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College Prowler

Academics

The teachers at Duke are typical college professors.Most of them have a uniqueness that makes their class more interesting, and they really lecture, too. But they do their job, and they do it well. The academic programs are notoriously excellent, and if you graduate from your courses, you should be set on a nicely paved career path.

Athletics

Varsity sports are big here, of course, headlined by basketball. Students participate in bonfires on campus after big wins, and the basketball team is the rallying point for much school spirit. As freshmen, many IM sports are organized by dorm, contributing to a sense of unity, rather than anonymity. IM football, softball, volleyball, and basketball are the most prevalent. Duke also has club teams, which are relaxed teams for intercollegiate competition. Some examples include ultimate Frisbee, tennis, volleyball, and football.

Campus Dining

The food is pretty good, and I think the meal plans cover almost all the places on campus. The Great Hall is a cafeteria with pretty good food and lots of variety, and the Loop has good sandwiches and pizza. There is also a hot dog stand and a Breyer’s ice cream shop. Eating at the hospital is always a good choice, as it is cheap, and there are several places in the food court.

Campus Housing

Most dorms on East are just about the same, aside from the air-conditioned Blackwell and Randolph, and the remotely isolated Southgate. Everything on West is air conditioned, except for Craven and Kilgo. I would advise new students to avoid Edens. It has the smallest rooms and the longest walk to the rest of campus. Double rooms are the most common, and they average around 200 sqare feet. If you’re looking for the biggest rooms, you can find them in the Keohane.

Campus Strictness

The police tend to look the other way at the parties on the West Campus, unless things get out of hand. Distribution of alcohol to underage persons must be done half-secretly though, as the resident assistants seem to be cracking down a bit. Near the end of school, the police searched the room of a guy they caught in a parking lot with fresh marijuana buds, and they found out he’d been growing it in his room, so obviously he’s in trouble. I don’t drink or do drugs, though, so I really don’t know.

Computers

I think that bringing your own computer is essential to academic life at Duke, but I do know a few students who do well without one. The network is fast and trouble free, and typically virus- and worm-free. Computer labs are never filled to capacity and are populated with different types of computers for different applications, such as Macs and PCs for student work, and Sun Unix workstations for engineering and computer-science students.

Diversity

If you desire diversity, you will have it, especially if you get involved in a sport or another activity. I have made black friends, Asian friends, and white friends. We also have students from other countries, including my friend’s Pakistani Resident Assistant and the cute Venezuelan girl in my French class. Aside from just the racial or ethnic standpoint, I think Duke students come from varied backgrounds and upbringings and have a lot to share, even if it’s just that South Dakota accent or an appreciation of grits with ketchup.

Drug Scene

Drinking is widespread. A lot of people smoke marijuana, and people definitely experiment with other drugs. I would say it is more than an occasional thing. It is pretty behind-the-scenes though---you'd only come across it if you were looking for it.

Facilities

The exterior of practically every building at Duke is breathtaking: old and Gothic or Georgian, new and innovative, exciting even. The inside sometimes doesn’t evoke the same pleasant adjectives, particularly in the older buildings. The buildings on East Campus are nice, but the ones on West Campus are somewhat dark and cramped. All of the newer buildings I have seen are great, and the athletic buildings are made in the mode of shrines and palaces for kings.

Greek Life

Greek life is very big on campus. Sororities don’t live together on campus, but a lot of people join a fraternity or sorority. Frat parties are one of the biggest forms of entertainment on the weekends, and I would definitely say that they dominate the social scene. However, I am unaffiliated, and I don’t feel like that harms me socially in any way. I have some friends in frats and sororities and others who aren’t, and I don’t feel lonely or deprived because of my sorority-free life.

Guys & Girls

Duke is full of beautiful people. Everywhere. There’s some concern that a lot of the girls have eating disorders. In certain groups, personal appearance is a big deal, though, there are always the dissenters.

Local Atmosphere

Most Duke students, me included, don’t tend to spend a lot of time in Durham. There’s a lot to do on campus, so I don’t know too much about what Durham is really like. I don’t recommend walking around off campus after dark because Durham has a fairly high crime rate, but there are things to do within driving distance. Off campus, there are lots of restaurants, the Streets at Southpoint Mall, and the Durham Bulls.

Nightlife

The bars and clubs in Durham are glorified dumps that get filled up with sorority events, but they’re not horrible. As long as you have a good time, the way the place looks doesn’t really matter. I only recently turned 21, so I haven’t had time to take in the whole club scene; friends of mine seem to think it’s a lot better in Chapel Hill.

Off-Campus Dining

The restaurants around Durham are great. With your points account, you can also order off-campus food to be delivered to your dorm. Some good off-campus eateries include International Delights (Middle Eastern food and Philly steaks), George’s Garage (highly expensive, but very good), Jimmy John’s subs, and Satisfaction (food from the grill and pizza). Additionally, Cosmic Cantina, which is not on the points system, is also a good place to go and get Mexican food, even late at night.

Off-Campus Housing

I have a couple of friends moving off campus next year, and they all seemed to find decent places without much trouble. I couldn’t really tell you, though, because I’ll be spending all four years on campus.

Overall Experience

I would never go anywhere else after having been at Duke this past year. Though I had my gripes about not getting into Harvard or MIT, I’m over that now. Duke offers a great educational opportunity, especially for undergraduates, and if you can take advantage of the Freshman Focus program, do so. It’s a great program for your first semester.

Parking

Parking is one of Duke students’ biggest gripes. I don’t have a car, so I don’t remember how much permits cost, but I’m pretty sure they’re rather expensive. It’s not too hard to park on East Campus, as there are usually enough spaces, but you have to be careful not to park in the mysterious forbidden zones, which are sometimes not well-marked and result in tickets.

Safety & Security

I’ve never really felt unsafe on campus. The University has its own campus police, and there are phones scattered across campus to call for help if you need it. You’ll need a student ID in order to enter any of the dorms. Most other buildings require ID on nights and weekends. Unlike some schools, officers don’t regularly guard campus or building entrances. We had a few sexual assault reports in past years, but I don’t know if it’s higher than average or not.

Transportation

The campus buses are convenient, but the Durham public transportation is awful. There are few routes, and they are usually not going where you want to go. This is not really a problem for the Duke students, though. There really isn’t any need to go anywhere in Durham, so it doesn’t matter that they can’t get there. The campus really is their own little city for four years.

Weather

It’s North Carolina weather, which means it’s impossible to predict. It will get down to freezing in the winter, but not much lower, and not for long. Just as soon as you think it’s warming up, it makes you get out the sweaters again. Still, it’s nice for most of the time we’re at school.