Academics

Even the easy classes at Duke aren't easy. Because of the low student-professor ratio, it's often not possible to get away with just not doing your work or preparing for class.
Students taking more difficult classes, from something in the natural sciences to a language to an entry level weed-out class often have more trouble than they can handle, and are forced to withdraw from a course.
All this said, academically, Duke isn't too scary for most students. There are systems in place that make it difficult to just completely fail or to be utterly lost in terms of classes and grades; the system is easily navigable and there are always people there who can help along the way.

although six-and-a-half hours of homework a night from 3+ ap classes a semester may seem challenging now, duke is far more academically challenging in a very multilayered way. this is because you have other factors at duke in the equation of being successful with respect to:

1) interdisciplinary emphasis
2) level of competition
3) your personal work ethic
4) nature of instructors

1) duke is known for designing a curriculum that challenges students to draw upon multiple disciplines to form critical connections and generate new ideas. this means that you will be able to experience more academic success if you can apply the fda breakthrough status drug you are learning about in one class to a trend in biotechnology stocks that you are analyzing in another. while not always imperative to excelling academically, this ability to "connect courses" can afford a competitive edge to certain students, which adds a new dimension of rigor.

2) another dimension of rigor can be found in the caliber of competition you will face in both your large lecture and small discussion classes. you are now competing against students who have won straight-a's, state debate and mock trial championships, and have even founded and co-founded businesses and organizations all throughout their high school careers. since everyone wants the a equally, but there is often a scarcity of a's to hand out, you often must work even harder at duke to achieve the same result that you did in high school.

3) fortunately, even the greatest minds cannot succeed without values of hard work and sheer discipline, and this is your secret weapon. no amount of innate intelligence is a suitable substitute for the one who is willing to put in the extra time and repetitions to ingrain difficult academic concepts, and there are myriad empirical studies to back this claim in the context of public schools, parenting children, and other ares. this idea holds true at duke as well, in that you can improve by tw...

Duke is not an patsy school. In order to get the A's that you got in high school, you'll have to work hard and apply yourself. Really, it all comes down to time management. Create a schedule for class, studying, and fun. Actually, there are a few campus offices that will even help make a schedule that fits your lifestyle (early bird, night-owl, etc.) Two centers come to mind, the Career Center and Academic Advising...they even give tips for great (free) tutors!

No one ever said it was going to be easy. But there is a reason why Duke is an elite institution and why it takes a special type of person to be admitted. If you are admitted, remember all the hard work you put in to get there. Then take that work up just another notch and you will be just fine at Duke.

Duke math and science courses are hard work but the professors are great and there are always many opportunities for free help and tutoring.

Duke classes are challenging, especially in the STEM fields. That being said, the professors are tremendous.