Make me love Duke

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
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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.

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<p>Um...perhaps it is just your friend, because since we are using anecdotal evidence, I can name numerous individuals who are not experiencing such a problem and actually commend the university on the internship and research opportunities.</p>

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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.

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<p>1 person out of an undergraduate population of 6000+ students told you that?</p>

<p>So it must be true.</p>

<p>If anything the amount of partying has decreased at the university over the last decade.</p>

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Duke is also too isolated. Yale is at least in a city where you can go out and do things

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<p>How is Duke isolated? If you've never lived in the area you're not really qualified to say what there is or is not available to do. There are plenty of opportunities for fun in the triangle.</p>

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<p>the campus is isolated. you have to take a bus to get anywhere, especially on the freshman campus. i stayed on campus for multiple days after i was accepted.</p>

<p>and my point about the partying and drinking thing was that a student that Duke selected to SELL Duke to potential matriculants actually did the OPPOSITE, with full intention might I add. and about the deterioration of the student body, my friend says that no one in her English class even knows what a thesis statement; she also says how no one ever participates in her FOCUS discussion classes or in her English seminar. </p>

<p>and about the research opportunities, my friend says that there are ample opportunities for underrepresented minorities and Siemens/Intel Winners. however, she says there is next to nothing for the other students; she's looked into everything she could find and this summer she's just coming home to Michigan. </p>

<p>if a student at Yale has any trouble finding an opportunity (which almost never happens), undergraduate career services works with you to find something that will suit your needs; i don't know of anyone left in the dust, not even freshmen. Yale has International Bulldogs internships and Bulldogs Across America internships; there are literally thousands of opportunities for students with any interests. Also, if you are on financial aid, Yale pays for the costs of your summer experience (this includes study abroad programs as well).</p>

<p>you can also create your own internship or research project in any country in the world. even if you are not on financial aid, Yale will pay for your internship or research project's expenses if your project has merit. I know a senior who spent his last summer doing research on Bhangra (an indian folk dance) all across India. This kid was premed and his research was completely off the wall. Yale paid for all of his expenses ($3000+), despite the fact that he has wealthy parents.</p>

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<p>I see a lot of my friend says in your post. What does that mean to me?</p>

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my friend says that no one in her English class even knows what a thesis statement

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<p>I highly doubt that.</p>

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<p>well you just have to take the benefit of the doubt. I obviously can't reveal her name. Plus, I have no reason to lie; the OP's matriculation decision makes no impact on my own life.</p>

<p>wolfpack12, you aren't even in college. i think i have more validity. plus, i've actually spent time at both of these schools because i was faced with the same decision.</p>

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<p>i love duke. Watch the Froshlife films on youtube.</p>

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<p>I'm sorry to put your friend, The Duke Authority, on trial, but it is simple to use context clues to see why this source probably isn't the most reliable. Yaaaay!</p>

<p>The giveaway:
"my friend says that no one in her English class even knows what a thesis statement"</p>

<p>Obviously, this is not true. In fact, it sounds like an exaggeration from a slightly cyncial student, upset that the student body doesn't meet her standards.</p>

<p>...which puts statements like, "she says there is next to nothing for the other students" into question too. Could this be an exaggeration? In my estimation, yes.</p>

<p>But ah, you go to Yale. So I suppose your Duke research surpasses my reasoning skills. Apologies.</p>

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<p>I don't know what is with this friend of yours, but every person I know is either doing an internship, study abroad, or DukEngage this summer. There certainly is PLENTY for a Duke student to do. My advice to you is to stop talking about a topic with which you clearly have no first-hand experience. And no one in her English class knows what a thesis statement is? That's ridiculous. These people wrote essays, and probably darn good ones, to get in...Why would you believe something like that? Clearly it's a pretty big exaggeration.</p>

