Rate the aspects of your college life

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone would rate the different aspects of their college lives. I feel like I am not the typical CC user, but that is just an observation that I've made in my short time here. I like to drink (heavily) and go to parties 3-4 nights a week. I also don't go to an Ivy league school or anything like that, but I feel like I go to a school that fits me.</p>

<p>College: Clemson, sophmore</p>

<p>Academic fit: A
I was always an average student in high school and only got a 1210/1600 on the SAT's. Clemson has been pretty challenging for me, though nothing too extreme. I am a business major right now and have not declared an emphasis...so I'm still figuring all of that out. Overall, I have been very impressed by the professors and classes in my time here.</p>

<p>Social fit: A+
Clemson is a pretty big party school and I love that aspect of it. For the most part, everyone is looking to have a good time on the weekends and that is a big plus for me. I wanted my college experience to be really exciting and so far it has exceeded all expectations. I have made lifelong friends already in my 3 semesters here and wouldn't change a thing about the social aspect.</p>

<p>Location: A
My school is 2 hours out of my hometown and I wouldn't have it any other way. I wanted to get out of Columbia, but at the same time stay close enough to family and friends. Clemson is in a very rural setting and it seems to have fewer distractions than a school in a big city might. Very beautiful campus as well.</p>

<p>Athletics: A+
I became interested in Clemson through my family ties and the fact that their athletics are so good there. Great fan support, tailgating, etc. The football, basketball, and baseball programs are all solid and that is another huge plus for me. I'm a sports fanatic and had to throw the athletics in there. They are definitely a big part of my college life.</p>

<p>Overall college life grade: A+
Couldn't have picked a better college for me and I am loving every minute of it. Graduation day can wait for as long as I'm concerned.</p>

<p>Add anything that you feel necessary to describe your situation at your particular college.</p>

2

<p>University of North Dakota (UND)…yeah, go figure…</p>

<p>Ima Freshman</p>

<p>Academic Fit: D-
You would think getting a 4.0 would give one some personal satisfaction…well, you are wrong sir. It is near the bottom of the barrel here. What’s that? You got a 19 on your ACT? Well congrats mate, you got into UND!</p>

<p>Social Fit: D+/C- (about a 70%)
Firstly I aint going to play the angst card and say “i dont really fit in because I havent meet anyone that sees eye to eye with me and i dont quite fit in because everyone is too immature and im a lone wolf and i dont like the school because I am sooo mistunderstood and no one really gets me, im so alone…” The truth is my interests and hobbies are obscure, unconventional, and just plain weird so i didnt really expect to find much when I went looking for it. I think its that im too hip and jive for this town :stuck_out_tongue: (that was kinda angsty)</p>

<p>Location: F
the grade on this one can be given realtively (some poeple will give it an “A” for being one mile away and some will give it an “A” for being on the other side of the planet.</p>

<p>I was born and raised in this city but its a trade off because of financial reasons. simple as that, I just makes me sad deep down when I see everything that is assumed and taken for granted on this forum :frowning: such as the $$$ for school. Its a different world when the dollar actually weighs you down and instead of “opening your window of opportunity” so to speak. I would like to get away from everything in my current town but I’m content being here…</p>

<p>Athletics: (N/A)
Personally I gain no enjoyment from sports…so its not right to give it a grade in my case. (insert rant here)</p>

<p>Overall college life grade: B+
Here are some reasons as to why college is going swell for me right now. Autonomy, self-goverance, release, independence, self-rule, freedom…am i being redundent?. I live in an off campus apartment and I do enjoy it! I go to class, go home, go work - 1,2,3! although the acadmic fit, social fit, and location arent too good, I am becoming content with life so i guess it works out.</p>

