Duke University (Take 2)
Duke University (Take 2) (visited 3/23/24) (Click here for notes and pictures from my 3/2017 visit)
The amount of money here is absolutely staggering. Students are not going to be hurting for opportunities. “There are tons of opportunities here. We can take workshops like ceramics, not just classes. There’s one called Chef’s Kitchen where we take a class and eat what we make.”
The last time I was at Duke (2017), I toured with a student I knew instead of through Admissions. I got to see things that may not have been on an official tour, and I had a lot of time to pick her brain about the student experience. This time, I attended a counselor event. They provided a lot more of the admissions and academic side of things which was a good balance and gave me a more complete picture of Duke.
Their academics are split into 2 schools: Pratt School of Engineering (enrolling 20% of the students) and Trinity Arts and Sciences (the remaining 80%). They don’t have a heavy core which gives students more flexibility to explore or “do more of what we like,” according to the tour guide. This isn’t even just in the classroom — Engineers go abroad at 4 times the national average. They offer Focus programs which act essentially as interdisciplinary First Year Seminars, but students have to apply into these with essays! They can pick up to 4 that they’re interested in; they’ll be apprised of their placement usually within a couple weeks. The cohorts take 2 classes together in the fall.
With an enrollment of about 6700 students, there are going to be some large classes. We asked the students on the panel what their largest classes have been. They said: 50, 100 (with smaller discussions/ problem solving sections and labs), 300 (Econ 101), and 110 (Gen Chem). We also asked them what their favorite class has been:
- Castles in Europe: “We learned so much about architecture. For our final, we created a castle including a whole back-story – who are we fighting, how did we get the materials. We built 3 different models.”
- “My first biomedical engineering class. I knew it was going to be hard. I was prepared to get my ass kicked, honestly. I was challenged like never before. He’d ask the most ridiculous questions – but through problem solving, I learned how to extrapolate information. Did I get a lot of questions right? No! But I really evolved. I could then talk about blood pressure mechanics. In hindsight, I didn’t know I had that kind of brain capacity. I know I can now get through whatever I need to get through.”
- Human Rights 101: “It changed my degree trajectory. I’m adding a concentration in this area. I interviewed a man on death row via zoom; it changed my opinion on the prison system, and it taught me a lot on what inmates go through.”
There are plenty of cultural experiences as well as lots of socio-economic and religious diversity here. In recent years, there’s been increased sexual and gender diversity which is great, particularly for the school’s location in the south. “You’ll find people you identify with,” said one student. “There are lots of identity centers which will hold events open to the community so you can learn things or get involved and find a home.”
Housing is required on campus for the first 3 years. All first-years live on East Campus, about 5 minutes away on the bus (it can be a bit of a haul in terms of walking, the students told us, but “it’s easy to get back and forth.”). This initiative was brought about by the students 30+ years ago. “Everything you need is over there. Everyone there is looking to make friends – it was easy to chat with people.” First-year dorms have a Faculty-in-Residence who host Monday night socials. This has built a solid community (as demonstrated with their almost unprecedented 98% retention rate!) – so much so that they’ve now started housing the same groups together in the 2nd year. “Based on the building you live in during the first year, you already know where you’ll live in the 2nd year. That identity carries with you.”
Food is amazing: their main dining facility has over a dozen stations – everything from Indian to Mexican to a Surf-n-Turf grill. During the counselor event, we were given a card with $15 (everything is priced out with main meals averaging from $10-14ish; many places had a $5 daily deal). All the counselors raved about what they were eating. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating ranging from small group rooms to a large one resembling Harry Potter Dining Hall (not quite to that scale!).
Obviously, sports are huge here and the teams do well. Something that surprised us is that the Women’s golf is the most accomplished team! Everyone assumes it’s the basketball teams, but nope! Club sports are also a big deal. “They’re pretty competitive!” said one student on the panel who has played club softball since she started at Duke. The cool thing with this is that the university funds a dream trip every two years for these teams. The student on the panel just came back from Costa Rica. “We lost most of our games, but it was a great trip!”
The social scene on campus got mixed reviews. There’s lots to do, but Greek Life does play a huge part (about 1/3 of the students join, and “it can dictate the social scene in a lot of ways”) – or people don’t always get involved, focusing more on academics instead. Some feel that it can get a bit cliquey. However, they love the opportunities available to them – and almost all of the students we spoke to did things over the summer, such as:
- One did archaeological research over one summer (as an econ and art history major!) AND did a finance internship the next summer.
- One participated in Duke Engage which are 8+ week summer immersion trips. She went to Uganda after freshman year.
- One student is working on medical devices already as a sophomore!
- Takes students backpacking for a week during orientation
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