Admitted to Duke (Fuqua) Class of 2012 Thread!

This is really helpful:
https://cho.duhs.duke.edu/pdf_files/surv ... rtment.pdf

Station 9 is big with Fuqua people and Alexan (Farm and Place, there are two and they are not related) are popular as is Pinnacle Ridge, though the Alexans and PR seem more popular with the law school students. If you're single, these are definitely more "fun" places and you'd have a chance to meet more friends. I'd say PR and the Alexans are better if you have a dog. Station 9 is better for someone who wants to be able to go out easily without having to cab.

Asimov, some classes require you to just pass an exam (I think Stats is one like that) and some require you to have already reached a certain level in previous classes, I think. It's on the website because I saw it there before. I also believe it's on the flash drive admitted students get.

Someone recommended Station 9 to me as well. I'm gonna check out the area before doing anything. Not big into partying. I like a quite place, where I can bike to school.

Ha, you wish (about the stalking). Nah, I just never remembered you saying in the Fuqua thread that you were accepted EA and didn't even realized you'd applied EA, so I just briefly looked at your history of posts.

Station 9 isn't that quiet...FYI. That's why I think it's a great place to live if you like to party/want to be in walking distance of bars, etc. and/or are single and looking to mingle. It's not super loud like the places where the undergrads live but it's probably one of the noisier places where the grad school students live.

FY Fuquan here. Congrats on being admitted!

I'd say that about 75-80% of the class lives at either S9 or Alexan Place, with Alexan being the primary choice for married people, internationals, and anyone else who is looking for a relatively quieter place.

A lot of singles live at S9, and it does have a reputation for having parties. That said, I think the party rep is somewhat overstated. I know several dozen of my classmates are married and live there, and aside from a few times during the year (Global Institute, Around the World Party, end of term parties, etc.) its very reasonable to live there. As someone else mentioned, it also has the benefit of being a 5 min walk from several restaurants, bars, and grocery stores.

Feel free to email me (jrb56@duke.edu) if you want to discuss housing options.

Happy holidays, and congratulations!

Has anybody received any word on when we will get detailed information on the financial aid process (ie., completing the FAFSA forms)? Most of the links on the Admitted Student website are still not live (at least for me).

You can't fill out the FAFSA forms until you've filed your 2009 tax return.

RF

The housing report is very helpful, thanks! I must say that the housing in general is not as quiet and safe as I would like. This is especially true with Duke Manor...yikes!

someone else wrote a helpful recommendations to me
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The typical apartments near Duke's campus (Partners Place, Erwin Square, the Belmont) are going to be heavily populated by undergraduate students...so that's something you'd probably want to steer clear of. I lived in Partners as an undergraduate, and spent a lot of time at the Belmont...both entirely undergraduates and can get very loud. Here are a few other, less-mentioned places.

Bradford Ridge: Right across the street from the Belmont, at the intersection of Erwin Rd. and LaSalle. It's pretty much as close as you can get to campus, on the LaSalle route bus stop, and within walking distance of the Medical Center campus. I was on the waitlist for this place last year, and rent was around $615 plus utilities, but you can't beat the location, or the noise factor (mostly internationals and people who live alone/couples so it's very quiet). It's a little older on the exterior, but the interiors were reasonably nice, and most apartments have an alarm system. It's kind of tucked away, and while there are reports of lots of burglaries in the Belmont across the street, my guess it's it's not so at Bradford.

https://www.ticonproperties.com/residential.php?a=1 (This is the company that manages them, and they have a few other nice properties which are affordable, but a bit further from Duke)

The Forest Apartments (not to be confused with Duke Forest Retirement Community) and Colonial Village at Deerfield, both off Constitution Avenue: Rent around the 700s, 800s for a 1BR, and they also have 2BRs, etc. Can also get furnished apartments but prices are steep. The nice thing about these apartments is they're close to campus (a 5 minute drive), but really tucked away in the Duke Forest area so no one knows they're there. The area is mostly single family, residential homes...kids playing on the streets, and the residents are largely professional students/professionals so it's a great, safe area to live in. I'd highly recommend these apartments if you're looking for a suburban, residential, quiet, low-key place to live.

