In undergraduate admissions, we are already thinking ahead to next May.  As we polish off this year’s admissions cycle for transfer applicants and students on the waiting list, we have also turned our attention to rising high school seniors and the future Class of 2018.  Right now, that means traveling to share information about Duke across the country and the globe.

Duke admissions officers are traveling as far as Latin America and India, and I took my first trip of the spring—almost as exotic—to Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The Joyce Ivy Foundation, an organization dedicated to the academic advancement of young women in the Midwest, hosted a College Admissions Symposium.  For two days of application workshops for students and guidance counselors, I joined forces as a presenter with other admissions officers from Dartmouth College, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania and Wellesley College as well as with local college counselors, college administrators and Joyce Ivy board members.

Our most extensive spring travel is with the Exploring College Options group, which includes Duke, Georgetown University, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University.  Over the course of the year, we visit all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.  Our joint presentations illuminate what distinguishes one fine university from another, what competitive colleges look for in the selection process and what you can do to enhance your college application.

I am writing from the Exploring College Options stop in Portland, Oregon.  This is the third of five destinations on my group’s tour of Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Washington.  We’re enjoying meeting students and high school counselors, and we’re also enjoying the local cuisine.  Portland’s legendary Voodoo Doughnuts are slated for tomorrow’s menu, and we’re looking forward to Seattle’s many options for coffee as we reach our fifth city in five days.

Admissions offices enjoy joining together to demystify the application process and to spread the word about the accessibility of an extraordinary education.  We can’t travel everywhere, but Duke wants to offer this help to you, wherever you may live, so keep your eye out for a summer admissions officer blog series sharing application advice.  In the meantime, good luck with finals!

While most of my friends were beginning to study for their finals, I was packing my bags again to fly to New York, then take a train to New Haven, CT and spend a weekend at Yale University for Unite for Sight’s Global Health and Innovation Conference. I’d be presenting my research in wastewater treatment techniques for low resource areas and getting to see some presentations by the leading names in global health and international development.

All the expenses for the trip were covered by my grant from the Pratt School of Engineering’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program, which selects undergraduate engineering students during the first semester of their third year of study at Duke to focus the rest of their time here on addressing problems that have been identified by the National Academy of Engineering as critical to the future of humanity.

Not only was I able to make some wonderful connections at the conference, but I also got to see some of Yale’s social scene and celebrate their victory in the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.

Me, Duke senior Kathleen Ridgeway, and Yale senior Nikki Champlin celebrating the Yale hockey win.

While I had a great time at Yale, it felt amazing to get back to Duke. Seeing other schools always makes me appreciate what I have here even more. Now that finals are over, I only a couple more semesters left, but I’m so glad to have already had the three past years getting to know this place.

When I first left for Duke, I thought I was giving up the easy access to high quality dance instruction that I had in my hometown, but I learned this semester that I could not have been more wrong. All Duke students – dance majors and non-majors (like me!) alike – can choose from a wide array of half-credit dance courses, ranging from African dance and modern to jazz and my personal favorite – ballet.

Not only was my ballet class at Duke completely on par with the instruction that I received at home, but it was also made better by the fact that it included some of the best aspects of academic courses. Each student also got to have a one-on-one meeting with the instructor in the middle of the semester, which was something I had never had the opportunity to do at my ballet studio at home.  My instructor was able to give me individualized feedback on my progress in a way that just isn’t possible during class time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHwbKcNSUg0

We were also required to attend a few performances, and I quickly discovered that between Duke’s campus and UNC Chapel Hill’s theater, Duke students have access to a thriving dance scene – and reduced student ticket prices! Just a few weeks ago, I snatched up a ten-dollar ticket, hopped on a Robertson Express bus that took me directly from West Campus to UNC, and had the time of my life at a performance of the Netherlands Dans Theater (see the video above). I had never seen anything like the way that they blended contemporary dance with multimedia components like elaborate props, overlapping musical tracks, and breathtaking light effects.

There’s no question about it: I’m going to be a regular in Duke’s dance classes for the next three years. Hopefully I’ll see you there!

A year ago I made the decision to join a fraternity at Duke. Rush at Duke happens only in the spring semester, so I had all of fall to get acquainted to Duke, make tons of friends, and finally figure out which bus went where. But to be honest, I wasn’t sure what exactly I was signing up for. I mean, I was walking into a room of other “Potential New Members” and literally knew no one.

You know those scenes on TV, like in Scrubs , where the main character speaks to themselves……well I definitely had one of those moments:

So……I don’t know anyone in this room.

Like not one person.

No, but actually, no one! Do these kids go to Duke?!?

How was I supposed to spend the next couple of months with a group of guys who were essentially strangers? Right then and there I could tell that this was going to be a long road to initiation. But, what I didn’t realize was that it would also be a journey with a bunch of guys who are now some of my best friends at Duke.

