<p>Basically Ive got the opportunity to study for a phd in Duke University, and am going down there for the weekend next week. Im Irish, currently spending the winter season in Canada and have never been to the States, but have a deep rooted fascination with the American South. (I blame reading Gone with the Wind at an impressionable age). So I have no real idea what to expect from Duke, Durham, North Carolina, the South, the States at all!
I know this post is vague to the point of ridiculousness but just looking for any sort of guidance on similarities/differences between Ireland or Canada?
I'm also a scruffy snowboarder whose jacket is held together with duct tape and who wears old skateshoes, so worried i might not fit in in duke</p>
<p>I'm sure you will fit right in and hopefully will love it. I am not sure it will fit your idea of the American South with its gothic architecture (East Campus may be more like it), and don't judge American city life by your visit to Durham. However, you can't go wrong with the academics and student life found at Duke. Have a nice visit :)</p>
<p>Just remember - a fellow from Ireland at Duke getting a Ph.D. just won - among other things - a BMW in a designs for the future contest... So Duke is good to the Irish!</p>
<p>And a lot of us are fans of Irish music...if that helps. OH - and we have a genuine Americanized Irish pub. OK - maybe that doesn't help.</p>
<p>There is skiing a few hours away in Western North Carolina, and there is an ocean a few hours away in Eastern North Carolina. For admission into which department are you interviewing?</p>
<p>the english dept </p>
<p>not sure what exactly goes on at these weekend trips either, so any pointers on that would be very helpful!</p>
<p>uummm. Gone with the Wind is a bit anachronistic for your purposes.<br>
Although it would be foolish to "talk Lit" to someone Irish (deep bowing like the kind the kids give JJ at basketball games), a fast way to understand the towns of NC is from Reynolds Price, who actually is on the faculty at Duke, has influenced many Southern writers (taught Ann Tyler among others) and is a graduate who next went to Oxford. His portrait hangs near the Duke Gothic Reading room. To get a feel for the truest cadence of NC voices and towns, read his very accessible debut stunner from his youth, A Long and Happy Life or pick up the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Reynold's later more mature novel Kate Vaiden. Snowboarding can be done if you can spare the drive time but rock climbing is easier to come by. Duke has some southern heritage feel, but should you attend, the student body is decidedly national and even global in origin and you will meet many bilingual students as well as students from every corner of the USA. North Carolinians are therefore split about Duke..proud of it but also aware that the school serves a majority of students from elsewhere.</p>
<p>"don't judge American city life by your visit to Durham"</p>
<p>exactly. I'm not a huge fan of Durham, personally. </p>
<p>Also, if you're looking for something really Southern... well, Duke doesn't really fit the part, so to speak. Still, I don't see how anyone couldn't love it.</p>
<p>There's a bunch of northerners at Duke...it's really diverse, i guess?</p>
<p>If you're set on Duke, go for it. But, if you're looking for a typically Southern school and thought Duke might be it, you might want to check out Emory, Sewanee, Georgia Tech...</p>