<p>can you say verbose?</p>

3

<p>Brown, freshman–</p>

<p>Academic fit: B-
This rating is low entirely through faults of my own. I should have gotten a lot more out of my first semester, academically, than I did. I’m not used to having to work for grades, so I didn’t work, and I got pwned big time. Also, I’m certainly below median intellectually here, and although I knew it would be this way beforehand, it feels sort of weird to actually experience life at the bottom of the bell curve, you know? Next semester, though, I’m gonna say “screw it” to my “never studied a day in my life~~” ego and I’m gonna gun. Hard.</p>

<p>Social fit: A-
I love most everyone I’ve met here, and I have a main group of awesome friends with whom I’m pretty close, but I mean, there’s always room for improvement, right? Plus, I wasted too much of my potential social time first semester by sleeping at odd hours and spending a lot of time online. </p>

<p>Location: A
Providence is a nice small town, plus I’m close to NYC and Boston, both of which I visited a few times on the weekends. I wish NYC were cheaper to get to, but overall, Providence is a good place to be. </p>

<p>Athletics: N/A
I didn’t go to any games, haha. And sports aren’t a big thing here. So whatev. </p>

<p>Overall: A
Definitely having a good time (I love the freedom living on my own affords), although there are are certainly things that can be improved upon. Hopefully next semester will earn an A+. :)</p>

4

<p>Freshman, Boston College.</p>

<p>Academic fit: B+</p>

<p>Academics are challenging here at BC and I did have to work for my grade. Additionally, the professors (at least from all the ones I have had) generally assign a few major assignments, in addition to tests and midterms. Very little in the way of busywork, which I like. However, some of the classes I have taken are somewhat tedious (like First Year Writing Seminar, where they make you revise your papers multiple times regardless of the level of criticism).</p>

<p>Social fit: B</p>

<p>I don’t live on campus, so I haven’t really interacted with anyone enough to judge fully. But the people I am acquainted with are nice.</p>

<p>Location: D+</p>

<p>I wish I went to school farther away (BC is only 2.5 miles from my house) and I walk this very distance everyday to get to class and back. I still live under my mother’s roof, so I don’t have as much freedom or leeway as my most of compatriots at BC or my old high school do. But, at least I don’t have to share my space with anyone and my mother still does my laundry and stuff.</p>

<p>Athletics: C</p>

<p>I have only attended a handful of sports events here, and they can be somewhat underwhelming at times, though still somewhat fun. For example, I attended a football game back in October and discovered that half of the stadium was empty, with most of the audience leaving by the third quarter, since everyone knew that the game’s result was a forgone conclusion. Where is the spirit?</p>

<p>Overall rating: C</p>

<p>Although commuting from home can be rough (I don’t really get acquainted with anyone or do any of the fun things that typical college students do), my experience is less than satisfactory, but still okay. I am still weighing the option of transferring, however.</p>

5

<p>College: New York U</p>

<p>Academic fit: A-
I’ve had profs who I thought were amazing and some who weren’t so good. Almost every class but gen eds were challenging; you have to work hard for an A. If you like small classes and getting all cuddly with teachers, then it’s not a good school for you; I personally like having profs who are active in their scientific research and I love the large impersonal university atmosphere.</p>

<p>Social fit: B+
It’s a big diverse school and feels more like grad school with everyone living separately and doing their own thing. I personally like it a lot, it’s a good fit for more independent types. Diverse student body so it’s not hard to find a group of people you like. lots of artsy hipster types, but none of them seem to be science majors so i don’t see them in my classes. also, it’s like 63% women and half the guys are gay :stuck_out_tongue: odds are in your favor if you’re a straight boy</p>

<p>Location: A
People come here for NYC - we’re in downtown Manhattan, there’s no enclosed campus, it’s really about city life</p>

<p>Athletics: F
No one cares about sports here…I think it’s like division III? haha
i’m a yankee fan so I like seeing them play more than going to a college football game or whatever</p>

<p>Overall college life grade: A-
I think it was a good fit for me because I really can’t imagine leaving NYC and now I’m back home and miserable in the suburbs…I like the independence of city life and I think living here has made me much more mature and assertive…the slight downfall is sometimes I wish it were more of a “traditional” experience. well I’m moving to a dorm in a couple week so maybe I’ll change my mind then</p>

