<p>Bandmom, you are uninformed about the Rhodes Scholarship. It is for those finishing their degree and then move to Oxford to take post-graduate studies. It is different from the scholarships offered by universities to attract new students. No one knows they are Rhodes Scholar until they go though the selection process close to the end of their undergraduate studies.</p>
<p>Achil - you only have to wear academic robes on alternate Thursdays as an AB scholar. Other than that, totally unrecognizable on campus...</p>
<p>As for not contributing to campus, I would hold up the newly elected Duke Student Government President, the newly elected Engineering Student Government President, the head of the Duke Conservative Union and one of the founding fathers of Duke's Pi Kappa Phi chapter, and the founder of the Innoworks Summer Program as just some of the people demonstrating that ABs have contributed to campus and practicing the leadership that you see in the BN and Trinity program.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification and sorry for any confusion by my post. However, I never meant to imply that Rhodes Scholars were selected as newly admitted undergraduates. I merely wanted to impress upon Achil that there were plenty of scholarship-caliber students that blended right in and didn't stand out because just they had scholarships.</p>
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I hope they all don't have your attitude Bandcamp girl.
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<p>Excuse me?! Wow, okay first of all, there's really no need to attack me like that. Second of all, I believe you may have misunderstood me. I in no way believe I'm one of the "talented people" I was talking about-- coming to Duke was the biggest dose of humility I ever got. I mean, I really have nothing else to say to that...I'm sorry if you misunderstood me, but I also truly don't believe that getting a merit scholarship is the only worthwhile reason to come to this amazing university. That's all.</p>
<p>I'm sorry...I was just kidding bandcamp girl...I suppose saracam doesn't come through well in text haha....I definitely appreciate your opinions though, so thank you.</p>
<p>I personally know and like a lot of the ABs, but they do often experience a crashing-to-earth syndrome that can be rough over their first couple years.</p>
<p>To the OP: the AB Duke scholars I know all conducted college-level, indepedent research as high schoolers. Either that or were already national-class artists of some kind.</p>
<p>"This isn't because people are jealous, but because when you have a class with a merit scholar, they think that they have soooo much to add and nothing to learn from anyone else."</p>
<p>You can't stereotype an entire group of people this way. As someone who just returned from the scholarship finalist weekend at Duke, I can honestly say that many of the current BN scholars I met were extremely humble. After sitting in on a seminar class, I saw intelligence - but NOT arrogance - being displayed by the 1 BN and 2 Robertsons in the class. I understand the need to make someone feel better about not receiving merit money, but to do this by insulting those who have worked hard to receive scholarships and who are giving back to the Duke community (whether you appreciate it or not) is extremely close-minded.</p>
<p>Just a quick note on scholarship stereotypes -- the BNs are stereotypically the "coolest"/"most normal" scholarship kids. I've received a sort of biased opinion since my roommate is a BN and I know a bunch of them through her, but I do believe that is actually the stereotype they have on campus. I mean, I've only met 3 ABs...two I like, 1 I really don't. So I really can't say anything for them. But that's the scoop on BNs -- most people don't consider them to be the "arrogant" ones.</p>
<p>Yeah volver i was talking more about AB's. Nor did I mean to say that all AB's are like that. But regardless of how many fit the description that I gave, they just have that reputation . . . and no offense to DCU or PiKap members . . . but leading one of those organizations does not help to change the reputation that AB's are arrogant.</p>
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Alex: do people generally know who the ABs are, or do many of them simply make it known? While I like the community (and the money) the program provides, the last thing I want is to be anointed as a campus "academic star." It's cool that I did stuff in high school...but none of it really matters.
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<p>Many AB's blend in well . . . Elliott is a perfect example. Even though I'd say Elliott has always "stood out" as really smart (based on his movie server and chronicle column), he's also "fit in" by being a fun and laid back person to be around. Elliott is an acquaintance of mine and has been for a while, but I had no idea he was an AB until he ran for president and his AB status was in a Chronicle story. He has never made a big deal of it to me or anyone else. To me that is really impressive and I respect him a lot for not feeling the need to brag about it. Some AB's do tell the world though . . . the fact that I knew that there were 2 AB's in one of my seminars within the first couple weeks of class indicates a lot about their arrogance - they want people to know they are AB's and will find a way to work it into the conversation . . . I don't know if it is an insecurity thing or what. Elliott is not insecure like that - he doesn't need to go around telling everyone he's an AB in order for people to like him. In fact I think that when AB's find a really random way to tell me they are an AB, it just turns me off to the person in general. I don't think they realize that when one of the first things out of their mouth when you meet them is "oh you're talking about so and so? I know them through one of my friends who is an AB like me," it just makes them look insecure. </p>
<p>I don't mean to say that AB's should hide it or be ashamed or scared that someone will judge them if they find out . . . because that's not true either. It's just the way you carry yourself. If you head into Duke with the attitude that you are better than everyone else and can't wait to inform them of this . . . then you are going to be grouped with the "arrogant" AB's. If you head into Duke with the attitude that most Duke students deserve to be here just as much as you do, and that you have a lot to learn from them just as they have a lot to learn from you, and that you would rather prove yourself through things you do at Duke than through AB status alone, then people will not judge you for being an AB. </p>
<p>And for heaven's sake . . . be social. Stay out late on a weekend night sometimes. Go to cookout at 3 a.m. Go out on a Thursday night when you have a class at 8:45 the next morning. Drink once in a while. I've witnessed Elliott puking at a party and it doesn't seem to have hurt his academic standing or ability to do great things on this campus. Not that drinking to the point of puking is ever a good idea (I feel like I have to say that when CC parents might be reading :P), but you know what I mean.</p>
<p>I would just like to tell volver240 that the volvo 240 is an amazing automobile!</p>
<p>haha! yes...yes it is :)</p>
<p>Achil, what school do you go to?</p>
<p>I go to Indian Hill and was just wondering. Congrats on your scholly. If you decide to go to Duke, let me know. (Im currently deciding between Duke, and full tuition at Vandy and have no idea)</p>
<p>There is also the Robertson Scholarship, which I received but will probably decline since it does not cover room/board/books/fees (parents not paying anything for college).</p>
<p>Oh yeah, who here is a Robertson Scholar. Forgot about that thing?</p>
<p>I love Duke and all, but jeez my financial aid package sucked. Meaning, it was nonexistent. Like... I know my family makes a million dollars butttt we're already paying for one college tuition at a private engineerin school, and two more on the way, and my family's the "benefactor" of our family in india and we pay for all of their loans and down payments on building factories and WOW I feel so bad for my dad that he has to pay 44,000 a year. Cold. </p>
<p>This kind of deviates from the merit thing. Yeah, I feel like I should have been a valedictorian or something to get a merit scholarship so my parents wouldn't have to suffer for being benevolent with their money in ways that the FAFSA doesn't express.</p>
<p>Ok if your family is making a million dollars a year it's hard to expect to get financial aid.</p>
<p>we make a million dollars and live in orange county and support about four other college educations. </p>
<p>so subtract all that and it's not really much of an expendable income.</p>
<p>rcb, I didn't even get in at Duke and I had very similar numbers to yours. You must be unfamiliar with the college admissions process.</p>
<p>Cavalier, I'm sorry to hear that. I would've been excited to have you here. (Not that we would've overlapped, but still.)</p>
<p>pri, some families make 50,000 a year and are expected to pay 10,000 or more.</p>