Welcome class of 2015

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
21

<p>For those of you who were asking about the wellness dorm earlier: </p>

<p>I live in Brown this year, which is the wellness dorm. I was not placed here by choice (long story), but I’ve found that I actually appreciate it a lot more than I anticipated. For one, there’s not a lot of disturbances due to alcohol or other on the weekends, which is nice for those of us who come back on Friday evenings and pass out after a long week of school. If you’re looking for a less rowdy dorm, this is the one to be in. I personally am not “substance free,” so it definitely does not hinder your social interactions at all. Plus, I got a HUGE corner room that was intended to be a triple but is now used as a double. And I’m right across from the library, upstairs from the computer cluster, and directly next to the Marketplace, which is ideal placement.</p>

<p>When it comes down to it, if you want to live in a quieter dorm that doesn’t get really loud on weekends, substance free isn’t such a bad idea. Plus, the dorm you’re located in is next to everything except the bus stop.</p>

<p>As others have said if you have any questions, feel free to ask/PM me. I’m a current freshman female hoping to do Prelaw.</p>

22

<p>Hey cat, some definitely are, but the other econ majors that I’m friends with aren’t. There are A LOT of pub pol oriented people here, the ibanking types kind of go their own way and just end up taking all the finance courses anyway. Essentially, they’ll never be a problem. I’ve never been frustrated with the number of pre-professional types (I am not one btw, I’m in NROTC so I won’t go into business for at least 10 years ahah). The Duke Econ program is tough at first, but so rewarding. I love being an econ major.
:slight_smile: good luck!</p>

23

<p>Hi, UNSAgolden2014, I’m kind of torn between Brown and Duke right now. My family is Christian so I would definitely prefer Duke, but I recently realized that I’m not exactly as in love with engineering as I thought. I saw on the Duke website that they encourage freshmen to experience WITHIN pratt for the first year. Does that mean that I can’t choose a major outside pratt?</p>

24

<p>You don’t have to choose a major until sophomore year. If you got into Pratt, then for the first year you will take engineering type courses (math, physics, EGR 53). If you find you don’t enjoy engineering, then you don’t even have to do that your second semester–Pratt students are free to take any Trinity course that they meet the pre-req for. After the second semester, you can transfer to Trinity. The Pratt class of 2011 started with 336 students and it’s now ending with 259, so it’s not uncommon for people to transfer out.</p>

25

<ol>
<li>I heard that Duke puts a strong emphasis on sports. Is it difficult to fit in Duke or make friends if I’m not an athletic person?</li>
</ol>

26

<p>There’s a strong emphasis on sports in that the basketball teams do well and you will often see people get excited for the games. The emphasis isn’t on actually playing the sport yourself, if that’s what you’re worried about.</p>

27

<p>I recently signed up for Blue Devil Days. Is there anything specific that accepted students are going to do while there? Are we on our own to roam around the campus? I was looking at the schedule and it seemed pretty open. Are accepted students going to be paired with current students and learn more about the campus/courses/dorms/social life/etc.?</p>

<p>I just want a brief idea of what to expect upon arriving and how the weekend is going to be. It’ll be my first time visiting Duke and I wouldn’t be comfortable being dropped off not knowing where to go! I’m very excited to visit and I would appreciate any response</p>

28

<p>FurrNz. Just read the wikipedia page on Duke and be prepared to love Duke! Honestly the less expectations you have coming in the more you’ll love it. I was the same as you. I couldn’t find out enough about Duke. Now that I’m here 95% of that time was completely wasted. Nonchalantness gradually takes over at college and you come to realize that life itself is the most important part of living, so don’t worry about what to expect. I honestly can’t tell you how it will be. You could very well hate it (you won’t! but you could), or it could be the best weekend of your life. If I tell you that X place is nasty, and Y is gorgeous, and tri pis give the best bjs (hhaha tri pis don’t exist btw) or some other random info, it will be useless once you actually show up here and come to terms with the place. </p>

<p>That’s why all of these college comparison threads are useless. Helll my roommate and I can’t even compare experiences, let alone some random visitor deciding between Duke and Yale (or wherever). Just follow your gut, have fun, and be you. :slight_smile:
I love love love Duke, and I hope you will too! Who knows, I could be your host haha.
If you are coming to one of my tours PM me and I can give you some on the ground advice, but pre-arrival advice harms more than it helps.</p>

