Duke!

[banannie]

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So, who's still considering Duke? Anyone definitely going there next year?

I went to 2nd look this past weekend, and had a good time, but came away with mixed feelings about the place.

Any comments?

 

[Dr Chooch]

I was at second look also. I had a good time with those peeps. You didn't ride the bull, did you? 😛 I definitely feel a lot better about the year of science. I don't think the material is really that insane, because several blocks contain somewhat abbreviated work, meaning that they don't cover every single minor detail, and although some blocks are very tough, others seem not to be. It's definitely doable, no doubt.

The thing I like best about Duke is that the med school is right on the overall campus, so you have access to a ton of stuff. For me, IM sports, a good gym, and a variety of other activities are a major drawing point, so Duke's good for that. Plus the campus is pretty and the gardens are sweet, especially cause they have a 12 pound goldfish in one of the ponds.

The students seemed pretty chill for the most part. My past 2 hosts at Duke have been awesome and we've had a great time. Of course there are gunners and people who are stressed all the time, but that happens everywhere and the vast majority of the students at Duke are cool. The class seemed to be very diverse with people not only from different backgrounds but representing tons of different undergrad schools. I thought that was pretty cool.

Did anybody think the Vice-Dean was somewhat scary during his little philosophical luncheon talk?

For me, it's down to Duke and Penn. It seems like the 2 schools share a few common features (curriculum, campus, support for students), but I am pretty sure I like the city setting better than Durham. Now granted, Chapel Hill is right down the street from Duke and it seems like there is enough there to keep you busy in between studying and whatever else, but I love the random craziness of city life. I love being surrounded by tons of people and to be in the middle of a fast-paced society. My final deciding factor is going to be financial aid, so even though I would prefer to go to Penn, if the aid package at Duke is much better, I'll be packing my car to go down south. 😎

Anyone else?

 

[cptnplanetdc]

yeah i too came away from duke with mixed feelings but the second look weekend helped me decide to go to unc instead. here are my thoughts - take them for what it's worth. i think that duke's curriculum is more geared towards someone who either 1. wants to get another degree like mph or mba or 2. has never done research before and would like the opportunity to do a full year of it. i've done research and have no desire to get an mph so i don't think it fits as well for me. i'd rather travel somewhere cool to do research in between my first and second year at unc. there is no need for me to shorten the sciences. the fact that people at duke comment on how chapel hill is so close and they always go there to go out is weird to me. wouldn't i rather be in chapel hill so i can walk to the bars and coffee shops and places to eat instead of driving from durham every time i want to do something. i know there are things in durham to do too but i like the atmosphere of chapel hill better. also the average age at duke is so young - 21.9. only 6% of their class is non-traditional. not that there's anything wrong with young people and it's not like i'm that old but i like the diversity at unc better. i like that a lot of the people have taken a year off to figure out that they really want to go to med school and haven't shortened high school and college to get there faster. just my preference. i think duke is a great school and i enjoyed both of my visits there but i just felt more "right" at unc. i guess everyone is looking for that feeling of "right" so good luck.

 

[secretstang19]

I did the whole Second Look thing, too, and it definitely changed my whole decision. I almost didn't even go to the Second Look because I felt sure that I didn't want to go there... but now I'm probably 85% sure that I'll be in Durham next year. My main worries (intensity of the curriculum, competitiveness of the class) got smoothed over a lot, and as long as I get a reasonable financial aid package, I think that's where I'll go.

The only negative thing I really have to say about the weekend is that some of the other Second Lookers struck me as particularly obnoxious. Worse, the people that I liked the most are still deciding between Duke and another school, while the people I thought were obnoxious were SURE that they were going to Duke. I know that you're bound to have a few people you don't like in any med. school class, but this was a little depressing.

What were your mixed feelings, banannie?

 

[banannie]

i think a lot of my doubts are along the lines of what everyone else is writing. i've pretty much exorcised any fears about the curriculum. Duke is undoubtedly the best school for me to accomplish exactly what I want, in the shortest amount of time, at the least cost.

However, and this is just me because I'm probably a freak, I didn't get the sense that I fit in with most of the other prospectives and students. There were lots of nice, laid back people. But there were also a lot of uptight, arrogant people. Everyone seemed really into sports, which is fine, I guess. I love baseball (though sadly, the Bulls can never replace the Red Sox), and I can handle a game of volleyball once in a while. But I don't want to have to play IM softball in order to have a social life.

