Duke University Top Questions

For some reason I've never really understood, Duke students are stereotyped to be toolish jerks. According to this stereotype, they are rich, Northeastern kids who party all the time and have little regard for the people around them. Growing up a UNC fan in North Carolina, I am well aware of this sentiment. However, for the most part, it is utterly false. Although there are toolish jerks at Duke (just as there are at any school), Duke is an incredibly diverse campus with people from all walks of life. Not everyone is rich and there is not stigma against those who don't have as much money as others - in fact, it's almost impossible to tell who has money and who doesn't. However, there is one notable area in which Duke students do conform to their stereotype; within some (but not all) fraternities in the Greek scene, men tend to homogenize into one kind of person - and that person is often a tool. Yet this is only a portion of the Greek scene, and a vast minority of the Duke student body. As a whole, I'd say the correct stereotype about Duke is students who are passionate. Students get whole-heartedly involved in all aspects of their school, from social to academic to athletic to extracurricular. They are passionate about their studies, their fellow students, and their school.

For some reason I've never really understood, Duke students are stereotyped to be toolish jerks. According to this stereotype, they are rich, Northeastern kids who party all the time and have little regard for the people around them. Growing up a UNC fan in North Carolina, I am well aware of this sentiment. However, for the most part, it is utterly false. Although there are toolish jerks at Duke (just as there are at any school), Duke is an incredibly diverse campus with people from all walks of life. Not everyone is rich and there is not stigma against those who don't have as much money as others - in fact, it's almost impossible to tell who has money and who doesn't. However, there is one notable area in which Duke students do conform to their stereotype; within some (but not all) fraternities in the Greek scene, men tend to homogenize into one kind of person - and that person is often a tool. Yet this is only a portion of the Greek scene, and a vast minority of the Duke student body. As a whole, I'd say the correct stereotype about Duke is students who are passionate. Students get whole-heartedly involved in all aspects of their school, from social to academic to athletic to extracurricular. They are passionate about their studies, their fellow students, and their school.

That we are nerds. People think that all students are very concerned about grades, that our girls are not hot, and that all Dukies are well-to-do and private school educated.

Duke: Self-absorbed administration, work hard-play hard ethic Students: Rich, NorthEastern

I believe the most prominent stereotype about Duke students is the notion that the majority of us are stuck up rich kids who might actually be smart or just paid our way into the school.

The stereotype about effortless perfection is certainly a prominent one. Also, there is a general assumption that Duke is a very work hard-play hard environment. There are a lot of stereotypes about race----white people are wealthy and privileged, african americans are disadvantaged, usually are athletes and are not of the intellectual caliber of their white counterparts.

Duke students are rich and arrogant. They can get out of trouble with their parents' money.

Rich, white and preppy

In my experience, the stereotypical Duke student is very into Duke and its sports teams, usually majoring in econ or poly sci, and of a fairly wealthy background. They are not about the arts. They do work hard, and party pretty hard as well. And there are NO fat people at Duke. It is a fact, and I'm not really sure why this is.

Rich/Upper Middle class white kids from New York, New Jersey, or the south