<p>My brother was an All American athlete at UNC, and a Phi Beta Kappa student to boot. </p>
<p>Although he had a jock like personality like the initial poster, he was serious student and went on to a PhD in econ from a top graduate school. </p>
<p>His main complaint about UNC was that he had far too peers. As good a school as UNC is, he had to work to find a core cadre of very bright (in today’s terms, 2300 and over SAT types) to hang with. He was a Yankee, too - with a sharp edged personality - made it harder to fit in. </p>
<p>He married a Duke grad, and dated quite a few too. I was not in the least surprised. </p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that the original poster is concerned about having enough fun at Duke. Walk through west campus at 3 pm on a typical Friday. It is hard to even hear yourself breathe because of the noise. </p>
<p>There are two problems with Duke (I am an alum and was also a serious athlete). First, it is not a great place for poor students - don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. That is a real issue if you are poor (I can attest). Second, the practical problem is the opposite of what the original poster is worried about. It is too easy to get distracted from studies. Now, this doesn’t mean distracted to the point of failing out - but to tackle the most difficult curricula at Duke and do well there is no easy feat - and it takes discipline. I knew I was getting the most out of school when, after coming in from athletic competitions late Saturday evenings, I often went to study in an empty classroom on East Campus so I could get a leg up on Sunday’s work - a crucial catch-up study day for an athlete. And I was no nerd - I could have fun with the best of them - but the education was invaluable, and I had to attend to it. </p>
<p>I have a daughter now at Princeton. They profess to work hard and play hard there. But Dukies work just or almost as hard and play even harder.</p>
<p>mam1959- there are soo many students on financial aid at Duke now that I don’t think the money thing is as big a deal as it may have been in our day. Yes, there are trust-fund babies and people with wads of disposable cash. Our son does not have access to that kind of money; he earns his spending money during the summers. Our finances have improved since he started 3 years ago and I can now afford to help with some expenses, but he never felt marginalized because he couldn’t go on European ski trips, eat at Washington Duke, or such. Perhaps it helps that he did not go Greek; I think there are some expenses associated with that.</p>
<p>mafool - I am aware that more financial aid students are attending Duke. </p>
<p>It is still not an easy place for a poor person. Virtually none of the top schools are. </p>
<p>I would have far it easier socially at, let’s say, a University of Michigan, with a number in-state students on a budget and an athletic department (I went to Duke on athletic scholarship) habituated to lots of run of mill the public school kids (my own team had lots of prep school athletes). </p>
<p>This is not a reason to refrain from going to Duke or any top school. But if poor, one must be prepared to follow the beat of your own drum, and not be concerned with the social habits of the rich.</p>
<p>There is something to be said for being around rich people when you are poor. It motivated me to do what I had to do to to be able to afford the things rich people have.</p>
<p>visit on a Saturday home football game and go to tailgate
Tuesday night at Devine’s, wednesday shooters, etc., and you’ll see the people you might fit in with a little more.
go greek</p>
<p>I am probably too late, but I saw this post and wanted to respond. We went to Parents’ Weekend a couple of weeks ago. My son is a freshman there and, like you, he is one of those smart jocks who played both varsity basketball and tennis in high school. He is the opposite of a nerd, and I met his many friends, none of whom seemed in any way nerdy. As my S tells me, kids at Duke work hard and play hard. I wish you could have gone to a basketball game-as we did–or saw a student tailgate–the impression you would have been left with would have been ENTIRELY different from the one you got during your visit. I know there are many, many types of students at Duke but my sense is that many of the guys there are jocks. According to my S, about 700 students tent for the games-that should tell you something about the student body. It is a spirited bunch. I was concerned about my S being around a bunch of anti-social nerdy types. Instead, I believe he has found his home among many friends that are kindred spirits–goal-oriented, ambitious, bright, and social animals who seem to really care and watch out for each other. I should also add, however, that this week, with two midterms and one long paper due, he was busy working hard, as he should be. Just one mother’s perspective.</p>
<p>IMO, “goal-oriented,” “ambitious” and “bright” are not exactly how I’d describe those who spend weeks camping out for tickets to see a bunch of subpar students/semi-pro athletes throw a ball around. </p>
<p>These same students are also students with perfect or close to perfect grades, test scores, and state, national, and international awards in subjects like music, science, etc. They just happen to be well-rounded and interested in a variety of activities.</p>
<p>I’m curious about this as well. As a loyal Tar Heel, I nevertheless recognize and respect Duke’s academic reputation. My disdain for Duke typically only factors in when talking about their inferior athletic tradition. :)</p>
<p>Interestingguy doesn’t really have any excuse, though.</p>
<p>My guess is that either: 1) he was rejected by Duke; or 2) he is a current student there, but, if that is true, he should be getting his application to transfer together, as he clearly is not a happy camper; or 3) he is an unhappy person with low self-esteem that can only find happiness in criticizing others (or their schools) to make himself feel better. Pure speculation.</p>