Duke University Top Questions

Duke has a very solid intellectual diversity. Large lecture classes usually feed into smaller discussion oriented classes. Within reason, the professors take the effort to get to know student's names. The faculty are generally very friendly. The seminars are excellent. Taking graduate level classes is common for upperclassmen, which is very cool. I took an amazing class as a freshman with World-renowned professor Erwin Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law where we studied all major constitutional issues facing the current court, past society, and looking towards the future of the court. The class had 250 people, yet had the feel of a seminar, as Professor Chemerinsky got to know a lot of students' names. I also had a class with Moo Young Han, a Nobel Prize nominated Physicist on Quarks and Quanta that was very unique. A physics seminar only for freshman is very interesting, as it introduces topics then looks into theory. The political science department is spectacular. The professors are very solid lecturers, generally, and are still respected academics. The size of the department allows professors to be more personal with the students. I can walk into any professor's office and strike up a conversation about whatever their specialty is. The learning never stops at the classroom either. Students study excessive amounts and we commonly discuss academic topics. One night, I stumbled back to my friends room, inebriated, and proceeded to discuss Cartesian versus Wittgensteinian metaphysics for a few hours. It happens. There is a mix of classes geared towards job related education versus a liberal arts type education. The Markets and Management Certificate is similar to an undergraduate business type program, however the majors often force more theoretical concept studying.

2. Duke has frats. However, it is also in a suburban/small urban area. I don't drink, and I have plenty to do on weekends. Duke is very good about bringing down broadway shows, top concert acts, and top performers (opera, classical music, ballet etc). Chapel Hill is also very close by, and is known as a center for more eclectic or "indie" music. There is a bus to Chapel Hill every thirty minutes. 3. The reason I came to Duke was because of the Christian community. It is AMAAAAZING. I think I can't even describe to you how on fire this place is for God (well, at least the sizable Christian community.) I think, more than Georgetown or Dartmouth, you could really feed off of and learn from the very strong Christians in both InterVarsity and Campus Crusade that are here. Also, there are uuuuhhhmaaazing Churches like every five feet. God's really working in the Raleigh/Durham area right now, and it's super exciting to be here. I have changed so much for the better, and have been able to really walk by faith and trust in God so much because of the amazing Christian life here. It is the best part of Duke, I think, and the part that separates Duke from almost every other top college in the country. The reason I came to love Duke is the basketball team. I hated basketball before Duke. I went to one game, and got hooked. The energy the students have here is something you can't really describe. It's a great group bonding experience, and it's just so much fun to paint your face and cheer for your team at the top of your lungs on national television. It also attracts a really cool student body. People here are not just intellectuals. They love running, working, playing sports, just doing lots of things in general. People are so energetic and passionate about this place. Academically, the FOCUS program was one reason I chose Duke over Penn (my top two choices.) You take 2.5 of your classes with the same students and get to have dinner/discussions with top faculty once per week. You really get to know the students and professors well, and it's just a really great experience over all. Additionally, there's this thing called FLUNCHES where you take your professor out for lunch anytime you want and Duke pays for it. Professors just really care a lot about students here. I've had all positive experiences, and my largest class size has been 25 (Econ has some bigger classes, obviously.) But even as a second semester freshman, I'm working with a professor on a research project, I get to go with him to a research conference next October, and hopefully we'll get our paper published in the fall. AND HE SOUGHT ME OUT! It was just awesome. Also, Duke has Duke Engage, which is basically a $6,000 grant they guarantee to all students to do any community service project you can imagine/create anywhere in the world. I don't think there's any equivalent program at other universities yet.

Students are very competitive their freshman year but after that the competition wanes - at that point everyone is just trying to get by. Because I am a political science major most of my classes are lecture-based and half of them have TA's but you don't really know most of them on an individual basis. The graduate schools here don't really affect me at all. The core curriculum here makes it very difficult to graduate, especially if you major in certain majors. The institution has finally listened to the pleas of the students and have lessened the requirements of the core curriculum (called the "Matrix" here). I spend on average 90 hours a week on schoolwork outside of class. I have pulled so many all-nighters that my body is about to collapse.

The education here at Duke is awesome. I have one piece of advice for you: Do Focus! Focus is a first-year program for freshmen where you have 3.5 classes under one discipline with 30 other students. You all take the same seminar classes, live in the same dorm, and have dinner with your professors once a week, thus an intellectual atmosphere is created. The emphasis is on writing and reading, which even science majors will carry on with them throughout their college career. After Focus is over (second semester of freshman year), you can choose to take really easy lecture classes or really intense seminars classes. Some particularly strong departments are Biology, Political Science, Economics, Cultural Anthropology, and Doctumentary Studies. I would say that most people are either Political Science or Public Policy majors.

The education is fantastic, but no one pushes you to take challenging classes. We definitely have a fair share of blow off classes, which is encouraged by the required curriculum. Tons of seminars, and very few undergraduate TA's. Lots of interaction with professors, but students have to initiate the contact. It's as easy as asking them out for coffee. Most professors love to interact one-on-one with students. Unfortunately, Dukies are academic, not intellectual. Once class ends, class ends. Dukies are typically not interested in debating the world, politics, religion, their class material, or whatever outside of class time. Outside of class time is time to socialise, party, do homework, etc.

The economics department is the least personal department at this school. I don't think, except for one course, was I in a class where participation was encouraged, there was actual discussion, and I came away feeling as if I "knew" my professor, outside of his credentials. The smaller departments (Art History, History, AAAS, etc) are much more personal and welcoming. Further, most everyone that majors in economics really just wanted to major in business or finance, there's no real interest in learning "economics." It's just awful in my experience, the students, the professors, the classes, everything.

Some great classes, some bad ones. Overall not too hard to get decent grades

students definitely study a lot, i have always had lots of work each semester. i love having intellectual conversations with my friends outside of class. i have had some outstanding professors, some of which i have had a personal connection with. i didn't have much difficulty fulfilling duke's academic requirements, so i enjoyed being able to take some different classes outside of public policy. i do believe on some level education is aimed at getting a job or graduation rather than just learning. because of the effect that GPA has on your application prospects for jobs it is hard to not care more about what you need to get the A rather than the learning. The best teachers made struggling to get the A a process that also encouraged learning, the worst ones dropped a bunch of miserable requirements on you and made classtime horrible.

science and math courses are as hard as i expected them to be. humanities tend to be as easy as high school

Being an engineer, the academics are really fucking hard. It's a lot to take in, but it's starting to make sense now. A lot of it is bull shit, but occasionally I do feel really stimulated. Duke is a top notch college, so there's really no fucking around when it comes to getting down to the grind. And kids here are really, really smart.