I'd be more comfortable around students who are sarcastic (though not snarky), who drop ironic pop-culture references in normal conversation, who like to check out new indie rock bands and independent films. On Friday night before going out, a few of us hung out and watched "High Fidelity" for a little while. It actually made me feel homesick, and I'm not even from Chicago! I'm guessing that most of the people like me will end up going to schools like Penn and Columbia. But I don't have that choice. With a student body at Duke of only 100, what are the chances that I'm going to find a niche?

I felt like I clicked with the UNC people better, but I really only got to interact with them over lunch. I definitely liked that the UNC students and prospectives seemed more down-to-earth. But, other than the range of ages, I did not get a sense that there was much diversity there at all.

2 more quick comments at Duke: 1) Dean Halpern's (sp?) speech during lunch on Friday about the ecclesiastical nature of medical school really confirmed my fears about Duke being full of arrogant and elitist people. The school should seriously reconsider allowing him to be the face of the administration when it comes to dealing with prospective students. 2) I was really disturbed by the self-segragation I saw among the lunch tables.

Wow, I was really optimistic about Duke when I started writing this and now I've managed to depress myself.

 

[alphabeta53]

you are a weird kid... but in all honesty, you can make friends outside your med school class. i would actually encourage it. if i went to school with you, i'd probably set a piss leaner outside your door.

 

[banannie]

and i yours, alphabeta
isn't it too bad we won't be classmates???

 

[omores]

Originally posted by banannie
I'd be more comfortable around students who are sarcastic (though not snarky), who drop ironic pop-culture references in normal conversation, who like to check out new indie rock bands and independent films. On Friday night before going out, a few of us hung out and watched "High Fidelity" for a little while. It actually made me feel homesick, and I'm not even from Chicago! I'm guessing that most of the people like me will end up going to schools like Penn and Columbia. But I don't have that choice. With a student body at Duke of only 100, what are the chances that I'm going to find a niche?

Your chances are excellent. When I arrived at Duke's orientation two years ago, I developed a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. Picture me: 32 at the time, messy head of flaming henna-red hair, 10 year career as a painter and waitress, used to hanging out in Manhattan with others of my ilk. Walked into the Duke amphitheatre to discover what struck me as a remarkably homogenous (despite the array of skin tones) group of very conventional, very young looking classmates. I felt an immediate sense of complete isolation.

Fast forward a few weeks: I found my niche. It's not a large one, but it's enough to keep me happy and well-socialized. There are some fine subversive minds among my classmates. I also discovered that I truly enjoy my non-subversive classmates as well. They're totally different from me in many respects, but friendly, open-minded, and fun to play with.

And actually, Durham's a really interesting place to live. One of the best things you can do is make friends with folks outside the medical school. There's a very strong musicality to this town. I keep meeting more and more people who just happen to play guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin. Impromptu beer-laden bluegrass jams on porches and in living rooms are common, if you know where to seek them out.

Summary: it did take me a little while to connect with Duke and with Durham. There are still times when I crave the cultural chaos of Manhattan, as well as the quiet of the Catskills. But I'm having a really illuminating time here, and I'm not lonely. I probably would have had a larger niche at a different school, which would have enabled me to have a quicker adjustment. But now that I'm adjusted, it's hard to picture it any other way...

 

[ActionJackson1]

I thought the people at Duke were really nice. The Second Lookers seemed really chill. There were a few gunners it seemed like, but most of the people were chillin at Shooters, the random parties, and Chapel Hill. The diversity of the class is amazing and the facilties at Duke are money, especially the gym. I didn't really meet anyone obnoxious, but I only talked to about 2/3 of the people at second look so I didn't get to a chance to talk to everyone and the person that said that may be right. What do you guys think of the class in general? Do you think this will be a good class? Did a lot of people strike you as willing to interact and making an effort or more just obnoxious and uninterested?

 

[omores]

Originally posted by banannie
2 more quick comments at Duke: 1) Dean Halpern's (sp?) speech during lunch on Friday about the ecclesiastical nature of medical school really confirmed my fears about Duke being full of arrogant and elitist people.

Dean Halperin's new to the administration, so I don't know him well at all. There are certainly arrogant and elitist folks at Duke, but I don't think they're the majority. What is a problem for me, though, is the relationship between Duke and Durham. Duke (both the med center and the university) comes across as quite distanced from the city; it's seen by many outsiders (and even some insiders) as an Evil Empire, a bastion of the priviledged. This is not an uncommon phenomenon -- it exists in many small cities or towns that are dominated by a university or corporation -- but I wish it weren't the case.

