kRenee Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Dd has become interested in Duke. Biology major, maybe BioChem. What does it take to be accepted? (she is in the ACT range and has a 4.0 GPA which includes 10 CC classes) What is North Carolina like? What is the college like? Availability of merit scholarships? Don't know if we'll be able to pull off a visit, so I need all the info you can give. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I visited last summer, or, well, in May, which, for this Pacific Northwestern girl, felt like high summer. I was on the east campus mostly, and it was gorgeous. I loved North Carolina, and Durham is an interesting place. It used to be mostly all about Duke, but the city itself is coming around. The tobacco factories are being turned into condos and the arts in the city are flourishing. About fifteen years ago-ish, Duke gave some incentives (I forget the details) to faculty so that they would be willing to live in the then-sketchy neighborhoods surrounding the university, and the neighborhoods were transformed. Not ​gentrified, but reinvigorated. I heard about the wife of a faculty member (and, again, this is an apocryphal story, so I don't have all the details) who had all her friends vow to send their children to the local public school, and they did! They formed a strong parent support group, and it's been fantastic for the public schools, which still have a large Hispanic population. I am inclined to like Duke despite the sports scandals because of that faculty incentive thing — because I'm aware that the poorest literacy rates in the country are in cities like Princeton and New Haven. None of which is probably relevant to you. ;) I've heard it's an inferno in August, but, again, in May, I just loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I think it goes without saying that Duke is competitive. Which is why I didn't say it. :) I should probably have qualified that everything I know about the place, which is very little, is based on my friendships with several faculty and graduate students at the Divinity School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I have a brother who went to the other school. The one where people wear t-shirts that say "Friends don't let friends go to Duke." But he got an overall good impression of the place. The tri-city area (Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill) offers a good amount of things. And they are trying to reinvigorate the shady parts, like Nicole said. My brother ended up getting a job in the area after graduation and staying to live there. I visited Duke once when I visited my brother and walked around. Pretty buildings, pretty gardens, if you like the late Medieval British style. The student body seemed to be very active. I have no idea what exactly it takes to get in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 You mentioned she is "in range" for ACT scores. Of course you'll want to look at where in the range - obviously near the top are better odds but still stiff odds because Duke is a very "hot" school. Duke accepted less than 10% this year during regular decision. Applying binding early decision is also an option. The community college work is great. If she doesn't have SAT subject tests or APs that might be also something to think about. While Duke's homeschool admissions policy says homeschoolers are required to submit the same testing as other candidates (ACT with writing or SAT plus two subject tests) it has been my experience they some like to see more testing from homeschoolers. It is variable but some admissions officers at selective schools think community colleges are so variable that they don't entirely trust the grades compared to the information they get from SAT subject tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 The Durham/Chapel Hill area is a great place to live....within a few hours driving distance to the beach or the beautiful mountains of WNC (hiking, skiing, Blue Ridge Parkway). Some nice things about the area include: Nice weather (though it does get hot in the summer) Quality healthcare Raleigh Symphony Duke chapel Duke botanical gardens Whole Foods Market Trader Joe's :D Friendly people Beautiful campus with a lot of green space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 Oldest DS participated in Duke's TIP for awhile, and we did the official campus tour last year. The opportunities available to Duke students are almost mind-boggling. The students on the whole have always seemed friendly and welcoming. The campus is beautiful, although I don't care too much for the architecture and DS isn't thrilled with having the freshman dorms separated from the main campus. I'm admittedly prejudiced since I've lived here my whole life, but I think NC on the whole is a pretty great place. The vast majority of people are friendly and helpful, and it's wonderful to have beaches and mountains within a few hours' drive. I don't know a whole lot about Durham, but it does seem to be a city that's really been working (and succeeding) on improving itself over the past few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kRenee Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Thanks for the info everyone. It will probably be her reach school - we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.