thereof at any college. And you will come across examples of the grown-up varieties at many points in your life. Learn to deal.</p>
<p>If you want to promote UNC, that's dandy! I'm a 20 year resident of North Carolina and I think UNC is a terrific place---however, its virtues do not get any greater by disparaging Duke. Snarky little comments are not going to help the discussion and will certainly do you no credit.</p>
<p>To the OP--visit Duke. You will see for yourself why students love it and whether you would love it too.</p>
<p>My son LOVED his Focus program freshman year. Consider it if you like starting out with more of a liberal arts intimacy with your teachers and you want to spend a few hours a day with people in your freshman building (your roommate is not going to be in FOCUS..but your building will have the entire class...nice way to have best of both worlds.) Although he joined a frat, he still hangs out all the time with his FOCUS Friends and still is close to those teachers. Only do this if you are in the mood to knock off your writing requirement first semester and if you like in depth learning with field trips and close ties to full professors. FOCUS is a great way to get some of your requirements done. I have to say...I am a total fan of Duke's freshman East Campus for social life and friendship before everyone heads off to West Campus and starts declaring their majors.</p>
<p>My advice would be to visit Duke for yourself at first.
It took me some time before I grew to like Duke actually.
I remembered spending a lot of time thinking, "What did I do to not get accepted to the schools I really wanted to go to?"
(These include some of Duke's peer schools and equally-as-difficult to get into schools- Brown & Columbia(one of my best friends in high school had the reverse result of mine with Duke and Columbia last year))
However, you'll get a great education here, that's for sure!
I am personally somewhat iffy about FOCUS though.. only do it if you find a topic you are interested in.</p>
<p>Interesting comments so far, thank you everyone. I will be visiting Duke over my spring break, so I will be able to see it firsthand soon! It's hard to dive right into liking a school, but a sudden opportunity came up that makes Duke very attractive to me right now, so I would love to learn more about it.</p>
<p>Anyone else care to chime in?</p>
<p>Visit Duke and visit all the other colleges you may want to go to. Honestly if Duke is the college for you, you will know within 2 days of beng on this campus.</p>
<p>My advice is say yes to Yale...</p>
<p>I actually have gotten a pretty bad impression of Duke from my brother, who is a sophomore there. He says the segregation is.... noticeable. (I'd use a stronger word, but don't wanna be pelted with tomatoes.) So even if I get in, I doubt I'll attend.</p>
<p>^^^ as we say in these parts, your mileage may vary. Our son, also a sophpmore, has a different take.</p>
<p>Go in with an open mind, look around, talk to the students, and you 'll know what's right for you.</p>
<p>Thank OP, nice thread! Another likey-admit here.</p>
<p>My decision to include Duke amongst my top choices,
was driven by the faculty and the research they were
carrying out more than considerations of the student
body atmosphere....</p>
<p>I will be visiting Duke in April as well. Not including the
outlier jerk types who are present in any decent school,
is there really any need for (self-)seggregation at Duke? </p>
<p>Also, do students have to love BB to participate in the
"atmosphere" thingy...?</p>
<p>oops by likely-admit, I meant to write likely letter recipient....</p>
<p>Oh.. I didn't know the OP already got accepted into Yale.</p>
<p>Duke has this 'school spirit' to it and it is certainly a fun campus.</p>
<p>However, I'm not kidding with you, if I was stuck between Duke and Yale last year. I'd have probably chose Yale, unless I was in the running for A.B or Robertson (then Duke seems like a no-brainer). Duke can do a lot for you, but Yale can do so much more!</p>
<p>I'm not entirely sure that Yale can do so much more for you but to each his own. Yale is better in the humanities while Duke is better in math/science areas. I think Duke should get the nod if you're pre-med or plan to be an engineer(especially biomedical). If you're pre-law, then Yale is definitely better as it gives you stronger connections and has better departments in that area of study(history, poli sci, etc.) For pre-business, it's a wash because both schools have teriffic placement into firms and strong alum networks on Wall Street.</p>
<p>Visit both schools and attend the one that best clicks with your interests and goals. Good luck.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think Duke should get the nod if you're pre-med or plan to be an engineer(especially biomedical)
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</p>
<p>Pre-med yea, but engineering I wouldn't say so. Pratt is good but there are definitely better, cheaper options in engineering. And even if Yale is stronger in the humanities than Duke, Duke is definitely strong. I would pick Duke over Yale. And you can't forget the weather. Duke definitely has a better climate. Durham is pretty dangerous though.</p>
<p>96% percent of premeds at Yale get into medical school, the majority of which get into top medical schools. At Duke 85% of premeds get into medical school.</p>
<p>Yale is the better choice for premed. I picked Yale over Duke in a heartbeat, and am currently very fortunate for what I'm getting. My friend who got into Duke actually wanted to transfer to the University of Michigan. At Duke, my friend cannot get into any internships or research opportunities. Yale has waaay more funding (22.5 billion vs. 3 billion) for these types of opportunities, all of which I was able to take advantage of as a freshmen. I would say Duke is better in engineering than Yale, but not actually all the sciences. Yale's biology and chemistry are both amazing; research opportunities abound for even freshmen. </p>
<p>When I went for Blue Devil days, the sophomore I spoke to told me that Duke is going downhill because the student body is deteriorating due to excessive drinking and partying. She transferred to Harvard; she also told me that she wishes she had matriculated to the University of Michigan because she wasn't learning at Duke. This is coming from someone Duke actually selected to convince accepted students to matriculate. Also, the majority of students who are accepted to Duke don't attend; their yield rate is around 40 percent...(Yale's yield is around 70 percent)</p>
<p>Duke is also too isolated. Yale is at least in a city where you can go out and do things; New Haven is moderately dangerous, but certainly not more dangerous than Durham. </p>
<p>Besides, I like to see the seasons change, and I hate Durham's intense heats in the spring and fall (you guys had a drought if I'm not mistaken).</p>
<p>Plus, Yale is now much cheaper with its amazing financial aid. Families making less than 60K go for free. Families making between 60-100K pay next to nothing (maybe 2k or so per year). Families making between 100-200K pay 1-10 percent of their total income. Yale is way cheaper and provides a greater undergraduate focus than Duke. I visited both schools after I was accepted and observed this first hand.</p>
<p>We also have amazing faculty. (Tony Blair is teaching next year!)</p>
<p>Yea, we're recovering, at least I think we're recovering from the drought right now. But the spring and fall are definitely not hot. The summer is INTENSE heat. But spring and fall are rather enjoyable, generally in the 70s. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Besides, I like to see the seasons change
[/quote]
</p>
<p>We have four seasons in north carolina. I guess you've never lived here. It's not florida.</p>
<p>regarding engineering at Duke compared to other, top engineering schools:
Two things we appreciate about the curriculum for engineers are: that you will graduate in 4 years if you take a full load each term and pass all your classes (not all that common elsewhere), and that the non-engineering courses you take (and several are necessary to graduate) are taken in Trinity. For example, many other engineering schools have engineers satisfy the English requirement with a Writing for Engineers type of course. At Duke, you will take an English and writing course in Trinity.</p>
<p>I don't know how posters are rating engineering schools relative to Pratt, but I can say that Pratt is definitely not lacking in rigor. Also, the career services and recruiting are terrific.</p>
<p>Plus, there is Dr. G!
edit: Son and most of his friends have terrific internships lined up for this summer ( following sophomore year)</p>
<p>Beware of this and all other anecdotal information, especially from people who do not have any affiliation to the school about which they are opining.</p>