<p>Is Duke a preppy school full of rich kids? I've heard this. Can anyone answer this?</p>
<p>No, it's not. At any top private school there will be the wealthy preppy kids, but there is definitely a very sizable population that isn't extremely wealthy. I think about half of all undergraduates recieve some sort of financial aid, and that's fairly consistant with any top 20 school.</p>
<p>just go to one of those mandatory financial aid assemblies during orientation week and you'll see exactly how many wealthy people there are or rather aren't.</p>
<p>That and then there are even people that aren't exactly on financial aid that aren't rich. (like ROTC, we get everything paid for by the Navy and most of us I would not describe as rich)</p>
<p>Most people at Duke are cool and I haven't really had any personal contact with any snobs. (though I am sure that there has to be a couple somewhere on campus, just never met those people)</p>
<p>58% of my class pays for Duke out of pocket, so yes, there are plenty of wealthy people here. That said, I can definitely say that non-wealthy/preppy students don't have a problem fitting in!</p>
<p>Honestly, it can be very hard to tell the difference between those who have $$$ and those who don't.</p>
<p>Yeh, and I think that by the time they get to college most people begin to understand the difference between their money and their parent's money. (not all have made that distinction but enough to make a difference)</p>
<p>Ok I don't know if all the replies have been entirely accurate. There is a HUGE number of rich kids here, I would put it at the majority. As someone said, you know they're rich when 60% is paying full tuition/room&board with no financial aid whatsoever. Is it preppy? Somewhat. The greek scene is dominated by rich preppy types. But theres a lot of people that have no part in that so you'll have no trouble fitting in.</p>
<p>Yes, there are plenty of students who come from wealthy families. </p>
<p>According to our son, who has significant financial aid: NO ONE CARES!</p>
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Honestly, it can be very hard to tell the difference between those who have $$$ and those who don't.
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<p>Feelings are the same here..</p>