I applied under Duke’s Early Decision program like 38% of my class. Apparently there was something that seemed pretty cool about this “gothic wonderland,” but to be honest I had no idea what I was getting into. My perception of Duke was shaped by a couple visits to the university and a total of three hours actually spent on campus where we didn’t even see the campus I would spend my first year on.
I did know a couple things. I knew I wanted college sports presence—those cheesy teen movies must have gotten to me, I knew I wanted to go somewhere pretty highly ranked—don’t like act like you didn’t—and I knew I wanted to be somewhere where the weather was pretty mild. So, as I’m sure you guessed, this brought me to one conclusion: Stanford University.
But, who are we kidding? I wasn’t going to get into Stanford—as much we like to think we are right in line with our Californian friends across the country. Anyways, I decided to apply early decision to Duke and like most of you, penned those reasons in my “Why Duke?” essay for Guttentag and the gang to peruse. So now, more than three years after high school me wrote about his future aspirations, I thought I might be fun to venture back. Here goes nothing.
“As I walked across the Duke Gardens, up Chapel Drive, and into Craven Quad, I could already tell this was a walk I could get used to. [I think I’ve walked up Chapel Drive a total of three times. I have however spent a surprisingly large amount of time in gardens, but only “surprising” compared to the zero times the average Duke student visits the gardens each semester.]
I could hear the sounds of political debates complemented by impending cheers of a nearby tennis match. I began my college search in this very place, making a quick stop to a nearby school marked with a terrible shade of blue, before making my way to the Northeast. However, each time I visited other schools, all I could think was how they never seemed to compare to Duke. [Wow, I was quite the kiss-a**, but this part was basically true, except the whole section about political debates and a tennis match. I visited in the middle of summer so I’m guessing I might have improvised a tad there. Okay, maybe more than a tad.]
I could just see myself meeting with the Chanticleer staff over in the Flowers Building then grabbing lunch at the beautiful West Union, all before my Macro-Economics class. [Looking back at this essay three years later, I can’t help but love this line the most. First, I don’t know how I even knew what the Chanticleer was as a high school senior. I’m not even sure if they still exist now. Also, the thought of grabbing lunch at the West Union seems ridiculous comical anytime in the near future. Eventually, Duke is going to have to add “have been to West Union,” on the list of unofficial graduation requirements. Finally, the idea of looking forward to Macroeconomics is simply laughable.]
At first I wasn’t sure what it was, but this place just felt right—maybe it was just the Duke charm or maybe it was something else. I admire the vast array of diverse activities and campus traditions, from tailgating football games to tenting for Carolina games and maybe even spending weekend at the lemur center. [I have never tented for a Carolina game. I have never been to the lemur center, and thinking about the possibility of experiencing “real tailgate” just makes me sad. However, I am currently in the walk up line for the Carolina game so I didn’t totally give up on my “dreams”].”
I’ll save you the pain of reading the final few paragraphs of my Duke Admission a**-kissing and copy pasted version of why I would be a great fit at [insert University name here].
While most of my “Why Duke?” is painfully laughable, it has somehow led me to the right place. While I may never have tented for a Carolina game or joined the mysterious Chanticleer, I have spent a solid number of nights bracing the K-Ville elements for big match-ups. I have been challenged my professors and classmates more than I even could have expected and have met a group of people that shaped me into the person I am today.
Before I came to Duke, I had no idea of how much I would become enthralled in campus scandal after scandal, shocked by the absurdity of certain aspects of campus culture while delighted with the way our campus has often been to the first to call itself out and has proven surprisingly malleable to change.
Duke is a place of coexistence where we don’t always get along, whether it’s between trinity students and “Pratt Stars” or collections of self-entitled douches and the rest of campus. However, I’d like to think we all leave with at least a little better understanding of each other. I may have come to Duke for pretty architecture and a solid basketball team like many of you, but hopefully we’ll be leaving with much more.
Dillon Patel is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Thursday.
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