Party/social scene

[WakeUp]

<p>So.... I'm between Duke and Rice. And it's fluctuating between the two just because I feel like while Duke is definitely more logical as an academic/networking/and so on choice, Rice seems much more chill in social scene with its residential college system and less inclusive than Duke. </p>

<p>Convince me otherwise! Go!</p>

[eatsalot]

<p>^why is less inclusive bad? If you want an exclusive social scene, I don’t suggest coming to Duke.</p>

<p>

@eatsalot

Here’s something I PMed to someone about the Greek system and the social scene:</p>

<p>The social scene at Duke can be described in four words: diverse, balanced, eclectic, and most importantly, INCLUSIVE. </p>

<p>1) Diverse, eclectic</p>

<p>While the Greek system is existent, it is by no means dominating or self-segregating. Statistically speaking, only about 23% of students are associated with a Greek organization, so it is available to those who wish to participate. But while I am not Greek, I have friends who are both Greek and non-Greek, so by making one decision, you’re not excluding yourself from a huge chunk of friends/the social life here. The other thing girls in particular love about Greek life here is that sororities here do not haze (and for guys its just drinking…). Pretty much every other school’s sororities hazel at Duke, they give each other chocolates, gifts, etc. Haha as you can tell, it’s a pretty loving environment.</p>

<p>If you don’t want to be always stuck in Greek life, there is always something else going on. There are parties EVERYWHERE, there are free movies in the movie theater on campus, shopping trips, hanging out in Durham, eating in Durham (Durham has an incredible restaurant scene), performances at Duke and in Durham (the Duke student body is particularly dance and singing crazed. There’s always some group performing…), attending lectures/speakers, going to basketball games (or any athetlic event), or just chilling with your friends. There’s also three to four clubs within walking distance of campus that everyone likes to go to and have a great time dancing/hanging out. Very few of Duke’s peer schools have these unique outlets…</p>

<p>There’s obviously a lot more, but I just wanted to give the picture that Duke’s social scene is definitely not dominated by Greek organizations and is in fact, very diverse. Frat/sorority parties, though, are very, very fun.</p>

<p>2) Balanced</p>

<p>A lot of schools say that they have a “work hard, play hard” environment. But to be honest, I don’t think that the phrase gives Duke’s unique environment justice. What elite school other than Duke can boast incredible academics alongside a basketball team that is going to the Final Four (a team that is coached by a gold medal winning USA basketball???)? Yeah, none. Duke has an incredible sense of balance - everyone’s really happy to be here, and you can get that feeling while on campus.</p>

<p>3) Inclusive</p>

<p>This is honestly something I love the most about Duke. Duke is a much more inclusive environment than many universities. For example, I hated how parties and socials at other schools are closed. You can only get it in you know people or if you are a hot girl or if you are a guy who brings tons of girls. At Duke, no one really gives a crap. You can go pretty much wherever you want with whomever you want… you can build your network in whichever way you desire. This is actually something unique about Duke though, and I love it. There is an incredible sense of community on campus, and everyone’s pretty willing to meet others and build a stronger Duke relationship.</p>

<p>Also, since there are no houses, this really aids in integrating everyone together… brothers live together within areas of the quads, but as I said earlier, sororities don’t have housing. This makes the Greek system pretty chill relative to other universities. Tons of girls I know here always comment about how they would have never joined a sorority at another school, but since Duke’s sorority life is so low-key and welcoming, they didn’t feel pressured and chose to do it to meet other girls.

</p>

[WakeUp]

<p>Oops, I meant exclusive not inclusive. Anyways, thanks for your response. Somehow, no matter how many responses I get it is hard to shake off my own preconceived notions about Duke despite how much I love it… though I am beginning to realize that you really can just do your own thing at Duke whatever that may be.</p>

[slik_nik]

<p>@WakeUp: I was in the exact situation at this time last year… down to Rice and Duke. If you want to PM me specific questions about both schools (I did extensive research on both Rice and Duke before I made my decision).</p>

<p>I visited Duke during BDD last year. Students at both Rice and Duke are both pretty chill and down-to-earth; however, I will say that Rice students seem to be less intense partiers than Duke students (although partying still takes place at Rice). I would definitely say its probably more common to find Rice students in the library on Friday and Saturday nights than Duke students (myself included lol). However, most Rice students relax and chill on Friday and Saturday nights or go to parties… you can basically do whatever you want. The awesome thing is that no one gives a crap if you are studying or drunk out of your mind on weekend nights. </p>

<p>Personally, I think Rice’s residential college system is more interesting and unique than Duke’s frat/sorority system (although I like how they integrated frats and sororities with the dorms). You meet so many diverse groups of people that you probably wouldn’t meet otherwise. For example, racial/ethnic cliques are rare here (as they are at Duke, but I felt Duke was slightly more cliquey). Athletes, music majors, architecture students, engineering students, international students, etc. all interact within each residential college. Almost everyone here (as at Duke) are very happy to be here.</p>

<p>Academically wise, I will concede that Duke is slightly stronger, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Rice is just as strong as Duke in sciences and probably slightly stronger in engineering and music. Duke also does have a stronger alumni network; however, that’s because Duke has more alumni nationwide. Rice’s alumni are still very connected to Rice.</p>

<p>I also prefer Rice’s location over Duke’s. Houston has a lot more to offer than Durham. I got to go to a Black Eyed Peas concert with 74,000 people in attendance. I went to the rodeo. I walk by the world’s largest medical center at least once a week. Rice Village is about 10 minute from the southern part of campus and has all kinds of cool restaurants, ice cream parlors, and stores. The nations 2nd largest metropolitan park is also 5 minute walk from campus. The Houston MetroRail has a station right next to campus; this takes you to both downtown and Reliant Stadium.
Finally, when I visited both, I felt Rice was more close-knit than Duke in terms of student body. The community here is very strong. It’s strong at Duke as well, especially with the basketball spirit, but I did feel it was slightly stronger here.</p>

<p>Anyway, good luck! Can’t go wrong with either. Hope you have/will visit both schools.</p>

[frenchhorngirl]

<p>depends on what kind of engineering…Duke’s Biomedical Engineering is arguable the best in the country.</p>

[slik_nik]

<p>I meant engineering in general. Although Duke’s BME is stronger, Rice’s bioengineering program is still in the top 10 bioengineering/BME programs in the nation (we were ranked #9 last year; I think Duke was ranked #3 or #4).</p>

[noobcake]

<p>My final choice was also between Rice and Duke. As a rising junior, I would very much still prefer Rice’s residential system. I chose Duke because of its larger size and stronger biomedical engineering program.</p>

[frenchhorngirl]

<p>duke was ranked #2, not that it matters but just wanted to correct you</p>