<p>Overall, I really, really like Duke. Sure it has its flaws - all universities do.<br>
-Sometimes it feels like the party scene is too large, but I've noticed that as 2nd semester is progressing, the number of frat parties is diminishing quite a bit.<br>
-It sometimes felt as if Duke doesn't care about politics/world events, but as I'm getting used to Duke life, I'm realizing where to look for these kinds of things, and the number of students out there campaigning and raising money and awareness for various crises is simply astounding.
-Otherwise, everything I have to say is quite positive. Generally, I'd say Duke's a very genuinely nice student body. Sure there are a few of those jerks you find everywhere, but never have I run into anyone who's been remotely rude to me. The southern hospitality/friendliness/courtesy is visible EVERYWHERE.<br>
- LOTS of research opps - I got a post just a week into my first semester here.
- The obvious academic factor, but what I love is that no one cares about what type of grades their friends are getting. They care about understanding the material and doing reasonably well on the exams, but Duke students are very good at putting things in perspective and not going around flipping out about exams all the time. In general, it's a very relaxed but focused atmosphere here.
- DUKE BASKETBALL! Like most of my friends, I wasn't very into bball at ALL when I came here and was actually quite worried I wouldn't fit in because I didn't care about bball when it was such a big thing with most Dukies. Turns out that sitting down in the common room after a long day to watch a Duke game is one of the most relaxing/fun things you can do. And sitting out in K-Vile waiting to get into Cameron (and then the actual Cameron experience!!) is all just amazing. I am SO glad I'm at a school where there's great athletics as well as academics to help balance it all out. Maybe that's why Duke students in general seem so happy...</p>

<p>Anyway, to the OP, in the end you're going to have to rely on what you got out of your visit to Duke. Just know that whatever you end up deciding, you'll be happy. I was so, so, so worried about my decision to come to Duke and felt like I wouldn't fit in at ALL. Now, I'm sure there are some people I wouldn't fit in with, but the friends I have here are amazing and I've taken what I want out of what Duke has to offer and I'm so happy here. I'm sure it would have been the same case at most other colleges, and I'm sure it'll be the case for you. Good luck! :)</p>

29

<p>
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and my point about the partying and drinking thing was that a student that Duke selected to SELL Duke to potential matriculants actually did the OPPOSITE, with full intention might I add. and about the deterioration of the student body, my friend says that no one in her English class even knows what a thesis statement; she also says how no one ever participates in her FOCUS discussion classes or in her English seminar.

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<p>Funny...because I did FOCUS freshman year, and everyone knew what a thesis was and every one participated. I guess this means you should not take everything at face value. I find this statement impossible to believe.</p>

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And about the research opportunities, my friend says that there are ample opportunities for underrepresented minorities and Siemens/Intel Winners. however, she says there is next to nothing for the other students; she's looked into everything she could find and this summer she's just coming home to Michigan.

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<p>She didn't look hard enough. My NUMEROUS friends doing research happen to be neither URMs or Siemens/Intel winners. Seeing as we are using anecdotal evidence, it would seem that her inability to find an opportunity is reflective of her rather than of the university.</p>

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you can also create your own internship or research project in any country in the world. even if you are not on financial aid, Yale will pay for your internship or research project's expenses if your project has merit. I know a senior who spent his last summer doing research on Bhangra (an indian folk dance) all across India. This kid was premed and his research was completely off the wall. Yale paid for all of his expenses ($3000+), despite the fact that he has wealthy parents.

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<p>So can students at Duke. It's called DukeEngage. So what exactly is your point again?</p>

<p>Let's try again shall we. Your friend is an extreme anomaly whose experience is not indicative of the majority. Given that your entire position is based off the testimony of 1 student (out of 6000+ undergraduates), I would think that much is evident.</p>

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wolfpack12, you aren't even in college. i think i have more validity. plus, i've actually spent time at both of these schools because i was faced with the same decision.

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<p>I am from this area. Quite a few people from my school go to Duke every year. I have tons of friends there. They are all happy with Duke. Even if I'm not in college I think I have more validity than you. I am not claiming that duke students don't know what a thesis statement is.</p>

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DUKE BASKETBALL!