I didn’t realize I would spend a week choreographing our dance, or at least attempting to do so, for Duke’s annual Inter-Greek Stroll Show. 

Who would have thought that these new friends would be whom I’d spend my fall, and even spring breaks with? Last year, I stayed at Duke for Thanksgiving because I couldn’t make it back home. Of course, a Brother’s mom called me up and told me to get in a car, because she had a seat waiting for me at their Thanksgiving table, just an hour away from school.

And I definitely know I was not expecting some of the crazy shenanigans we seem to always get ourselves into. No matter if it’s in the laundry room, attempting to learn how to do laundry with bubbles and suds all over the floor, halfway around the world on a mountain, or on the court of Cameron Indoor stadium, we all could tell countless stories of the things we do together.

To know that at any one of my performances or fundraisers or debates I can count on at least 60 guys to be in the front row cheering me on is the last thing I expected a year ago. The day I decided to join a fraternity was the day I decided to become a part of a support system, a family, of guys who would be there for me when I needed them most. 

So I guess I didn’t know what to expect a year ago, but, you know, maybe that was a good thing. 

I couldn’t hold in my excitement for our opening night this past Thursday, April 11^th ! And I am starting to feel the same way for this week’s Thursday show! The show dates are below, and I would love some future Blue Devils with me in the audience to watch the ridiculous amount of talent that surrounds us at Duke.

Show dates & times:

April 18, 8pm
April 19, 8pm
April 20, 2pm & 8pm
April 21, 2pm

To buy tickets go to: tickets.duke.edu or the Duke University Box office in the Bryan Center.

CGIU is a subsidiary of the Clinton Global Initiative that invites students from all over the world to submit their ideas for positive change for review. If an idea is selected, the student or team of students is invited to attend the conference, meet the other attendees, and hear from some amazing speakers. This year’s speakers included Bill and Chelsea Clinton, Stephen Colbert, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), Jack Dorsey (Co-Founder of Twitter), William Kamkwamba (the student who inspired the book, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”), and many other movers and shakers in the world.

I applied with my idea for creating a business out of using human feces and urine to generate electricity and provide nutrients for a fish farming operation in rural Northern Togo. The business will be operated by local entrepreneurs and all profits will go towards locally conceived and run development projects. Thanks to connections I made at this conference, I now have a contact for a charity working in India that already operates a human manure (or “humanure”) to electricity project that I might be able to buy a generator from instead of me having to convert a propane generator into a biogas one.

Now this all might sound interesting to you, but the reason why I think it’s important for you to know about it is because Duke gave me all the resources I needed to cover the costs for attending this conference. My airfare, my hotel rates, my food, it was all taken care of by Duke. There were no cost barriers keeping me from coming on this trip, because Duke wanted me to go. Not only that, but because there were so many Duke students at this conference (rivaled only by Washington University in St. Louis students, who were hosting the conference), Megan Granda, the Executive Director of Duke’s Center for Civic Engagement, came along with us to assist with Duke’s involvement in the CGIU Network, a group of universities that are pioneering ways for their students to impact the world, and help us be as effective as possible in promoting our projects.

We were given Duke business cards, Duke lapel pins, and Duke helped us with our pitches and our presentations. It made us seem much more professional and impressive, while also helping Duke get its name out there. Duke realizes that when its students succeed, it succeeds. So, it throws itself behind students who are trying to do something positive and does as much as it can to make sure they are successful. Financial resources, faculty mentoring, access to research facilities, and exposure to media-Duke can and does give students with exciting projects all of these, which is really good for me, because I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do this without them.

Being an international student here is an incredibly unique experience. For most of us, we’re not just leaving home for the first time, but we’re also leaving our countries for the first time, and this could make for a very overwhelming and intimidating process. However, Duke really prepares you well for life in America. You have International Orientation (two days prior to New Student Orientation) where you meet and greet the hundred or so international kids in your year (there I met a bunch of people who are now among my closest friends). You learn Duke doesn’t have just one culture, so there isn’t a single ‘international’ culture at Duke. Of course there are students who prefer to hang out with kids from home, but for the most part there is a great mix of international and domestic students in any friend group, organization and classroom on campus. My closest friends are from the States, Kuwait, Tibet, and India, so you’ll have no problem mixing in with internationals and domestics alike. Even when it gets hard, it gets a lot better, you adapt, and in the end, you truly can create you own Duke culture.

What is International Orientation?

International Orientation is two fun-filled days where international students arrive on campus a little earlier than the rest of the students (which is a great thing to take advantage of!) and are introduced to the ins and outs of being an international student and living in the States. I know there were a few students (shout out to Canadians!) who didn’t find Orientation to be so helpful, but I personally learned so much in one week – from where to get a work permit/social security information, to how to watch a Duke basketball game. I loved it, I met SO many people, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

What resources are available for international students?