6

<p>Freshman, UArizona</p>

<p>Academic fit: B
In high school, I was top dog: 4.3 GPA, got maybe 2 B’s the entire time, National Merit… Amusingly, UA manages to work with a ton of different students: the ones who don’t study somehow manage to get accepted (graduation is another matter), and people like me can search for that added challenge. Only thing I marked down was the amount of busy work I get from most classes and the fact that my major department is the most unorganized group I’ve ever seen.</p>

<p>Social fit: C
I’ve met one group of people that I love. Otherwise, I can’t stand most of the people on this campus. Dorm situation is absolutely miserable beyond belief. I was expecting to love the people more than the academics, but I would be content coming to class and going home without speaking to most people.</p>

<p>Location: A+
The biggest perk of the school: close to home and my old friends, so I can keep the old and the new.</p>

<p>Athletics: F
Not at all into sports, so I hate the football team with a passion. They completely ruin the parking situation and I nearly get run over every time there’s a game. Our stupid students enjoy rushing the field and throwing waterbottles are cheerleaders hard enough to land them in the hospital. HATE it.</p>

<p>Overall college life grade: B
UA wasn’t my first choice college, but I ended up here thanks to outside circumstances. Not the biggest fan, but it’s bearable and I’ve managed to work through most of the issues. Biggest thing is that it wasn’t what I expected.</p>

7

<p>UC Irvine, Sophomore</p>

<p>Academic fit: B-
Like many people here, I didn’t have to work that ridiculously hard in high school to get good grades. I mean, I worked hard but if I slacked off, I could still pull off an A or B. College gave me a big wake up call as I realized that way I studied and worked my way through high school was not going to cut it in college. My GPA is less than stellar but I’m continuing to bump it up and change my whole attitude academics-wise.</p>

<p>Social fit: B+
My dorm wasn’t exactly the best; people got really clique-y the first couple of days and I didn’t really click with some of the people. It was a pretty independent hall where people did their own thing and the RA wasn’t there most of the time so I didn’t get to really bond with my hallmates that much. However, I did meet amazing people through clubs and organizations around campus. Being involved has definitely changed my social fit and I have been loving it ever since.</p>

<p>Location: B+
I’m close to home. That’s sometimes good and bad. I’m only an hour away from home but it’s weird because my parents wanted me to be closed to home and so did I but they don’t really want me home. How’s that for a head-scratcher. I do like being close to LA though so I can keep rooting for my Lakers! I stopped going home often anyway and only do about once or twice a quarter. But if I ever do need to go home, at least there’s free laundry, food, and a warm bed :)</p>

<p>Athletics: C
I haven’t gone to a real game and I don’t really know if I’m going to. I’m into sports and everything but people here aren’t that crazy about it and we don’t do that well anyway, save for a few sports teams. Plus, we don’t even have football…</p>

<p>Overall college life grade: B
Honestly, UC Irvine wasn’t my first choice. But I’m glad I gave it a chance because I have met so many amazing people along the way. I didn’t think I would enjoy it this much, and I’m happy I am :)</p>

8

<p>Freshman (evidently the politically correct term is now “First-Year”) Vanderbilt</p>

<p>Academic fit: B
I made the mistake of taking on a relatively light courseload this first semester and had to take a few boring intro-to-esque prereqs, and the result was an occasionally uninteresting, far-too-easy schedule. Next semester should be better, though, as I’m taking 4 more hours (one of which is a 3 hour lab) of… still boring prereqs. But soph year should see matters improved somewhat, methinks.</p>

<p>Social fit: A-
Apparently my school’s a big party school, or something of the sort, but I’m too dense to notice. But with 5,000 people I’ve found a pretty comfy niche in the outdoors community and have made a good many friends therein.</p>