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<p>ehhh...Not a good point noodles. Dook basketball and athletics in general might stop me from going to Duke. I like the school but I hate dook basketball. But I'm a diehard wolfpack fan. Did any of you hate dook athletics before coming? Do you learn to love it?</p>

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<p>Duke Engage is strictly for community service. Not the same thing.</p>

<p>And I never made any personal claims that Duke students don't know what thesis statements are or that research opportunities are impossible to find. This was not a "testimony". I simply put out examples of reals things that have happened to real students. A student claimed that the student body is deteriorating. A student claimed that internship opportunities are hard to find. A student claimed that no one in her class knew that a thesis statement is. I, personally, cannot and do not claim any of these things. Please read carefully and don't put words in my mouth. </p>

<p>And the only reason I have to post on this forum, is because multiple posters suggested that Duke has superior premed to Yale. For the sake of the OP, this is false, and perhaps the opposite is true. </p>

<p>If you're into engineering, I say go to Duke. But at the undergraduate level at top schools like Duke and Yale, everyone is pretty much on the same page in whatever major they choose; it really doesn't matter so much where you go in terms of academics. I do feel that Yale's undergraduate focus and experience is tough to beat no matter what your major is. And when a school has an endowment of $22.5 billion (vs. 4 billion), it is reasonable to claim that that school has more "extra", valuable resources for its students.</p>

<p>I'm done as long as no more posters make false statements about Yale (premed, sciences, etc.) from this point forward, especially those who haven't attended.</p>

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<p>[accidentally posted a blank post]</p>

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<p>Isolated?</p>

<p>Duke Freshmen live on East Campus, which is a very short stroll from 9th Street, a thriving commercial area. Want a cheap burrito as big as your head? Cosmic Cantina. Something more refined? George's Garage. A terrific brunch? Vin Rouge. Funky retro clothing, music--live, CD, and vinyl, and so on--all there.</p>

<p>((BTW, Whole Foods Market is across the street from East Campus.))</p>

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<p>
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I simply put out examples of reals things that have happened to real students. A student claimed that the student body is deteriorating. A student claimed that internship opportunities are hard to find. A student claimed that no one in her class knew that a thesis statement is. I, personally, cannot and do not claim any of these things. Please read carefully and don't put words in my mouth.

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<p>Your entire posts casted Duke in an incorrect light whether they were statements based on the experience of a SINGLE student or not.</p>

<p>Next time you give advice on the internship/academic offerings of a school its best to perhaps have actually attended it full-time rather than give information that is based on 1 source to impressionable high schoolers</p>

<p>I'm done as long as no more posters make misguided statements about Duke from this point forward, especially those who haven't attended.</p>

<p>P.S. Yale's endowment is still far larger, but Duke's is 6 billion not 4 billion. For future argument's sake, I think it best to have the numbers right.</p>

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<p>rd31: I felt that I had to respond to your post. I am actually impressed to hear that given the decision between Duke and Yale that you actually took the time to visit Duke. If I got acceptance letters from Duke and Harvard the last week of March, I would have probably not taken the time to even visit Duke myself. Hell, I was so narrow-minded and set on a few places that if I got into a place like Brown.. I might have not even visited Duke. The only way I would be sitting at a place like Brown or Harvard and be able to say that I visited Duke was if I did get off one of their waitlists..</p>

<p>It is very easy to avoid the drinking scene, if you want to. You just have to find the right people here. They exist. I found them.. even though I must say I am fond of the partying aspect of college myself. :p. You will be surprised by the # of people at Duke who are willing to play Risk on a Saturday night or to have a conversation about existentialism etc. People have actually told me that when they first met me that they thought I was just a 'party boy' and that my 'nerdy side' seems to come out more every day.</p>

<p>I bet the girl you met who is at Harvard now never bothered to ask, she never bothered to take the initiative to help foster the growth of intellectualism into social life. I also bet that she was someone who didn't get into Harvard the first time around and spent her years working to get into her dream school. I don't know, but my gut feeling is that she was someone who didn't give Duke a chance. I guess this, because that was once me. I was devastated by the fact I didn't get into any of my top choices.. Harvard, Brown, and Columbia. I settled for Duke. A mistake I made first semester (sticking with Orgo) has put me in a place where I could never transfer out of Duke into a college, such as Brown. I found at that point though that I loved Duke so much.. I didn't even care that I wouldn't be able to transfer into Brown. </p>

<p>My first semester at Duke was fun but unsatisfying intellectually. However, I found a great group of people on campus recently who I can have fun with and be intellectually stimulated by. I wonder if we would have been friends, if you chose to go to Duke..</p>

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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.

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If anything, the student body at Duke is improving!
Duke is becoming more selective every year.
Everyone here is so intelligent, as is the case at Yale. </p>

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my friend says that no one in her English class even knows what a thesis statement; she also says how no one ever participates in her FOCUS discussion classes or in her English seminar.

