<p>sorry if this is a repost but I found an intersting article by Rolling Stone:</p>
<p>is there much truth to this or is it just sensational journalism trying to capitalize on the rape allegations?
any thoughts?</p>
<p>A little bit of both. There is some truth in it, but it's blown out of proportion. Students didn't get into Duke by partying hard, and they don't stay in Duke (and do well) by partying hard. I'd say that Duke is a bit looser and wetter than Yale/Swarthmore/Harvard but comparable to Penn/Dartmouth/Brown/Williams. The party scene certainly isn't as big as it is at some of the larger public schools.</p>
<p>I agree with the above - there are generally some truths about the culture of Duke in the article, but some of the examples are probably more extreme than ordinary. </p>
<p>Not being part of that social scene, it's hard for me to comment on exactly how accurate the article was - but from what I've heard, it seems like there's some of what's depicted in the article at Duke.</p>
<p>I think it's overly sensationalized. It seems like the writer made up/tried to popularize terms that no one on campus uses (Duke 500). They also made frats seem cooler than they are. I always thought Delta Sigs were kind of losers. They way she wrote the article made them seem like the luckiest people in the world. Honestly, I'm not a huge socialite on campus, but I don't lock myself in my room on weekends either and a lot of this seemed completely foreign to me. Seems like she sensationalized a lot of the story.</p>
<p>thanks for the opinions
having read the article a second time, it is extremely slanted
It represents only a minority of the Duke student population, the same minority that is found at any college. Looks like this author is just trying to ride on the coat tails of the alleged rape.
The comments people left on the article are actually a lot more insightful than the article itself.</p>
<p>I think TennisP26 hit it right on the money saying it's a minority. Yes there are "Duke Socialites" and people who may fit the description laid out by that article, but it's not representative of the average Duke student, nor do they affect the lives of the average Duke student. It's literally like that at ANY school. Bottom line is you can sit in your room and study most of the weekends, and if you decide to go out you can still have a good time without adhering "Duke 500" (which I never even heard used until this article so whatever) standards, if you know what I mean.</p>
<p>You've never heard of the Duke 500? Every spring when the Formula SAE gang has their race from the Lasalle Drive Traffic Circle to the Chapel Drive Traffic Circle? Jeez, people, where have you been?</p>
<p>What? It's not that??</p>
<p>Oh...that's quite different...</p>
<p>Never</a> mind</p>