<p>Location: A
I’d say we need less rain and more sunshine and snow, and I would have probably preferred a more rural setting, but it’s easy enough to visit pretty places nearby (10 weekends so far have been devoted in their entirety to driving a few hundred miles and canoeing, backpacking, and climbing), and the climate is nice and mild (t-shirt and shorts weather year round, except during winter rains).</p>

<p>Athletics: A
I’ve no clue what the sports are like (I think our football team is lackluster, or something), but the rec center is well equipped and when I go it’s never crowded. Fellow lifters aren’t dicks, and give spots when requested, etc.</p>

<p>Overall college life grade: B+
Everything’s solid, I suppose. Not too many complaints.</p>

9

<p>UNC Chapel Hill</p>

<p>Academics: A
Great reputation and very prestigious, especially for a public school. Have loved all of my classes so far, just wish that I had worked harder in a few of them.</p>

<p>Social: A
Always something to do, great people and hot girls as well.</p>

<p>Location: A+
Chapel Hill is a quintessential college town located just minutes from the fastest growing metro area in the country. Weather is great, and the beach and mountains are each just a two-hour drive away.</p>

<p>Athletics: A+
We have a basketball team that is defending national champs and is second to none. We have a football team that just went to its second straight bowl game. Our baseball team went to the college world series once again last year, and both soccer teams went to the final four (with the women’s team taking home their 20th national title this year). We have perhaps the best rivalry in college sports, and have been owning it lately. I truly believe that you can count the number of schools as athletically and academically balanced as UNC on one hand.</p>

<p>Overall: A+
Love everything about UNC. Hard to beat it.</p>

10

<p>Freshman @ Yale</p>

<p>Academic Fit: A </p>

<p>I really couldn’t have asked for a better first semester in terms of the courses I took. Not only were the profs awesome people, but I really got into the material in all of my classes. I’m very interested in the humanities (inter-disciplinary study between music, theatre, literature, art, history, stuff like that) and I’ve come to realize that my school is the ish for that kinda thang. I thought that the courses, while adequately challenging, were highly manageable which was great for first semester frosh year :).</p>

<p>Social Fit: A(?)</p>

<p>I’m not really sure how to rate this because I’m not much of a drinking/party person. I prefer to stay in and catch up on homework or chat with my friends on the internet or go see a play/go to a concert. For what I like to do, Yale is perfect because there are so many free performances going on all the time (for when I want to go out) and my room and suite are usually empty (when I want to stay in) because there are so many parties going on (though I hear these parties aren’t all they’re cracked up to be - maybe if I went, my rating would be lower :p).
As far as the people, they’re great. They’re all really diverse (physically AND ideologically - yay!) and interesting to talk to. I’ve had a lot of fun just talking to my fellow freshmen this semester. But it’s actually not all giggles. Given that it’s an ivy, you’re going to have your pretentious people and your annoyingly driven people (the people who tell you they want to be president when you first meet them) but luckily these individuals are few and far between.</p>

<p>Location: B</p>

<p>Ok, so New Haven actually isn’t that bad. I’m actually kind of in love with the place. It has tons of good restaurants and it’s relatively beautiful if you stay around the university (which you inevitably do because it’s generally too cold to stray far). The reason I gave it a B is because it’s not New York… and this fact kills me. </p>

<p>Athletics: C</p>

<p>I don’t care about athletics and I hear we suck anyway. heheh</p>

<p>I’m adding this one - Arts (because Athletics was a no go): A</p>

<p>Everyone at Yale is so artistically talented (it’s an acceptance requirement it seems) so the atmosphere is buzzing with so much great work all the time. </p>

<p>** Overall: A **</p>

<p>From the moment I got in, I knew I was going to go and love it. So far it’s surpassed my expectations.</p>

