Duke University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Jake

Class: Senior
Major: Government
Gender: M

High School: Delbarton School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

The best thing about Duke is the people. I have met some of the greatest people I have ever met and suspect I ever will meet. I came here for academics, the beautiful campus and weather, the size, and the basketball. There isn't one thing I would change about those things (except maybe a national championship). I think people love the school, and this is not a forced love but a genuine pride in wearing duke blue. I wish there was more of a college town available on some days so that i didn't always feel like i was going to the same places. However, over my 4 years we are slowly getting one. I do believe that something like a chapel hill might alter the overall character of the school, which i dont want.

Academic Life

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.

Student Body

I think there is definitely some division on campus. I have had a unique situation with this being in the most diverse fraternity that holds changing this scene as one of its core values. Consequently a good portion of my friends are different races, religions, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, or other classifications. Thus, i question these ideas when i first see them because i believe there is some degrees of separation in the community but some students really take it to heart to make a difference. I think outside of the reach of some of these groups, as well as at times within, there is some division that could be fixed.