<p>Hi, I'm going to be visiting Duke in two weeks. It'll just be my mom and I, so I have some questions.
-Is a car rental necessary for us to get from Raleigh/Durham airport to Duke? If not, how else are we supposed to get on campus? Are there shuttle buses?
-In addition, does Duke have transportation (bus) from the campus to the hotels (Hampton Inn or Hilton) and to the airport?
-what would you recommend a schedule of visiting to be? I'm definitely going on the tour and info session. Should I visit anywhere else? Eat anywhere? talk to anyone?
-How long would the visiting take?
-anywhere else in the Durham area we could visit w/o a car?
I've never visited a college before, so i'm in dire need of advice.
thanks so much!</p>
<p>I'm not really too sure about airport specifics during the summer, or really ever because I don't fly to/from Durham, so I'll let other people cover that, but it may be kind of difficult without a car.</p>
<p>Anyway, to cover the basics make sure you visit East and West campuses. The tour only covers West, so make sure you hop on a bus and trek over to East, just so you can get the general jist of where you'd be living as a freshman. </p>
<p>There are a ton of places to see...I mean, obviously the library and the bryan center will be good to take a look at. If you're interested in engineering make sure you go down to the engineering quad and see CIEMAS and whatnot. If you're interested in science maybe take a walk down science drive (the new French Science Center should be nearly complete (maybe...) so that's kind of cool). If you get the chance, Duke Gardens is always amazing to visit. Other than that just explore...really take time to see what Duke is like. Good places to eat...well...I'm not sure if this is open during the summer but i LOVE the refectory which is in the divinity school. The Loop is also pretty awesome...I'd suggest eating there. The Armadillo Grill is also fun if you like Mexicanish food.</p>
<p>How long...well...just depends on how long you want to stay. Some of my college visits were full day projects, while others were like, an hour.</p>
<p>There aren't really any places off west can you can get to without a car, but if you don't mind walking, go visit Ninth Street off east campus. It's definitely very cute, and there are a ton of fun places to explore. A lot of people didn't really like it too much, but I absolutely adore Ninth Street. Cosmic Cantina is, of course, in that general vincinity, and as sketchy as it looks, it's so so SO wonderful! Elmo's is also awesome for an eat on Ninth!</p>
<p>Keep in mind that campus is going to be kind of dead right now. All the students doing summer session are living on central or off campus, so no one's in any of the dorms you'll be seeing! It probably won't seem very collegy, but just know that Duke is definitely a fun, vibrant, welcoming place!!</p>
<p>Yeah, you're going to need a car to get around unless you're planning on taking a taxi to and from the airport, and then walking the rest of your time at Duke. There is no bus to the hotels, though you could probably hop on the medical center's buses if you are close to the hospital. There's definitely no bus to the airport during the summer, though there is one during student moveout.</p>
<p>What are you looking at Duke for? Are you interested in Engineering? Art?</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity...but how much does it cost to take a taxi to the airport? I just found out today that I'm not allowed to bring my car with me next year...</p>
<p>Wannabazn - I live in NY so I always fly to and from Duke. Getting a cab is never a problem; they always have them right outside RDU and you just have to go outside and get in one. Plus, once you are a student there you are BOUND to make friends who have cars, and someone will usually be willing to pick you up and drive you to the airport. I think there were only 1 or 2 times all year that my roommate didn't take me there or pick me up. </p>
<p>It's about a 20 minute trip and usually costs around 30-ish including tip, but some services (like Blue Devil Rides) offers a cheaper flat rate - I think 20 or 25. Word of advice: Don't use Charlene's Safe Ride. They're convenient because they take Flex points, but they cost more. Also, don't use On Time Taxi - I had bad experiences with them. They weren't always on time. But yeah, expect it to be about a 30 dollar trip.</p>
<p>Also, regarding next year - before I even got on campus, I heard people say time and time again that it's better to have a friend with a car than bother with having one yourself. In my experience, that is SO TRUE. Parking's a b*tch to deal with, and I know I wouldn't want to put up with it. Plus, I personally (and most people I know) didn't leave campus ALL that often - maybe a few times for concerts, mall trips, going to a friend's house for the Jewish holidays, etc., but the thing is, if you have friends with cars...just hitch a ride with them. Even if I could bring a car down to NC, I wouldn't - it's not worth the effort. Most of Duke's social scene takes place on campus or immediately surrounding it, and there's a bus that goes to Chapel Hill every 30 minutes if you feel the need to get away from campus for a bit.</p>
<p>twinkletoes - The hotel that my parents and I stayed at when I visited offered a complimentary shuttle service to Duke - I want to say it was called the Millennium? But yeah, even if you don't stay there, you should be able to get a cab to take you to Duke.</p>
<p>k thanx! Is it worth visiting in the summer or should I visit sometime later? I want to avoid visiting in September because I'd have to miss school and i'd be starting on my college apps... and I want to visit Duke b/c I'm thinking of applying early.
When do classes start?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that school for us may still be summer for you. Freshmen arrive on campus for orientation on August 22nd; classes start the 28th. I know that it's annoying to miss school, but to be honest, if you're so serious about Duke that you're thinking of applying early...it's worth it. Most high schools will understand that the college process is a serious one and that it deserves a lot of attention - after all, you are deciding where to spend the next 4 years of your life, and it's a big decision. If you want to visit over the summer just to get a feel for the campus, you can...but I mean, as much as I loved seeing the campus when I visited, the one thing that completely changed my mind from dead-set against Duke to "I'm in love with this place" when I visted was my experience interacting with the students. I'd really suggest that even if you visit over the summer, you come back when school's in session for us - I know it's annoying, but it's definitely worth it. And anyway, I know of people who took entire weeks off in HS (especially during April around decision time) to visit schools, so it's pretty common.</p>
<p>I visited Duke like.. a week before students moved in (tents were already up on main west) and I got to see a gorgeous campus that had random pedestrian traffic, but obviously no student life. It was enough for me to make that decision that I liked Duke, but visiting a busy campus is what sold me Duke. But if you're applying ED, you may not need that extra step like I did.</p>
<p>Either way, I remember that in HS, we were given like 7 "freebie" days off, only if we were visiting colleges... so missed attendance wouldn't count.</p>