Raanah
The most common stereotype of the students at Duke University comes from the media coverage of on campus “scandals.” Duke University has a consistent place in the media due to its excellent athletic and research programs. The successes of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team, led by the infamous Coach K, are highlighted constantly thus keeping the university in the public eye. However this attention also facilitates a greater exposure of on campus issues and discussions. When incidents such as the Karen Owens PowerPoint or the fraternity party emails occur, the media immediately launches this image of the Duke University student as an elitist sexist frat “bro”. I also refer to this as the media’s Tucker Max syndrome: every Duke male is made synonymous with Tucker Max and his appalling antics, and every female one of his victims. However, this stereotype of Duke is a gross over exaggeration. Yes, this campus, like most other campuses around the United States, has its fair share of controversial incidents. And yes, there are certain people who do think and behave like the media portrays. This is to be expected with the large diversity of students that attend Duke University. But what the media doesn’t confess is that the main reason they know about our campus issues is because Duke University’s OWN students are the ones who bring them to public attention. The student body is smart and active and recognizes when these singular behaviors and actions reflect larger social issues. They call for on campus discussions with students, faculty, and administrators in order to bring to light the underlying reasons behind these incidents. So I would say that the stereotype is extremely false. Duke students demonstrate time and time again their appreciation for genuine discussion, activism, understanding, and progress.
Raanah
The most common stereotype of the students at Duke University comes from the media coverage of on campus “scandals.” Duke University has a consistent place in the media due to its excellent athletic and research programs. The successes of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team, led by the infamous Coach K, are highlighted constantly thus keeping the university in the public eye. However this attention also facilitates a greater exposure of on campus issues and discussions. When incidents such as the Karen Owens PowerPoint or the fraternity party emails occur, the media immediately launches this image of the Duke University student as an elitist sexist frat “bro”. I also refer to this as the media’s Tucker Max syndrome: every Duke male is made synonymous with Tucker Max and his appalling antics, and every female one of his victims. However, this stereotype of Duke is a gross over exaggeration. Yes, this campus, like most other campuses around the United States, has its fair share of controversial incidents. And yes, there are certain people who do think and behave like the media portrays. This is to be expected with the large diversity of students that attend Duke University. But what the media doesn’t confess is that the main reason they know about our campus issues is because Duke University’s OWN students are the ones who bring them to public attention. The student body is smart and active and recognizes when these singular behaviors and actions reflect larger social issues. They call for on campus discussions with students, faculty, and administrators in order to bring to light the underlying reasons behind these incidents. So I would say that the stereotype is extremely false. Duke students demonstrate time and time again their appreciation for genuine discussion, activism, understanding, and progress.
Raanah
The most common stereotype of the students at Duke University comes from the media coverage of on campus “scandals.” Duke University has a consistent place in the media due to its excellent athletic and research programs. The successes of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team, led by the infamous Coach K, are highlighted constantly thus keeping the university in the public eye. However this attention also facilitates a greater exposure of on campus issues and discussions. When incidents such as the Karen Owens PowerPoint or the fraternity party emails occur, the media immediately launches this image of the Duke University student as an elitist sexist frat “bro”. I also refer to this as the media’s Tucker Max syndrome: every Duke male is made synonymous with Tucker Max and his appalling antics, and every female one of his victims. However, this stereotype of Duke is a gross over exaggeration. Yes, this campus, like most other campuses around the United States, has its fair share of controversial incidents. And yes, there are certain people who do think and behave like the media portrays. This is to be expected with the large diversity of students that attend Duke University. But what the media doesn’t confess is that the main reason they know about our campus issues is because Duke University’s OWN students are the ones who bring them to public attention. The student body is smart and active and recognizes when these singular behaviors and actions reflect larger social issues. They call for on campus discussions with students, faculty, and administrators in order to bring to light the underlying reasons behind these incidents. So I would say that the stereotype is extremely false. Duke students demonstrate time and time again their appreciation for genuine discussion, activism, understanding, and progress.