11

<p>Freshman, Yale</p>

<p>(In the spirit of our grading system, no A+ will be given).</p>

<p>Academic Fit: A-</p>

<p>As Poseur likewise noted, college academics are a bit more challenging than their secondary counterparts, which meant I had to adjust to trying (my math grade suffered because of this). Also, because my high school had few AP offerings and is not close to any college, most of the kids in my math and science classes were reviewing the material, rather than learning it new. This was kind of annoying because of the effect it had on the curve, but I guess it is kind of inherent in a college such as Yale, and thus I won’t hold it against them too much. Other than that, though the academics were god -non-competitive, fairly, but not confidence-destroying challenging (once I adjusted), and the professor quality generally good. In terms of fit, it is perfect for me; I give the A- solely because of the adjustment. I presume that subsequent reviews will net it an A.</p>

<p>Social Fit: A</p>

<p>The vast majority of people are nice and not snobbish (as eating food noticed, there are the annoyingly driven and pretentious jerks, but they are a decided minority, and in the latter’s case, usually constrained to specific sports), there is a massive variety of activities to do, and the partying exists but is tame enough to not annoy me (I like it in moderation with a hint of sanity.) People are rarely, if ever, judged for their social choices, which is nice as well. I feel having so many intelligent people cooped up together in dorms and such leads to some inevitable conflict, because everyone is opinionated and articulate enough to facilitate some discord, but this is usually resolved quickly and maturely - specific instances are not a recurring problem. Although there are drawbacks, I think the overall social life at Yale is exactly what I wanted it to be, and thus it gets an A.</p>

<p>Location: C</p>

<p>Unlike certain others, I hate New Haven, dislike Connecticut as a state (aside from the lovely drive between New Haven and Hartford), and in a more general sense, still believe the West Coast is so superior to the East Coast that it isn’t even a matter of contention for rational people. Honesty is best here - it’s a dirty city, in a dirty, overcrowded state, on a historic, but dirty and overcrowded coast. The location of Yale is undeniably its worst attribute, though as you’ll note later, I don’t weigh it that heavily in the overall grading. (Moreover, it is seriously depressing to see seagulls in winter.)</p>

<p>Athletics: C+</p>

<p>The sports I care about suck (the 4 and 22 fake punt epitomizing how poorly they’ve played this year - when I have to resort to yelling “safety school” to Cornell fans and “at least we have standards” to Harvard fans, you can tell the football team is terrible), we recruit too heavily for sports I hate such as crew and field hockey, and IM football is razzle-dazzle. Moreover, having the IM fields and tennis courts 15 minutes away from the central campus really isn’t fun, because you have no flexibility when participating in the former, or wishing to casually play the latter. The only thing saving this from an F is the history of our football team and classiness of the Yale Bowl, the epic grandeur of Payne Whitney, and the fact many members of the student body are vastly more athletic than I thought they would be.</p>

<p>Overall: A-</p>

<p>Though the GPA I gave it is isn’t that impressive, I think my overall perception of Yale is that the experience is much greater than the sum of its parts. Consequently, while there are issues with Yale - I will never claim it is perfect there nor that I have loved every second of it - I think in a general sense attending there has been good to me. I still think on days “Wow, I go to Yale” or “Wow, I really like it here”. In reality, an A- is the best a college could hope for in an overall grade, and with that consideration, I’ll say matriculating here was one of my better choices.</p>

12

<p>RB & HS you’re so kewttttt! Glad you’re happy.</p>

13

<p>College: Michigan State University, 1st Year (although a sophomore, as my constantly confused emails always remind me lol).</p>

<p>Academic fit: A
I absolutely love the program I am. It is a residential college that fits me perfectly. All of my first-year classes had less than 25 students (which is almost unheard of at a large university). My professors are amazing. The only complaint I have is that a few of the students were disinterested in my only non-major-related class. </p>

<p>Social fit: B
MSU is a party school. I am not a party girl. We clash lol. That being said, I have developed a close circle of good friends which I like. I am also involved in a few clubs that I am extremely interested in it. Overall, I’m very happy with my social life, but it’s not something I’d rave about.</p>