Lofts at Lakeview, Erwin Terrace: Mostly professionals and rich undergraduates. Erwin Terrace has more undergraduates than the Lofts...so it has its loud moments, but the apartments are new, HUGE, and right below you are tons of restaurants and a grest coffee shop! Same with the Lofts, although you have more amenities such as a pool, etc. If I had to pick between the two I'd definitely choose the Lofts. Although the price you'll pay is pretty steep. Easily two of the nicest, swankiest places in town. AND of course, close to campus. Right across Erwin Rd, where Bradford Ridge is. It's worth mentioning that both these places have garages so your car will be indoors, if that's a concern, and security is tight so safety is a nonissue.

Station 9: Closer to East Campus, but another really nice, secure apartment complex full of professionals. Never been in one of these, but I have a lot of friends who graduated and moved here upon finding jobs in the Durham/RTP area. Safe, quiet, new, but pricy if you don't have a roommate. Mildly affordable if you do. The area around is a little sketchier, as you're more on the Hillsborough Street end of things, but everything here is gated.

Further from campus, very suburban, relatively safe: Alexan Place, Alexan Farms, Evergreens...not too familiar with these, and a 10-15 minute drive to campus (no transportation so you'd need a car)

Off East: Inarguably the cheapest option. The Duke Community Housing website posts a lot of houses looking for roommates, so this might be something to check out. DEFINITELY want to visit because some blocks will feel safe while others may not. (Especially areas like Old North Durham, because while its undergoing gentrification, some places still are very unsafe). Naturally, houses are older, but if you want somewhere with character/a house see what you can find. Most of my friends pay in the $300-$500 range, plus utilities which are cheap bc they usually have 3-4 roommates. Most people will choose to live a block of two off campus, so you can easily walk to east and take the bus to West Campus, although it is a bit more of a haul if you're a Law/Med/Business School student (in that case I'd drive). There have been some incidents of crime with people walking late at night, but if you use common sense you'll be fine, bc most of the residents on these streets are families who've been around for ages and students.

https://www.trinitypropertiesapartments.com/ (This company has a few apartment style complexes off east)

Hope this gives you some idea of what's out there for the grad student population! I'm dealing with the stress of finding somewhere at my grad school and it's tough because you usually get pointed in the direction of complexes loaded with undergrads!)

Anyone have insight into whether a second car is needed? I'm moving out with my wife and we're definitely bringing one car, but I suspect it'll be her using it to drive to work. Assuming we move to one of the popular apartments described earlier in the thread, is the commute to campus reasonable (walk, bike, public transit) or would it be impractical or unsafe? I have a second car to bring out but I'm unsure whether it's worth dropping $750-$1K to bring it out.

Thanks in advance for the insight

You can definitely make do without the second car but it will make your lives much, much more convenient and easier if you have one. If that convenience isn't worth $1K to you though, then leave the other car.

Anyone admitted EA, have children. I am uprooting my wife and now one year old son. Seeing if anyone is in a similar situation as I am. Also, I am looking for housing suggestions. Having a 70lb dog doesn't help either. We have pretty much conceeded we might need to rent a 3 bedroom house in the neighborhood of 1200-1400.

Hopefully I'll be in the same situation as you in a few days ....

But seriously, 1400 for a 3 bedroom house sounds really nice right now. I guess its all relative.

Congrats. I assume that means you have a little one on the way. Yes it is all relative...being I live in San Diego right now. A little scary with both me and my wife as full time students.

No, hopefully I get in to Duke! I have a 4 month old.

Added previous year's "admitted" thread. There're some helpful pointers in there.

Thanks to the EA admits for starting the thread, and I'm sure that it's about to get *a lot* longer here in the next few days. I look forward to meeting each of you, and I am bummed that I will not be able to make it to Blue Devil Weekend (Navy deployment).

Take care and please continue to share your Fuqua insights as we get closer to August!