Here’s something I PMed to someone about the Greek system and the social scene:</p>
<p>The social scene at Duke can be described in four words: diverse, balanced, eclectic, and most importantly, INCLUSIVE. </p>
<p>1) Diverse, eclectic</p>
<p>While the Greek system is existent, it is by no means dominating or self-segregating. Statistically speaking, only about 23% of students are associated with a Greek organization, so it is available to those who wish to participate. But while I am not Greek, I have friends who are both Greek and non-Greek, so by making one decision, you’re not excluding yourself from a huge chunk of friends/the social life here. The other thing girls in particular love about Greek life here is that sororities here do not haze (and for guys its just drinking…). Pretty much every other school’s sororities hazel at Duke, they give each other chocolates, gifts, etc. Haha as you can tell, it’s a pretty loving environment.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to be always stuck in Greek life, there is always something else going on. There are parties EVERYWHERE, there are free movies in the movie theater on campus, shopping trips, hanging out in Durham, eating in Durham (Durham has an incredible restaurant scene), performances at Duke and in Durham (the Duke student body is particularly dance and singing crazed. There’s always some group performing…), attending lectures/speakers, going to basketball games (or any athetlic event), or just chilling with your friends. There’s also three to four clubs within walking distance of campus that everyone likes to go to and have a great time dancing/hanging out. Very few of Duke’s peer schools have these unique outlets…</p>
<p>There’s obviously a lot more, but I just wanted to give the picture that Duke’s social scene is definitely not dominated by Greek organizations and is in fact, very diverse. Frat/sorority parties, though, are very, very fun.</p>
<p>2) Balanced</p>
<p>A lot of schools say that they have a “work hard, play hard” environment. But to be honest, I don’t think that the phrase gives Duke’s unique environment justice. What elite school other than Duke can boast incredible academics alongside a basketball team that is going to the Final Four (a team that is coached by a gold medal winning USA basketball???)? Yeah, none. Duke has an incredible sense of balance - everyone’s really happy to be here, and you can get that feeling while on campus.</p>
<p>3) Inclusive</p>
<p>This is honestly something I love the most about Duke. Duke is a much more inclusive environment than many universities. For example, I hated how parties and socials at other schools are closed. You can only get it in you know people or if you are a hot girl or if you are a guy who brings tons of girls. At Duke, no one really gives a crap. You can go pretty much wherever you want with whomever you want… you can build your network in whichever way you desire. This is actually something unique about Duke though, and I love it. There is an incredible sense of community on campus, and everyone’s pretty willing to meet others and build a stronger Duke relationship.</p>
<p>Also, since there are no houses, this really aids in integrating everyone together… brothers live together within areas of the quads, but as I said earlier, sororities don’t have housing. This makes the Greek system pretty chill relative to other universities. Tons of girls I know here always comment about how they would have never joined a sorority at another school, but since Duke’s sorority life is so low-key and welcoming, they didn’t feel pressured and chose to do it to meet other girls.
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Good luck with your decision!</p>