<p>@gogogogo
I am also terribly un-athletic, but it’s not a problem at ALL. If anything it’s cool to be at a place where you can really explore a whole 'nother world just by having a conversation about the LAX team’s latest victory the recruiting class for next year’s BB team. Trust me, while the athletic aspect is very strong it is never intrusive or all-encompassing. You do what you love here, if you love sports you will find them everywhere. If not, you won’t. </p>

<p>@ayisconfused</p>

<p>What do you mean by “my family is christian,” are you saying Brown is too liberal for you? because I really don’t think that Brown would somehow violate your morals or code of ethics. To each his own I guess ^^</p>

<p>Anyway, yeah Pratties either love math and science and working all the time or they transfer to trinity. People are dropping in droves this semester to be honest haha (1/2 bc it’s too rigorous for them, the other 1/2 because their future plans have changed).</p>

<p>I’d advise you to come in, do the 1st semester of Pratt, then evaluate whether you want to transfer out and become an illustrious member of the Trinity School of Arts and Crafts (as I am haha). </p>

<p>Just come in with an open mind, see if you like it, and then act appropriately.</p>

<p>As for the Brown/Duke decision, we have entirely different cultures so I’d weigh that more heavily than whether you want to stay Pratt or not.</p>

<p>Personally, I’d say Duke is a little more pre-professional/guided (but not in the negative UPenn/Harvard sense of the word, our curriculum is just more fixed than brown’s incredibly open scheme) and Brown is more about exploration and discovery. We have much better weather, but Brown’s location is better (pretty close to Boston and kind of close to NYC)</p>

<p>Overall, I’d try to go to both and then evaluate. You can’t choose incorrectly :slight_smile:
Best of luck!</p>

29

<p>Oh sorry FurrNz I misinterpreted your Q:</p>

<p>Basically yeah, you’ll get paired with a freshman and follow them around all day. You’ll always have something to do and will never be lost. Don’t worry about the logistics, they all get worked out without you having to do anything.</p>

<p>Have a great time!</p>

30

<p>USNA, if I only start to play a sports this summer, do you think I can join a club just for fun, or most of the people in sports club are very athletic (not good enough to be on varsity teams but still good)?</p>

31

<p>club teams are very, very good here at Duke. Honestly, they are normally as skilled as varsity but don’t have the right genes (too short, not wide enough, whatever).
You should definitely try! And some are way more competitive than others, but club teams here are legit and you will definitely have to work very hard to be on them and then stay on them.
Is there an IM team for the sport you want to play? IM is much less stressful & for some more fun because it’s a team composed solely of your friends.
It’s worth trying though :)</p>

<p>Best of luck! Train hard!</p>

32

<p>This sounds really dumb, but what is IM? And is there any sports you would recommend for someone who is totally unskilled and just want to play for fun?</p>

33

<p>Varsity-you represent Duke at the national level against other D1 programs i.e. scholarship athletes at Duke
Club-you represent Duke at the national level against club competition from other schools i.e. students who were fantastic at the sport and excelled in the varsity squad at their high school and in their hometown/city/region but not quite nationally recognized
IM-you form a group with friends for intercollegiate competition between different groups at Duke including fraternities/sororities, selective living groups, arts/performance groups, etc. etc., meant for the typical student-athlete and is pretty laid-back</p>

<p>Hope that clears things up!:)</p>

34

<p>Thanks people!! I really appreciate your help :)</p>

35

<p>I was wondering how big the frat scene is at Duke? As far as I know at this point, I’m not very interested in joining a sorority, so I’d like to be able to not participate if I decide not to. Thanks for all of the helpful answers on this thread!</p>

36

<p>Hey katie
Duke’s greek scene is awesome in that it is totally inclusive. I’m in a frat now, but a lot of my friends are independents and they go out just as much as I do. You do not need to be in a sorority to have a blast at Duke. I think they’re worth it, but to each his/her own.
Duke has a large social scene that frats spearhead, but Duke culture is not fratty in the UVA/Vandy sense</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>