Lillie
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.
Abigail
Duke. The word alone immediatly conjours all sorts of stereotypes; elitist is one, conceited is another. Because Duke is home to top level acedemics and top level sports, it falls under constant national scrutiny. Any news at duke is big news: national championships, scientific discoveries, international honors, but also lacrosse scandals, inappropiate emails, and power-point presentations. The world cares about what is going on at Duke, and therefore Duke has, unfortunately, become the poster child for university scandal. This is misleading, innacurate, and quite humorous to those of us who know the real Duke. I would say the typical Duke student is passionate, incredibly driven, spirited, well-rounded, and healthily competitive. Duke students are the personification of the work hard-play hard ethos. While there are still elitist and conceited individuals who fit the Duke University "stereotype", they are by no means the majority. I also feel that Duke is an incredibly diverse place; people from all over the country and the world attend Duke, all with different opinions, values, upbringings, and cultures. Duke is a place where you can find your own voice while still hearing a multitude of others.
Cassidy
As an elite, private institution, Duke University is often considered the Ivy of the South. With that reputation comes the stigma of inheritance: inherited trust funds, inherited acceptances, inherited social status. It implies a relatively homogeneous student population of yuppy rich white kids who come from a position of privilege into a fast-track to taking over Daddy's position as CEO of a Fortune 500. While there are Duke students who are from a long tradition of wealthy Duke Alumni, characterizing the entire student body in such a manner is a sin against the diversity of the student population. I, along with the majority of my classmates, am a recipient of financial aid. While 47{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is white, this is considerably lower than the 74{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students at UNC Chapel Hill who identify as white. You are just as likely to pass a first generation college student in the quad as you are to pass the son or daughter of an alumnus. Duke, in my experience, is less of a boy's club and more a stocked pantry before Thanksgiving. It gives students the resources to make the experience as diverse as they want to make it.
Brea
I think Duke is stereotyped for students who are really intense about either their academics or are only into going out and barely trying. I think some people think that Duke is filled with nothing but a bunch of snotty and rich white kids. Also another stereotype is that greek life dominates the scene completely and if you're not in a sorority or frat you have no social life.
Duke students are very passionate about their academics and also about going out. A motto I hear all the time here is "work hard, play hard" - people are pretty well balanced. Greek presence is pretty big here, but you don't have to be a part of a sorority or fraternity to have a social life. You can be an independent and still have a fun social life.
There are quite a bunch of people that come from well to do families, but that doesn't mean that they're snotty or white. People come from all over. Duke is diverse as a campus and people from different races and cultures interact, but there are a few people that don't branch out - but I haven't met too many people like that.
Brea
I think Duke is stereotyped for students who are really intense about either their academics or are only into going out and barely trying. I think some people think that Duke is filled with nothing but a bunch of snotty and rich white kids. Also another stereotype is that greek life dominates the scene completely and if you're not in a sorority or frat you have no social life.
.
My favorite thing about Duke is that there isn't just one stereotype associated with the student body. We truly do have a variety of students. If I had to assign a stereotype to the Duke student body, I would say we're a combination of jocks, frat kids, and geeks. Athletics are pretty big on campus, and you can always tell who the athletes are (they all have matching Nike backpacks). This definitely contributes to the jock atmosphere. Greek life is big, but not overwhelming, on campus. There are a lot of typical frat guys though. Then, there are the "geeks" who you can find in the library every night of the week. I'd say we're a pretty well-rounded campus.
.
My favorite thing about Duke is that there isn't just one stereotype associated with the student body. We truly do have a variety of students. If I had to assign a stereotype to the Duke student body, I would say we're a combination of jocks, frat kids, and geeks. Athletics are pretty big on campus, and you can always tell who the athletes are (they all have matching Nike backpacks). This definitely contributes to the jock atmosphere. Greek life is big, but not overwhelming, on campus. There are a lot of typical frat guys though. Then, there are the "geeks" who you can find in the library every night of the week. I'd say we're a pretty well-rounded campus.