Life At Duke : The First-Year Experience

Next Steps | Pre-Orientation | First-Year Learning | First-Year Living | Who's Who On East

Welcome To Duke

As you begin your first year at Duke, your home will be historic East Campus. You will live, learn, study, explore, and socialize on East Campus, the center of a distinctive academic, extracurricular, and cultural first year.

Academics at Duke intersect with other activities and experiences. The boundaries between them are intentionally blurry. Your East Campus neighbors will be not only fellow students but also Duke faculty from a variety of disciplines. You will learn not only in classrooms but also in common room spaces in the residence halls. Everything you do, every interaction you have, every experience on East Campus and on West Campus will make a contribution to your education.

Your first year is a time of many transitions. Duke offers a range of programs that support your exploration and immersion in the campus culture. In the First-Year Learning section you will find some of our unique opportunities designed specifically for first-year students.

Are you ready to take risks, get involved, and explore all the opportunities available to you?

"The undergraduate years are a time of self-authorship. Through engaging in academic and campus life you develop your capacities for reasoning and feeling and come to know who you are, what you believe in and want to commit to, and how you will make a positive difference in the world".

Robert J. Thompson Jr.
Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

“First-year students can get engaged and become leaders almost immediately upon arriving on campus—from governance positions with Duke Student Government and East Campus Council to key positions with student organizations and community service initiatives. At Duke, there’s no shortage of things to do and few limits to how much you can get involved."

Larry Moneta, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs