Duke University

Many cool and smart people with diverse interests. Was not sure Duke would be a good fit when I applied. I came from a private west coast school and thought North Carolina? Really? After I got in, I visited for the first time for Duke Days. I felt at home and turned down a few top schools and decided on Duke. Duke is definitely what you make of it. The campus is beautiful, the people diverse and friendly and people have a strong sense that this is a community not just a grade factory. Durham is only OK but you are in the middle of a huge forest and the Duke community is so alive you really don't care. People don't really discuss grades, but grades are competitive. However, the student are not competitive with each other. Students are encouraged to help each other out. There are so many things to do from clubs to sports to whatever. The UNC thing is a bit overblown in my opinion. I spend a lot of time in Chapel Hill (UNC) and the schools are athletic rivals but the students really get along. Duke is socially vibrant community where everyone mixes very well. All my friends seem to be working hard but seem to be very happy. Work hard, play hard is the best way to describe Duke. I was never a sports girl (more of a nerd type I guess), but the school spirit around basketball is contageous (albeit I am not into the tent thing). The guys are generally great and pretty normal, and I was able to find a great boyfriend in my first semester. I kind of think the student body tends to be a bit more conservative politically, but every view seems respected. I thought about schools closer to home. I love all my teachers in English and other areas, and I have so many new, smart, diverse and interesting friends. In sum, I am just really happy here. I think going to Duke was the best decision I have ever made.

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

University Resource Use/ spending: A+, Surrounding City: B-

Duke has been an amazing experience all around. I decided between a few schools, including several top Ivy's. I choose Duke because I thought the students were the most balanced and friendly. I now am so glad I did. You can do anything here. If you are an academic, great. A social butterfly, great! An athlete, great. No one seems to care and everyone seems to find their group and all groups tend to get along well. Let's not kid ourselves, Basketball is big! But instead of creating a separation between athletes and the other 98% of us, it helps the community come together and is a source of pride and school spirit. I have a number of athletes in my classes, and they are just like everyone else. The student body is awesome. They are all unique and balanced people. I thought the school would be all pre-meds, pre-law or pre-bankers. I was wrong. They are pre-anything. The campus is just beautiful, the weather much better than Ivy's, the teachers awesome and the social life diverse and vibrant. Durham is just OK, but there is so much to do here or Chapel Hill, it doesn't matter. I was surprised at the focus on the arts, music and the humanities here. Students help each other out, and while the classes are demanding, I have never felt like the next guy was stabbing me in the back. If anything, students and faculty go out of there way to help. In spite of being in NC, there are a lot of people from the northeast and all over the country/world. I plan to study abroad next year, and it is here where Duke is just awesome. There are lots of choices, and my friends who came back loved their experiences. The flexibility to study in a variety of areas makes students well rounded. The administration is friendly and red tape kept to a minimum. I have heard that career placement is excellent and graduate school placement even better. Not there yet. When I turned down Princeton and Yale to go to Duke, some of my friends asked why. I now can give them a thousand good reasons. No regrets and I will be very sad to leave. In hindsight, now I can not imagine going anywhere else.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2013

Education Quality: A+, Surrounding City: B