There are so many on campus. As mentioned already, there is International Orientation. Your IHOPs (International House Orientation Peers) will personally help you transition into college life the first few weeks you are here. There is also the International House that hosts cross-cultural events, get-togethers, and information sessions (ie how to get a work permit/social security). If you haven’t already, you’ll be receiving regular emails from the I-House regarding all things international. On campus itself, there is the International Association, a student led organization that deals with implementing policy catered to international students while as well hosting internationally-themed events for the University (ie Springternational, Food Festival, Pangea Formal). I’m currently working with the International Association to implement a Global Sibling Program at Duke to pair incoming International students with upperclassmen to better aid their transition to the University. You should soon be receiving an email about this! There are also a number of cultural groups on campus from country-based ones like the Thai Student Organization, to culturally based dance groups like Rince Diabhal (an Irish Dance group) and Duke Dhamaka (a Bhangra dance group). So there’s just so many; the list goes on and on and if you want, you can find a lot more resources on the Duke International House page: http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/ihouse.

Was it hard to transition into the American and college lifestyle?

Everyone goes through different experiences, so I can’t speak for all, but I’m going to share with you my own personal experience of moving into Duke and the United States of America.

I was never homesick. I never had the miss-home-so-much moments which I found really strange because I love home, and I had a great time back home, and everyone I knew was home. I moved to the States knowing absolutely no one: no friends, no family, nobody. So was it intimidating, butterfly-in-my-stomach scary? Yes. Absolutely. But the moment I got here, I was bombarded with things to do: events to go to, people to meet. I was never alone for longer than a few hours and thus never really got to miss home. By the time I had time for myself, I had already formed some friendships, habits etc, and I was beginning to re-root myself into university life. I felt at home so fast. I never felt the need to change culturally: what I did back home, I still do now. At the same time, I was embracing America. I learned things that made America, America, and things that did not (America is not Gossip Girl, America is not American Pie). It’s all an exciting process that I can’t wait for you to explore yourself!

Connor Cotton

Hanging out with people from other schools, the conversation will sometimes drift to Greek life. “So, are you in a fraternity?” “No, I decided not to join a fraternity.” “Oh, so you’re independent.” “No, I’m actually in a selective living group.” “Selective what?”

Selective living groups. They’re pretty unique to Duke so they take a little bit of explanation. To live with these groups, you go through a recruitment process in the spring (giving you housing for the following fall). That process varies a lot depending on the group: some have parties, dinners, movie nights, game nights, discussions and more. 

Now you might be thinking that this sounds similar to things you’ve heard about fraternity recruitment, but there are some important differences. Duke only has one all-male selective living group and all of the others are co-ed. There is no national organization for most of these groups; if you were a member of a fraternity or a sorority, you would have a bond with other members of that group from other schools, but this isn’t the case for SLGs as they are entirely unique to Duke. This means a smaller network, but it also means much more autonomy and freedom. They’re also much younger than most Greek organizations. Most of them were started within the last decade, so they have less tradition, but again this means more freedom to determine your own path.

Each selective living group, or SLG, has its own distinctive character or focus. Some are purely social, but some have somewhat of a theme. Athletics, foreign languages, entrepreneurship, and service are just a few. These groups are social as well, but their focus gives their members a common interest to bond over.

Selective living groups, fraternities, sororities, and non-selective house all have their advantages and disadvantages. It depends on the individual how those pros and cons will balance out. For me, I felt that I belonged in an SLG called Ubuntu, which focuses on civic engagement and social change. It’s been a huge part of my time here at Duke and given me an amazing community of supportive people who have pushed me to be better than I ever could have been on my own.

As great as Ubuntu is for me, I know that it is not for everyone. I would encourage everyone to rush as many organizations as possible and to keep a very open mind. My dad was president of the same fraternity my mom was sweetheart of. Our house was still full of their Greek letters up until the time I left for college. I thought I would definitely join a fraternity, but realized that I needed to make my own choice. I just feel lucky that I had so many great things to choose from.

Nadine Goldberg

Rush season snuck up on me; after the whirlwind that was my first semester of college, I had yet to think about what sort of living arrangements I might want for my sophomore year.  Here’s what I did know:

1. As much as I loved my friends, most of them had decided to block together and be independents, and I wanted to be a part of a larger living community – to get to know people with different passions and perspectives, and to never be short of company, whether I was just grabbing lunch in the Bryan Center or venturing off-campus for an adventure.
2. Hard as it was to admit, I could not see myself putting in the time to create that sort of environment within a house of independents who didn’t necessarily know each other or share my interest in building a community.
3. I wanted a co-ed living community.

