So Do You Wanna Learn? Well Do Ya?
Written: Jan 03 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Education, Great Education, Great Education
Cons: Check out the availablity of housing
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| lizf's Full Review: Duke University |
In some ways I think a University really belongs to the under grads. The under grads have the frat houses and the keg parties and they run all over the campus raising hell and having a great time. Don't get me wrong; anyone who is a student at Duke University is there to study. Duke is not a "party school". They take academics seriously. But when you really get right down to it, the overall tone of the campus and social structure is really driven by the under grads.
Graduate students have other things on their minds. They've had their four years of fun and by the time they get to grad school, they're getting a little more serious about life. More grad students are married and working. More grad students live off campus. More grad students are starting to have REAL lives to worry about. Grad school is just a teeny, tiny bit closer to the real world and it's reflected in the attitudes of the students.
I say this, because I had a sense that I missed a lot of the Duke experience as a grad student. When I was among other grad students I felt like I belonged and life was good. But when I was outside "my" school or "my" library I felt a little like an alien.
The faculty seemed to recognize this problem and they did a good job of trying to make us feel like a community on to ourselves. We had social events and retreats for just our school. We had networking events and even a school directory that included only those people in our school. And since we were there with a renewed focus on our goals it didn't really matter that the under grads avoided us.
Duke University is an amazingly beautiful campus. The buildings and landscaping are exactly what you picture when you think of a university. Huge stone building covered in old ivy line the quad. The chapel (actually it's the size of a cathedral, but can't be called that since there is no bishop in residence) is breath taking.
Attending Duke was a dream come true for me. As a child, it caught my eye and I longed to walk the cobblestone paths, thumb through the immense stacks, and study under some of the most famous professors in their fields. Academically, Duke lived up to my expectations and exceeded them. My professors were incredibly knowledgeable, they cared about their students, and every professor had an open door policy on office hours. I never had a problem that I could not resolve by talking to my professor.
Duke University is a highly competitive school. They operate on the honor system. Students purchase exam "blue books" in the campus bookstore prior to exams. It is expected that the books will be in "like new condition" with no notes or scribbles inside of them. If a student is aware of another cheating, they are obligated to report the infraction. Luckily, I never had to face the horrible feeling of turning in another student in real life.
A review of Duke would not be complete without at least a passing mention of the basketball team. When tickets go on sale, students queue up for days to get a prized seat at a game.
Duke also provides students with first class entertainment. When I was a student there in one semester we had Billy Idol, The Psycadelic Furs, Cindy Lauper, REM, and The Bangles.
It's been a long time since I was a student there, but the biggest problem at the time was housing. There was a critical shortage of housing. If you are thinking about attending Duke as an under grad or grad student, I recommend that you check out the housing situation as soon as possible. There may not be a problem now, but it doesn't hurt to find out.
Duke is a great school. I worked hard, learned a lot, and even found time for decent fun. But never forget, it's darned hard work!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lizf
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: VA
Reviews written: 124
Trusted by: 109 members
About Me:
A writer is a controlled schizophrenic. Edward Albee
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