2) I was really disturbed by the self-segragation I saw among the lunch tables.

I get disturbed by it too. It violates some fundamental idealistic sensibility I have. Self-segregation does seem to be a function of large gatherings, however. People gravitate towards the familiar. I remember being vexed by this when I noticed it in the amphitheatre first year; eventually it occured to me that I was guilty of self-segregating as well: I consistently chose to sit near people who looked like me. What I can tell you is that it doesn't go much deeper than that. Our class is small enough that we know each other well, especially after second year rotations. There's a noticeable abscence of factionalizing or self-segregating in smaller groups. There is a pervasive open-mindedness and friendliness among students.

 

[james_yuann]

I went to 2nd look too last weekend. I'm glad to hear that I wasn't the only person who noticed the cliques formed. I must say that I didn't feel like I really belonged in any group either. I like a lot of the people didn't make as much of an effort to get to know the entire class. I'm probably guilty of this too, but I dunno, I felt like it was really high-schoolish.

I really like the curriculum and flexibility. And I was impressed by how willing current students reached out to prospectives. But I must say, I came away leaning towards going to my state school. I feel like if cliques formed in my state school, I could at least have my friends from home. I'm definitely still considering Duke, but I'd be interested in hearing what the rest of you think? I feel bad for not liking it more than I did b/c 2nd look weekend was great, but that feeling really bugged me.

What do the rest of you think?

 

[Chorizo]

I was there too, and I'm now pretty much set on coming to Duke. With regard to cliques, I figure there's going to be some of that anywhere- I actually didn't notice too much of it anyway.

I also figure that only about half of the accepted folks we met this weekend will actually end up coming, so the people we met aren't necessarily representative of next year's class. Which could be good and bad, since I did meet some people who were pretty cool.

Let's get an outside opinion- any current dukies reading this thread? What did y'all think of us?

ps- hey banannie, I'm not really into team sports either. S'all good. 😀

 

[johnny12johnny]

Hi All,

I just want to throw in my opinion with the rest of the second lookers. I had a great time on the visit and as a result have made up my mind to definitely go to Duke next year, though I can certainly understand some of y'all's (have to start practicing that now that I'll be in the South 😉) reservations and comments.

First off I have to admit that Dean Halperin came off as a complete pri*k, although the text of his speech was to some degree interesting. He was, however, the only one of the Duke faculty, administrators, and students that I meant that seemed arrogant, condescending, or pri*kish. Everyone wlse was laid back, outgoing, and friendly in a genuine, non self-serving way.

With regard to the 'cliques,' I would probably be considered one of those that divided off. My intention was certainly not to alienate others I just find that I can only have substantive conversations with a limited number of people. I had a great time meeting everyone down there, and my 'clique' prospective buddies was a very diverse group. In big groups though, I generally enjoy getting to know 10 people relatively well than only learning the name, school, and birthplace of 50 people.

I wouldn't consider myself subversive or counterculture, but I also do not play many team sports, know nothing about NCAA basketball, enjoy live music from little known bands, and the only movie I own on DVD was directed by Jim Jarmusch. Even though it's a small class I'm willing to bet that there are plenty of people among my 99 future classmates with similar interests and who will expose me to new things.

I've forgotten what my point was. I suppose that all I want to say is that you've got to go where you'll be happiest, and man am I happy to be going to Duke! Now who's comin' with me?

 

[banannie]

hey everyone,

thanks for putting up with my negativity. just had to vent. now feeling much better. 🙂

i did feel there was some cliquey-ness, but i'm hoping that will change once we start school and people have things to worry about besides hooking up . . . 😉

anyway, i liked meeting people who came from so many different places. and even if i don't feel like i totally fit in at Duke, it might be a really good thing to force myself outside of my comfort zone for a while.

 

[TommyGunn04]

Hi everyone! I'm a first year at Duke, and just wanted to respond to a couple of comments posted here.

1. Dean Halperin is a prick...we all think so, and we make fun of him whenever we can Please don't take his drivel as representative in any way of the attitude of administrators, faculty, students, etc. at Duke. Believe me, he's definitely in the minority in his arrogance, etc. And I've been unbelievably happy with 99% of the professors, administrators, etc. here, especially Dean Sandy Williams, who's in charge of the med school (and is Halperin's boss...hehehe). Don't judge Duke based on his comments!

