<p>For acceptees, current students, etc..
I don't really know much about Duke but would love to know more, so,</p>
<p>why duke?</p>
<p>1) Beautiful campus
2) Top-notch academic programs
3) Great sports and school spirit
4) Wonderful weather
5) Many opportunities (research, DukeEngage, study abroad, etc)
6) Friendly people</p>
<p>A few reasons off the top of my head.</p>
<p>when people say beautiful campus, i seriously think that’s an understatement. its effing gorgeous. …at least to me :)</p>
<p>to add onto SBR:
- low competition
- slightly pre-professionally inclined, meaning that advising is top-notch
- close-knit community
- RTP has a lot of research opportunities
- DukeEngage (unmatched) + FOCUS programs
- BASKETBALLLLLLLL. amazing school unity and spirit. whenever i meet a duke alum, there is this immediate sense of connection (and i’m only a freshman :o)
- amazing education, yet laid-back atmosphere</p>
<p>yeee.</p>
<p>Easy to spell.</p>
<p>^ bahahahaha. Nice.</p>
<p>I second everything that SBR and eatsalot listed.</p>
<p>Basically, just write: “Duke is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or the invention of the wheel. End of discussion.”</p>
<p>:p</p>
<p>Duke’s great because it’s not one of those oh-my-my places. It’s a place where you will learn to live and love life. Really! I’m not even there yet and realizing what a wonderful place it really is. It’s the experience that tops everything. It may not have as many nobel laureates as that school opposite MIT, but it has teachers, real teachers who love making young, crazy people like us understand the mysteries of the world. And that is what it is.</p>
<p>Duke is also in a great location. It’s in the Research Triangle.</p>
<p>The comment above about low competitin probably should be put in context. My S attends and he also attended a very exclusive program at an Ivy. THe Ivy was competitive to the point where you had to watch your back. Some T/A’s made a point of telling people to give other bad info so that they would get a lower grade. My S really disliked it and frankly refused to even apply. From what I hear at Duke the students can work together and not against each other. To that extent I think there is competetion for grades but not to the point where you have to watch your back. I woul dlove to see what others say about this…</p>
<p>by the way I can not type well …when you get older you have staff to do that for you…</p>
<p>according to our son, the statements about no cut-throat-culture is true. His engineering courses are graded on a tough curve, but the students cooperate and don’t try to undercut each other. People compete with themselves to do their best. It’s a nice change.</p>
<p>I just had to find a place to tell this story. My D is fairly “straight edge”, and left home with no tolerance for drunken debauchery. She mellowed some by the second semester. At that time she was really struggling with a math class, and was in a common room working on it, late one weekend night, when a young man comes in. She could tell he was drunk, but he seemed nice enough, and asked her what she was working on. He takes some time to explain it to her, she finally gets it, then he gets up, and walks into a wall on the way out. Too drunk to exit a room, but still able to teach math! Duke! ( not that I am a fan of drunken debauchery…)</p>
<p>^that reminds me of a story! when i was at duke, there were these two guys COMPLETELY drunk. yet they were having a ridiculously intense conversation regarding organic chemistry. and doing their work.</p>
<p>i was amazed. work hard, play hard and its finest. 
who says duke kids aren’t intellectual LOL.</p>