Duke University
2018 Usnews Ranking: 9
Duke University is a private coeducational research university located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke is one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, known as the 'Harvard of the South (Durham campus).' In 2016, its admission rate was 9%, and its Fuqua School of Business is ranked among the top ten business schools in the nation.
Academics
Duke University has consistently been ranked by academic institutions as one of the top ten universities in the nation. Its library collections are second only to Harvard and Yale, ranking third among all U.S. universities. Its business school, divinity school, engineering school, environment school, law school, medical school, nursing school, and public policy school all provide top-tier academic education nationwide.
1. Business School
The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina, was founded in 1969 and began its first class in 1970. Compared to those long-established business schools, it was a newcomer in the competitive landscape of U.S. business schools. However, with the strong financial and resource support of Duke University, Fuqua has now become one of the top ten business schools in the country!
Fuqua offers two master's degrees, four MBA degrees, and one doctoral program, as well as non-degree and executive education.
Master's Degrees
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Master of Management Studies Master of Management Studies (MMS)
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Master of Quantitative Management Master of Quantitative Management (MQM)
MBA Degrees
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Full-time Master of Business Administration (Daytime MBA)
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Cross Continent MBA (Cross Continent MBA)
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Global Executive MBA (Global Executive MBA)
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Weekend Executive MBA (Weekend Executive MBA)
Doctoral Degree
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Doctor of Business Administration (PhD in Business Administration)
2. Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
It is Duke's undergraduate college of arts and sciences, with the five most popular majors being economics, psychology, biology, public policy, and political science. Trinity College does not offer graduate degrees, but the Graduate School provides related master's, doctoral, and professional degrees.
3. School of Medicine
Duke's medical institution is second only to the medical schools of Harvard and Johns Hopkins. It has three ambulance helicopters that transport about 1,622 emergency patients annually. The medical center receives up to $200 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health each year. No matter the season, all male administrators are required to wear suits and ties during working hours. The hospital also mandates that every employee must wear an ID badge at all times. Smiling, politeness, and professionalism are also longstanding traditions of the Duke School of Medicine.
4. Nicholas School of the Environment
It is one of the largest environmental schools in the nation, comparable in size to the Yale School of the Environment, the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability, UC Santa Barbara's Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, and SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
The school has greatly developed thanks to the generous support of alumni Peter M. and Ginny Nicholas. A significant portion of their gift was used to establish the Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, serving as a bridge between academia and politics to influence U.S. environmental policy with the research outcomes of the school. The graduate employment rate reaches 98% (92% direct employment, 6% pursuing further education).
Basketball Tradition
When it comes to Duke University, the first thing that comes to mind is its basketball tradition. Duke is a traditional powerhouse in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of the NCAA, having won eight national championships. Students proudly claim, 'Duke has the best basketball team in the world.'
Phoenix Suns' Grant Hill and Houston Rockets' Shane Battier are both Duke alumni. According to alumni, even if you originally knew nothing about basketball, four years at Duke will turn you into a die-hard Duke basketball fan. The head coach of the Duke basketball team, who also served as the head coach of the 2008 U.S. Olympic "Redeem Team," is Coach K.
Duke's archrival in basketball is UNC, and the two schools are almost irreconcilable. A ticket for a Duke-UNC basketball game at home can be scalped for up to $200. Duke also has a tradition: if they beat UNC at home, students will celebrate on campus and burn a bench, which is practically the students' biggest celebration.
Duke University Blue Devils
The cool name 'Blue Devils' originates from the French 'les Diables Bleus,' a nickname given to the French Chasseurs Alpins light infantry battalion during World War I.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski, known in the basketball world as Coach K, has discovered and developed numerous NBA stars over his 35-year coaching career. He is well-known to Chinese fans probably because he also served as the head coach of the USA Men's National Team, leading the "Dream Team" to compete in the Beijing and London Olympics. Having led his team to over 1,000 victories, it must be said that Coach K, who once turned down Stephen Curry, has an illustrious and globally renowned career!
Campus Life
1. Location
Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina. Together with Chapel Hill and the state capital Raleigh, it forms the renowned 'Research Triangle' region known for its cultural and geographical significance.
The climate is pleasant with four distinct seasons and high humidity. In winter, the coldest temperature is around freezing, rarely dropping below 0°C. As a result, the school will cancel classes as soon as there is an inch of snowfall. Summers are relatively hot, with highs around 35°C, typically around 30°C.
The campus is very beautiful overall. The West Campus features Gothic architecture, while the East Campus, which is dedicated to first-year housing, has buildings of a reddish-brown hue. Generally, the campus has a majestic beauty. Duke Gardens is also stunningly beautiful, and some Duke graduates even take their wedding photos there.
2. Daily Life
Dining
Duke's dining halls are delicious. There is a particularly beautiful dining hall called West Union that offers a wide variety of cuisines. According to Duke's independent student newspaper, The Chronicle, since the construction of West Campus Union, Duke's dining has been ranked number one in the national college dining rankings. One of the food stalls even has a steamer for dumplings and bao buns. Additionally, this student activity area features a Chef’s Kitchen, which offers cooking classes for students and faculty.
First-year students are required to purchase a meal plan. Breakfast and dinner must be eaten at the school's all-you-care-to-eat dining facility, the Marketplace. Each semester there are special feast events, such as Alaskan snow crab. The meal plan costs $2,400 for the main campus and $1,500 for Central Campus. Starting sophomore year, students use a Food Points system, loading money onto their cards to purchase whatever they like.
Transportation
Public transportation is available with comprehensive routes. Duke students can get a Go Pass from the school, which allows free bus rides. A 20-30 minute drive away is South Point for shopping, and a closer mall is Northgate.
Campus Safety
The campus is divided into three parts: East, West, and Central. The security in Central Campus is not particularly great, but no serious incidents have occurred. There are many security guards there, and at night, students can call for a security escort.
Housing
Duke requires three years of on-campus housing, so students live on campus for most of their time. After the second semester of junior year or in senior year, they can move off campus. The dorms are very nice, equipped with air conditioning, and the furniture and beds are very comfortable. Most rooms have walk-in closets. First-year students live on East Campus, sophomores on West Campus or Central Campus. Central Campus offers apartment-style housing, where each person has their own room, and it is farther from the main campus. On West Campus, rooms are shared by two students.
Activities
Duke has a fantastic series of Pre-Orientation activities. They are divided into several programs, and you can choose the one that interests you. For example, the P Wild program takes you hiking and camping for two weeks in a pristine national forest in North Carolina.
There are many different student clubs and activities on campus. One activity called Flunch, funded by the university, allows students to invite a professor to lunch and chat. It really bridges the gap between students and professors.
Another major activity is the Duke Engage program, founded by the university's president in 2007. During the summer, students spend eight weeks doing volunteer work at a chosen location. Some are domestic, while others are abroad, such as in Africa, South Korea, or Iceland. Duke Engage covers all expenses for the students' volunteer activities, and students can also design their own projects and choose where to go, with the university providing funding.
On the last day of the spring semester, there is a celebration called Last Day of Classes (LDOC), a day of revelry for students. They bring in singers for concerts, and the Quad is filled with various food trucks, trampolines, and spin bikes.
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