Weather and Greek Life

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>ok. so it looks like i'm pretty much set on Duke. How exactly is the weather there. i know it gets cold, but for how long. i was raised in FL, TX, and Puerto Rico, so anything under 50 degrees is freezing to me. but really, is it bearable for someone coming from where i am.</p>

<p>and i've heard a ton about the greek life dominating the social scene. i've heard duke is very very greek, which bothers me a little. is this true. are there major non greek activities besides sports games to do. hows the city arond duke?</p>

<p>and i was wondering if the hispanic student population makes a visible impact on campus, or do they hide in the background?</p>

2

<p>There are a lot of Greek-sponsored parties on campus but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. I was hesistant about the Greek system before I got to Duke as well but now that I am here I think its presence is actually a good thing given that all Greek parties are open to everyone and usually really well funded and fun (the DTD foam party last night, for example). </p>

<p>However, there are a great deal of things to do that are not Greek too. There are a bunch of clubs and 18+ bars around here (George's, Parizade, Verde, Vin Rouge, Shooters) that are really fun if you like dancing. Also, there are a lot of selective houses such as Mirecourt, Wayne Manor, or Maxwell House which have their own parties. Additionally, there are a lot of parties on Central Campus which I have gone to that are hosted by independents and are really cool. And, if you're on east people are always playing Beirut somewhere on the weekends. Oh, and I almost forgot about tailgating...so much fun! Basically on campus and off, there are tons of groups having a lot of parties to which everyone is invited, which I think is awesome. If you want to be in a frat/sorority, that's fun, if not, you are in the MAJORITY here. </p>

<p>In addition to parties, there are basketball games (as you cite) which are loads of fun even for someone like me who was clueless about Duke basketball prior to coming to Duke and there are also tons of cultural opportunities (<a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/dukeperfs/calendar.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.duke.edu/web/dukeperfs/calendar.html&lt;/a&gt;) and concerts (like Ben Folds) and theater productions and Brodway at Duke and tons of awesome movies at the Griffith film theater on West for $1. Basically there's a lot going on.</p>

<p>And yes, the hispanic student population makes a visible impact on campus. There are a ton of groups revolving around service to dance in which latino students participate. I just saw a performance of one last night (<a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/migente/Sabrosura.html)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.duke.edu/web/migente/Sabrosura.html)&lt;/a>. Check out Mi Gente, the main organization for latino students here: <a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/migente/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.duke.edu/web/migente/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Let me know if you have more questions. Look forward to seeing you at Duke!!</p>

3

<p>is there any events(in/outside school) that's not sports or geek??</p>

<p>(i am looking for something indie scene, art shows, film festival, punk/ska and on)</p>

4

<p>Yes, there are art shows all the time (<a href="http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/artexhibit_0305.html)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/artexhibit_0305.html)&lt;/a>, especially next year with the opening of the 60,000 square foot Nasher Museum designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Vinoly (<a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/duma/main/calendar_main.htm)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.duke.edu/web/duma/main/calendar_main.htm)&lt;/a>. There are also film festivals, such as the Turkish film festival that was here earlier this year (<a href="http://diamonds.oit.duke.edu/ramgen/news/turkish_filmfest.rm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://diamonds.oit.duke.edu/ramgen/news/turkish_filmfest.rm&lt;/a>, <a href="http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/turkishfilm_1004.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/turkishfilm_1004.html&lt;/a>, <a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/film/screensociety/Arada.html)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.duke.edu/web/film/screensociety/Arada.html)&lt;/a>. In fact, Duke just signed a big contract to host the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, which seems right up your alley (<a href="http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/fullframe_0405.html)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/fullframe_0405.html)&lt;/a>. There is also an indie coffee shop I believe near campus. I'm not very indie but I know people who are and they seem to be able to go to a lot of interesting stuff.</p>

<p>I hope all those links help! Let me know if you have more questions.</p>

5

<p>I live in NC, so I guess I can describe the weather. The weather isn't really that bad. The average low temp in winter is about 40, I'd guess. Duke does get snow (not a lot) in the winter, which is a plus in my opinion. I visited Duke yesterday, and the weather was very nice (it seemed like every Duke female was sunbathing in the Sarah Duke gardens). Personally, I think NC has very nice weather- not too hot, not too cold.</p>

6

<p>What is it like getting into a frat- can it make your life hell?</p>

7

<p>It depends on which frat you choose to join. Some have pretty low-key pledging, some don't have pledging, others (especially the ones kicked off campus) have intense pledging. When you get here and start going to parties, meeting people in different frats, and then during rush, you will get more of a sense of each frat and its pledging process.</p>