Duke University Top Questions

The prestige associated with the school name, which would come in handy during recruiting season and the basketball team.

I decided to go to Duke because of the amazing opportunities the school offers for its students. When I was deciding on which school to apply early to, I had narrowed it down to Duke and another university that I knew had a similar student culture and academic standing. So I decided that my decision would be based on dance and community service opportunities because those were my two passions in high school. Immediately I found Duke Engage through the Duke website and could not find an equivalent at the other school, or any school for that matter. The ability to travel to another country to do community service and engagement with all financial, living, and work accommodations provided for was something only Duke offers. I also found Defining Movement-- a multicultural hip hop fusion dance group-- very easily through the student group pages. I stalked all of their videos on YouTube and knew that if I got into Duke, I would try out for this group. I had found the Dance program at the other school, but it seemed very traditional and technical dance based and lacked outlets for other non-technical styles, such as hip hop. I ended up trying out for DefMo my freshman year and getting in! It is now my favorite and biggest form of involvement / leadership in the Duke community.

I applied to schools randomly. In total, it was sixteen. When I got my decisions back, I quickly narrowed it down to 3: Harvard University in Massachusetts, Rice University in Texas, and Duke University. After visiting all three, I narrowed it down to Harvard and Duke. After carefully examining the kind of person that I was and the kind of schools Harvard and Duke were, I chose Duke. At a lot of schools, I had noticed that they fostered academic growth. However, it was only at Duke that I found a culture of cultural and social growth. I believe that these kinds of growth are imperative to the college experience. I also found that Duke afforded me a lot of amazing opportunities that I didn't see at other schools. As a "new ivy" and an incredibly new school in and of itself, Duke is constantly looking for ways to improve and to attract the best and the brightest. Because of this, a Duke education is incredibly rewarding and challenging, and amazing possibilities for research, extracurriculars, and engagement programs are available to all of its students. It was a difficult decision, but I'm so glad I chose Duke.

A Duke student describes why she chose Duke.

Kathy, a junior, describes how she came to choose her school

A Duke student describes how she came to choose her school

Duke sophomore Lacey describes how she came to choose her school

Duke sophomore Jackie describes how she came to choose her school.