<p>Location: A+
I love the city. It is a nice little college town about an hour away from my home town. It is just far enough away that I can go home to work and help my family (2 disabled parents), but far enough away that I only go home on weekends at the most. I love being very close to the capital because I am very politically active and there is always something going on. Plus, I work at refugee places that are really only in Lansing (in Michigan). </p>

<p>Athletics: A+
I am not a huge college sports fan (played sports for 15 years, coach, and now work with a minor league hockey team, but for the life of me, I cannot get into college sports). However, football had a pretty good season (we beat our biggest rivals) and the sports culture on campus makes it pretty darn hard not to love the sports. It’s hard to put into words (especially at 3 AM). </p>

<p>Overall college life grade: A
I just love nearly every aspect of MSU. Go green!</p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>I lold at this :)</p>

15

<p>College: Michigan State University, 2nd year</p>

<p>Academic fit: A
It was definitely a challenge to adjust to college classes but it was a welcome one, and I have adjusted pretty well. I’m also in a residential college which gives a great school-within-a-school atmosphere where you really get loads of opportunities to interact with the professors and students within the program. With MSU being a party school I went in expecting students to be a lot more blase and careless about their education, but I was pleasantly surprised - a lot of my classmates and friends are extremely hardworking and intelligent with diverse interests. </p>

<p>Social fit: A+
As stated above, MSU students in general love their parties but the majority of students also have the “work hard, play hard” attitude which is an environment I excel in. The friends I’ve made here from day 1 have been great and socially MSU has been everything I hoped for and more. </p>

<p>Location: B
East Lansing is a nice college town for sure, with nice restaurants and shops and a great environment but I can’t help but wish I chose a warmer location to go to school once in a while… </p>

<p>Athletics: A+
I am a huge sports follower and I especially love basketball and football. MSU is a great place for me to express my school spirit; a football bowl game 3 years in a row and a basketball team that made the national championship game? Can’t complain about either! </p>

<p>Overall college life grade: A
I love love love my school!</p>

16

<p>Freshman @ Stanford</p>

<p>Academic Fit: A </p>

<p>Unfortunately my GPA was lower than I would’ve liked, but I kinda had it coming to me taking 20 units fall quarter =/ I’m taking 15 next quarter and it should be much better. Almost all of my professors last quarter were amazing though. My Calc 2 prof was clear, easy to approach, and cared about his students. My intro CS prof (who consults for Google) is probably the best intro CS teacher in the country, and his class is the most taken class at Stanford (I think something like 75% of the student body takes it in their time here). Watch one of his lectures on youtube. Look up CS106a Stanford (you’re looking for Mehran Sahami). My Econ professor was clear, but I never went to office hours so I didn’t get to know him any better. During the Bush administration he was the Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs. My required humanities class was ok. I’m excited for next quarters humanities class though.</p>

<p>Social Fit: A</p>

<p>There’s something for everyone. If you want to get wasted Wednesday -> Sunday, there’s a place for you. If you want to be really involved in campus life, go ahead. If you want to just chill with dorm friends doing whatever you please, you can. Going to San Fran is a bit of a pain since its about 45-1 hour away, but all you have to do is bike over to the CalTrain station across campus and you’re there. If you want to LAN video games with your nerdy friends, you can do that too =]</p>

<p>Location: B</p>

<p>45 - 1 hour from SF. I don’t like how you have to take the CalTrain to go to a real movie theater. Lots of shops are accessible through the free bus system we have. There’s a mall (albeit an upscale mall) on campus. Palo Alto is a rich white suburb though, not much to do for college kids. There’s so much going on campus though that it’s not really neccessary to go off campus (ever).</p>

<p>Athletics: A</p>

<p>There’s a reason we’ve won the Director’s Cup 15 years in a row for best NCAA athletics program. Many of our teams are top in the nation, and finally this year our football team made a bowl game! The team won all the home games (until the Cal game =[) which made going to football games a blast.</p>