All roads pointed to Selective Living Group (SLG) rush, so I bit the bullet, went to a few SLG open-houses, clicked with Cooper House and the rest is kind of history. 

Just a few months later, I can already tell that I made the right choice for myself. So far, I’ve listened to a fellow member share his interest in US-China relations during a “Cooper Conversation” and joined members of Cooper House and InCube for a Passover Seder. I’ve met dozens of new friends and become inordinately excited about living with them in Cooper House’s section on West Campus next fall.

A few days ago, Nadia blogged about why she chose to be an independent. It’s hard to believe that two people with such different hopes for their living arrangements both managed to find what they were looking for – that is, until you remember how many options there are here at Duke. Between independent life and Greek organizations and SLG’s, (each of which has its own unique character), there’s bound to be something for everyone.

I traveled to Alajuela, Costa Rica over spring break with 11 other Duke students for a service trip sponsored by the Catholic Center and Duke Chapel. My group stayed at a beautiful monastery called “Convento la Asunción San Josecito de Alajuela” where we enjoyed group bonding over great meals, never-ending card games, and reflection sessions. I absolutely love when I get to know Duke people away from Duke. Something I really appreciate about the Catholic Center at Duke is that it draws students from all walks of campus life, with a myriad of different passions and interests, together. It’s very possible that I would have never had the opportunity to meet some of the amazing and talented people I have at Duke without it.

During the day, we worked at a center for disabled community members who had been abandoned and left in the care of the nuns and workers at Manos Abiertas (Open Hands). This center, which operates entirely on donations, is home to over 100 residents. Our group was divided into small teams, each with daily projects to complete ranging from up-keep at the center to assisting the residents with meals or exercise like horse-riding therapy to a field trip to a local park. Hanging out with the residents at the park was definitely one of the most memorable moments of the trip for me. I remember that afternoon, after a group soccer game, we sat down to feed the residents and grab some lunch ourselves. As we were talking and getting to know each other over the meal, we found out via a phone call the Church had a new Pope. What a cool experience and a special moment too – to hear that news in the midst of our service and to celebrate with the residents and nuns of Manos Abiertas.

There is one quote that really stuck out to me from the trip I would like to share. It was from our very first day at Monas Abiertas as a nun named Sister Marlín was explaining the role of the center in the community: “The tragedy is not that they are disabled, the tragedy is that they were abandoned.” This trip exposed me to a new culture, a new perspective, a new language and a new community. However, one of the most powerful and humbling things I learned over the week is that society often abandons people who are considered “different” from the norm, and my goal for the rest of my Duke career and beyond is to start exposing myself and learning about communities that end up forgotten in our often fast-paced, one-size-fits-all minded world.

Duke has a plethora of opportunities to receive a global education and gain new perspectives, serve communities through volunteering and civic engagement and expand your Duke experience outside of Duke and Durham. The Alternative Break program (offered in both the spring and fall) is just another one to add to the list, and another reason to remind me why I love being a blue devil.

To learn more about the Alternative Break program, visit this site: http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/ucae/leadership/programs/alternative-breaks-program-abp

Congratulations! You are cordially invited to join the ranks of some of the most incredible scholars, artists, athletes, thinkers and doers in the world.

Feels pretty good, doesn’t it?

I’m a senior now, and your acceptance has prompted me to reflect on my own path to this university. In the fall of 2008, the Duke supplemental essay to the Common Application asked me, “why Duke?” Because it’s a top ten university with a killer basketball program, I thought. Because it has opportunities like DukeEngage, and because North Carolina sounds like just enough winter for a Floridian like me…

At the time, I didn’t know what being a member of this community would come to mean to me. I didn’t know that the university and its affiliates would challenge, motivate, support and enlighten me to such an extent, that I would arrive a confused and awkward teenager but emerge a confident and empowered young woman. And each day I am impressed and inspired by my peers and superiors as they defend their beliefs, achieve incredible feats and shape the world in which we live.

As I’ve experienced it, Duke students have combined academic pursuits, extracurricular commitments and personalities in a remarkable number of ways. Our university unites dancing English majors and baseball-playing public policy students in The Chronicle newsroom. It allowed me to be a political science major who helped plan two music festivals, a student who learned about the US – Mexican border conflict through DukeEngage and interned at a Durham-based news magazine, a student who began her academic exploration in a class about Darwinism and ended it writing about food.

To simply call Duke an elite academic institution is a disservice. This university – its students, its faculty and staff, its programs – will go beyond challenging you academically. It will challenge you to question what you know, to stand up for what you believe, to face what you fear and to be the very best version of yourself.

It will challenge you, if you let it.

Join me, those that came before me, those that stand beside me and those that will follow in calling Duke University, “home.”