Social Life: Brown Vs. Duke

<p>Trust me I’ve searched through these threads, and I still can’t really find a distinct answer to the question I have. Both these schools seem like GREAT places, and I’d be lucky to attend either. I know everything about the academics, study abroad, opportunities, etc of both schools so don’t think I’m just basing my decision on social aspects. With that said, it’s still a quality I want to be completely knowledgeable about. </p>

<p>Which school has more of a focus on partying, drinking, etc? (Not that I will/won’t do it, I just want to be aware).</p>

<p>Which school is more open as far as different races interacting with each other? I’m African-American and I don’t want to go to a school where from the majority, Whites hang with whites, blacks hang with blacks, Asians with Asians, etc. (Although, I get along with everyone and am really outgoing, I still would like it to not be rare to intermix social groups)</p>

<p>Which school has more attractive guys? (I’m ashamed to ask, but hey i’m interested ;D)</p>

<p>Which has more to do? I’m from a suburban area and I hate the fact that the only thing to do is go to the movies, bowling, or to the park. I want there to be plenty of opportunities to have a good time during college. </p>

<p>Thanks guys! I REALLY appreciate anyone who helps me out.</p>

<p>i didn’t go to duke so I can only answer with regard to brown.</p>

<p>Partying is definitely present and prevalent but I’d hardly call it the “focus” of the school. Plenty of kids don’t.</p>

<p>I imagine the fact that Duke is in the south while Brown is in New England plays some role here. There was definitely some self-segregating going on at Brown (if you looked around the Ratty). Whether or not it was more than normal I don’t know. Brown is very actively inclusive though and probably more so than Duke.</p>

<p>Obviously Brown has the more attractive guys.</p>

<p>I would guess Providence has more to do than Raleigh-Durham. I’m from NYC so to me Providence still felt small town but there is theater and museums and great restaurants and cheap clubs. I left campus very little though since there’s so much to do on campus. I also imagine that you’d be shunned if you didn’t follow the basketball team religiously at Duke.</p>

<p>No one is “shunned” for not following the basketball team. How do you come up with this stuff? That’s as ignorant as me saying that Brown is full of pot smoking hippies with no ambition (it obviously isn’t). </p>

<p>As far as social life is concerned, it’s no secret that Duke grads know how to have a good time. The university epitomizes the old cliche “work hard, play hard”. I really don’t know whether the same can be said of Brown.</p>

<p>I made that comment based on my sister’s experience at Michigan. Those were her exact words with regard to the football team there. She ended up transferring she felt like it was so bad. All the Dukies in my med school class still religiously follow the team. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was a similar attitude at Duke.</p>

<p>Of course they follow the team. That doesn’t imply that a student will be persecuted if he/she chooses not to care about basketball. Doesn’t that notion seem a little ludicrous to you? </p>

<p>Also, with all due respect, Michigan is no Duke. They are polar opposites in almost every sense.</p>

<p>I’m willing to admit that I’m wrong about Duke, but there are schools where students are persecuted for not buying into something. At some schools it’s sports, at other schools it’s greek life. I think it’s ludicrous to have to camp out for days to get student season tickets but I know that’s the case at Duke, so while I may be wrong, it’s not such a far stretch to imagine being judged for not following/being invested in the team.</p>

<p>You have to admit, whether or not anyone will judge you for it, if you’re not buying into the basketball culture at Duke you’re missing out on a huge part of the student experience there. Quite frankly I’m jealous that the culture surrounding athletics at Brown isn’t even in the same galaxy as Duke.</p>

<p>I will say with regard to both schools that no alumni base loves their school the way Brown and Duke alumni do. The kids in my class from both schools are simply on another level when it comes to the way we feel about our alma maters.</p>

<p>Duke is far more frat/sorority heavy and has a far greater focus on sports as a part of the experience and social life than Brown. These lead to more of a campus common culture for social events.</p>

<p>Brown tends to have many smaller communities, some of which party as hard and are into the athletic scene or Greek scene in ways more typical at Duke, some do not.</p>

<p>That’s not to say that Duke is a monoculture or that Brown has an incredibly fractured campus, before Duke or Brown people come in guns-blazing.</p>

<p>^ that last sentence hahahaha - so true</p>

<p>Hi! I love Duke. I went there and my oldest son goes there now. But, I think you might find less self-segregation at Brown. Off campus there is a prevalent awareness of race in Durham. While Duke feels very international and progressive, Durham is a sleepy southern city that hangs onto prejudices that are just part of the soil. You might want to consider that aspect of the environment. I hope I’m wrong. Duke’s culture is very much centered on the energy and spirit of the campus-- not just in sports but in Duke Engage and in other ways Duke students connect with the world AS DUKE STUDENTS. I get the idea that at Brown the culture is more about being independent and connecting with the world on more of a small group or individual basis. Tons of kids don’t party all the time at Duke, it’s quite focused academically, and also the kids there are involved in so many different activities that they bring a lot more to the social table than just partying. However, I bet that the party scene is more visible and more dominant at Duke than at Brown. The percentage of kids in Greek life is over double at Duke what it is at Brown. Brown is much more liberal-- that’s not to say Duke is conservative. Duke is well-balanced politically. At Brown, if you are conservative, it might feel like your views are marginalized a bit-- and maybe if you are liberal you might not feel like your views are challenged as much. Duke has much more thoughtful freshman housing and programming than you’ll find at Brown. It’s not to say that’s better, but it’s a different philosophy-- maybe an outgrowth of the independence of Brown VS the community feel at Duke. Brown seeks humble students who are academically sophisticated and creative. Duke seeks students are eager to make their community stronger and more complex by using their talents to impact the world. They look for humor and resilience and ideas. You’d probably be very happy at either.</p>

<p>“Durham is a sleepy southern city that hangs onto prejudices that are just part of the soil.”
You couldn’t be more wrong about Durham in my humble opinion. It is quickly becoming one of the most progressive counties in the South. Raleigh (situated a few miles from Durham) was one of the fastest growing cities in America last year. Economic growth has lead to the creation of jobs and the migration of a highly educated workforce. The research triangle (of which Durham is a part) has the highest concentration of MDs and PhDs per capita in the entire country.
Durham also has a thriving music scene and several fantastic restaurants. From a cultural perspective, you can find almost anything that you are looking for in Durham NC. People really need to abandon their outdated stereotypes of the South.
I hope this post doesn’t come off as being confrontational. I’m just contributing my two cents on the issue.</p>

<p>As an AA with lots of family that attends Duke, I will say that they admit that there’s a prevalence to self-segregation at Duke. That being said, most of my cousins don’t seem to mind it. You should visit and get a feel for the environment. I thought Duke was a great school with a lot of spirit, but it wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea. Talk to students, and make a trip down there if you are able to!</p>