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I have found that in my FOCUS seminar that people participated all the time. Some sections hold more of an air of apathy than others though.
No one knows what a thesis statement is in her English class? Oy! I am happy that in all of my humanities classes, everyone knew what it was. I'm happy that everyone I met at Duke seems to have knowledge of what it is, except maybe a lot of the Pratt students, :p</p>

<p>Yale is a great school, but so is Duke.
You don't really know Duke. How long did you stay there? One night? You do really know Yale. I don't really know Dartmouth, SUNY Binghamton, UVA or Georgetown, even though I visited all of these places and was seriously considering going to each one for college. What makes you so bitter about Duke?</p>

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<p>Hey guys, this is the OP.</p>

<p>While I had never intended for this thread to become a Yale vs. Duke thread, that is the direction it has recently moved. I really like both schools, and I think they have a lot to offer. Yale is a place that I have a lot of history with, so I am hoping to overcome my bias in order to learn a little more about Duke life. Please keep this end in mind.</p>

<p>It is so difficult to make an objective decision between colleges even without this partisanship, so please try to exercise an equally objective perspective on this thread. I appreciate all of the comments about likes/dislikes already... anyone care to offer more?</p>

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<p>bmwdan13,</p>

<p>I don't quite have the time to reread all the other pages, but can you state what you are interested in pursuing.</p>

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<p>bmwdan13,</p>

<p>You going to visit, correct? For the most part, the people I know who attend or attended Duke love it.**** Which is not to say that everyone else would love it, too. You'll know if it is for you after you visit.</p>

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<p>Mondo, I actually have done a fair amount of research on Duke. I actually chose to matriculate there until the end of May 2007, when I was taken off of Yale's waitlist ( I was waitlisted at Harvard and Yale). I visited Duke for three nights, had lunch with my admissions officer, and talked to tons of people (including my magnet school college counselor, who has sent twenty or so kids to Duke and visits every year). There are so many Duke hopefuls and alumni here in my own town, all of which I've talked to. I also spent about two months on the Duke forums last year in 2007, because I had one heck of a time deciding between the University of Michigan and Duke U (at this point, I was not yet accepted by Harvard or Yale). </p>

<p>Even the month after I sent in my reply card to Duke, I spent so many of my waking moments trying to comfort myself in my decision to go to Duke via CC, talking to alumni, etc.</p>

<p>I'm not bitter about Duke at all, I just got a bit defensive when a few posters brought Yale into the discussion, claiming it to have inferior premed, sciences, etc. </p>

<p>Pluses for Duke: Beautiful campus, great athletic spirit, great academic reputation; #2 biomed engineering in the country; LEMURS. </p>

<p>My reservations about going to Duke over U Mich (again before I was accepted to Yale) was that it is just so expensive. Everyone on college confidential and in my hometown kept telling me that the educational quality is roughly equal, yet I would have had to pay 4x as much to go to Duke. </p>

<p>BMWdan13, it is really best for you to just visit and spend time on campus. The educational quality of all the top schools are not too different. If money is not an issue (perhaps you got great financial aid packages too), then you really should just choose to matriculate where you see yourself fitting in the best and enjoying the undergrad experience. Please don't let CC be a deciding factor for you.
On CC, when I was trying to decide between Duke and other schools, many posters presented Duke in a negative light (especially Alexandre; you might want to look up the thread Duke vs. Michigan, or something along the lines of that because I cannot quite remember the thread name) and others defended Duke. I think I chose Duke over my state school because of Duke's prestige, graduate school placement, nice admissions staff/faculty (my officer wrote me a nice note in my acceptance package), and gorgeous green campus. Also, coming from the North, I thought it would be an enriching experience to study in the South. The gothic architecture is a plus and, as stupid as it sounds, something about schools with 4 letter names is really attractive...
In the end, after coming off of the waitlists, I chose Yale for reasons I won't go into now. One small, subconscious, and irrational reason for my taking my name off of Harvard's waitlist may have been for its lack of a 4 letter name haha.</p>

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<p>This is a very basic response to your post ---------- If someone has to make you love a school be it Yale, Duke or whatever, you may regret your decision. Come and visit, speak to the students and hopefully come to love your choice on your own terms.</p>