<p>Overall: A </p>

<p>Best overall collegiate experience in the nation.</p>

17

<p>^random question, how do you type in bold?</p>

18

<p>^ [b ] text <a href=“remove%20spaces”>/b </a>.</p>

19

<p>College: Pomona College, Freshman</p>

<p>Academic Fit: A
Overall, I have found little complaint with my academic experience. I really enjoyed my freshman seminar and all of my professors were great. Class sizes were also nice and small; my seminar had 14 people, and intro to Chinese had 8, which is great for a language class. I marked it down a bit only because I didn’t feel challenged enough, which is odd considering that my semester GPA was lower than any I’ve ever had in high school. I suspect that because the classes were relatively easy, I was a little lazy and got an A- instead of an A in most classes. I expect next semester to be much harder and I’ll probably reciprocate in study time. </p>

<p>Social Fit: A+
I could not have picked a better school in this respect. Pomona really helps freshman find friends at the beginning of the year, with a mandatory outdoor orientation trip and the division of freshman into sponsor groups (based on mutual interests/preferences from the detailed housing forms) who live together in the same hall. My sponsor group is like a second family, and I’ve already made some incredible friends. </p>

<p>Location: A-
Claremont/The Village isn’t the most exciting place, but it’s very pretty and it does fine as a college town. I like being close to LA, and there are plenty of areas around to go to on outdoors trips. Weather really can’t be beat…it was almost in the 80s when I left for home a week and a half ago.</p>

<p>Athletics: A
Pomona isn’t a big sports school, although many of our teams are strong (many times championship) contenders in the leagues they compete in. Many teams are fairly inclusive and willing to take on non-recruited athletes. I was a little disappointed I didn’t join the swim team this year (lack of time, really) but I think I’m going to play on the ultimate frisbee team next year. However, what I’m really rating here is the high level of athleticism on campus. Almost everyone I know played a sport in high school, so IMs and pickup games are a lot of fun. PE classes and the outdoors club are very popular. </p>

<p>Overall: A+
I’m really excited for going back after break.</p>

20

<p>Duke University freshman</p>

<p>Academic Fit: B
I can’t say I necessarily had academic difficulty. I put forth basically no effort, and although I didn’t do the best I possibly could, grade-wise, I didn’t really suffer any consequences. In general, I’d say I didn’t work much because the professors never made me care about the course much (except my English class). Still, the professors were nice and helpful, if a bit uninteresting.</p>

<p>Social Fit: C+
Honestly, if you’re not into the drinking and partying, this is not really the place for you. That’s roughly the extent of the social scene that I’ve encountered. Don’t get me wrong, people do plenty of things that don’t involve drinking (as long as it’s not Thursday through Saturday night), but when it comes down to it, if you don’t drink, there’s a general sense that you don’t really fit in. I don’t drink, but I guess I did make some very good friends, so it’s not all that bad. Another note: although the people at Duke are very smart, I’ve found that in general the atmosphere here is not a particularly intellectual one. It’s not that people don’t think, they just don’t think… solely to think. They think about careers, classes, social life, etc.</p>

<p>Location: B
Nothing wrong with Durham really… the weather is alright (although, coming from California, I’m used to perfect), the area is sort of sketchy but not totally awful.</p>

<p>Athletics: B
I know, this is the place where Duke is supposed to have a lock on an A+. But honestly, here’s the truth. I definitely enjoy Duke sports, but it’s a little crazy for me (and this is coming from a diehard sports fan who’s been raised on sports all his life). It’s sort of similar to something that stands between me and religion: that the people who support the thing I’m interested in beginning to support are too irrationally fanatical about it. Duke students have a frankly sort of absurd fervor for athletics, and to me it’s been sort of offputting thus far (a lot of this might stem from my roommate, though).</p>

<p>Overall: B
I know there’s a lot of negative stuff in the above text, but honestly, I’m mostly writing the things I wish I’d been aware of before I came. In many other ways, Duke has fully lived up to my expectations, and that only makes it more apparent where it’s fallen short. To me, at least, a B here is a fine grade, just indicating that there’s still a lot to be improved upon.</p>