2. It's true that a large portion of my class is really into intramural sports here at Duke (maybe 25% or so). It's a great way to get exercise, have fun, be social, etc. But please don't think that everyone is involved, or that you'll be left out if you aren't involved (I'm not). There are LOTS of social things going on in our class, and IM sports are only a small part of it. We do volunteer work, we have social events with the law school, business school and undergrad groups, we go out together in Durham or Chapel Hill, and the list goes on and on... I think some people may have gotten the impression that IM sports are more prevalent because a number of the people who participate also happened to be involved with second look weekend. But you have to realize that any time you interact with a portion of a group for a short period of time you're going to get a skewed perception...keep that in mind before you decide against Duke for such reasons.

And in terms of not finding sarcastic, quirky students or whatever, you must've talked to the wrong people! My class is filled with a great mix of IM sports type people, sarcastic fun people, gunners, party people, quiet people, etc. etc. (I hate to categorize, but I didn't see how else to respond to these comments; please take no offense). I really really really LOVE the mix of people in my class! But again, it's hard to get a feeling for this when you meet only a portion of our class over the course of just a few days, in somewhat artificial social settings.


3. Unfortunately, it's human nature that cliques form. There are definitely a number of groups in my class, but these took quite a long time to form, and they generally aren't exclusive. Everyone is very friendly, and yes we have our handful of gunners, but who doesn't! And the bottom line is, you're going to have certain closer friends in your class...it's unavoidable, and not necessarily a bad thing. The problem arises when people are exclusive, unfriendly, etc., and thankfully this doesn't happen in my class, from what I've sen.

4. The average age of our class is low, but we actually have a large number of people who have taken time off, are married, etc. I don't know where that 6% number came from, but I think that's WAY too low. I can think of a dozen people right off the bat who are nontraditional in one of these ways, and I bet there are quite a few more.

I hope this stuff helps, and as always, please IM me if you have any questions about Duke!

-Tom 🙂

 

[SoCalSummer]

I did the whole Second look thing, too, and felt there were a few annoying and conceited people. Were there specific people that pissed you off? If so, who?

 

[ActionJackson1]

I doubt anyone was really that bad. I think it is important to give everyone a chance. It is hard to get a good feel for people in the few hours or days that you meet with them. I think most importantly there are a lot of different people with a lot of different interests. Coming from a state school, I am really excited about the opportunity that presents itself to meet so many people from so many different parts of the country with so many different ideas. I think over the course of the four years, we will all be friends with each other and that is the really exciting part, because everyone Duke admits is a good person and a community leader.

In regards to music, I've heard that a lot of concert tours come by the greater Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. Pearl Jam and 50 cent are going by there in the coming weeks so that shows the diversity of groups that come by there. I am not much of a minor league baseball fan, but I guess the Durham Bulls will have to do. I assume Carolina Hurricanes are in Charlotte and not Raleigh?

 

[jojomo]

Hey ActionJackson, the Hurricanes play in Raleigh. Although it's a minor league team, the Durham Bulls put on a great show at their old style park. You can buy a cheap ticket and sit on the grass in the outfield and watch the game. For those who like movies, there's also an artsy movie house in Chapel Hill that shows indie films and other interesting stuff.

I'm a grad student at Duke now and will most likely be starting in the med school in the Fall. I haven't met a lot of current med students but I have really liked the ones I have met. There's also a fairly large and diverse group of grad students at Duke and plenty of opportunities to meet them. I moved here from Boston four years ago and was very skeptical, but I have really enjoyed my time here and am looking forward to at least 4 more years.

I wish I could have gone to Second Look Weekend and met some of you, but I guess I'll have to wait until the Fall. I already live in the area so if anyone needs some info about places to live just let me know.

I look forward to meeting everyone in August!

 

[ActionJackson1]

bump

 

[Zonata]

And I had a good time. I am still worried about the one year of science, but the people seemed cool. I was a nontrad and stuck out like a sore thumb for multiple reasons, but it did not seem to be a big problem.

I left impressed, but am still considering my other option and waitlists. I think you will have a few gunners in the class, but I think most people at top 10 schools are at least closet gunners. Anyway, those of you I met for the most part I liked, but I was probably one of the loud and obnoxious ones referred too above - oh well, I like to laugh and joke and you either like my humor or...