Already studying abroad

If common knowledge serves well, each fall over half the junior class leaves the confines of the Gothic Wonderland for a study abroad program. From what I can tell, it appears that the four-year, eight semesters on Duke's campus graduation plan is the exception rather than the norm.

Call me crazy but I've always been a tad bit curious as to why anyone would want to leave Duke during the school year. I can understand a summer spent in Australia, England or Italy because most of us waste away the months between May and August in any case. I am also fully aware of the allure of a British pub or a Spanish dance club, and I know that living in a culture different from your own opens your eyes to a whole new range of possibilities. Still, actually leaving Duke's campus for an entire semester is a curious choice to me.

I'm not sure why that is. Perhaps I took the viewbook too seriously or maybe my tour guide was really persuasive. It could be that I've developed a strange infatuation for Gothic architecture. But I doubt it's any of these: The viewbook's primary use is to tell the parents about all the things their child will have an opportunity to do at Duke but will probably pass on in favor of drunken debauchery and repeated attempts to fit in. My tour guide was also hardly convincing, except for her candid stories about the graduation requirements--those definitely caught my attention. And the one class I took on Gothic cathedrals during my sophomore year quickly convinced me that architecture is a lot more fun when you're left to appreciate it on your own time; having to memorize mindlessly 325 separate slides of stacked columns, triforiums, chevets, naves, flying buttresses and clerestories did nothing to increase my appreciation for Gothic architecture.

Speaking of splendid architecture, if you're outside as you're reading this, put down the newspaper and look around you. Even better, sit on the Chapel steps some Wednesday afternoon as you're coming back from class and notice how the Allen building is bathed in an orange glow as the day bids its goodbye and the sun disappears behind the chimney-dotted rooftops. At most, you'll fall in love with the Duke scenery all over again--perhaps even for the first time--or at least you'll be reminded of the fact that intangibles such as the campus atmosphere can often outweigh U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Which brings me back to my original question: Why would you ever want to leave this place?

After all, Duke as a concept is an entity unto itself with a completely different lifestyle. Somewhere deep down inside we should all realize that the lives most of us live as undergraduates are some form of a fantasy. Call it a bubble, call it a fishbowl, call it a wonderland, call it what you will--the Duke experience is a four-year vacation that takes place on a different plane and in another dimension.

There are many things we take for granted and hardly ever think about because we're so used to them. I walk to class each day for no more than 10 minutes--anything further than that I can hop a bus or call a shuttle if it's late at night. Regardless of how big the party was Friday night, by early Saturday morning, crews of groundskeepers have cleaned up stray beer cans and bottles so that the lawn outside my room is spotlessly green once again. And to make sure that no "outsiders" crash into my bubble, I have a state-certified and fully armed police force to protect me and enforce the laws. In case something does go wrong, one of the world's finest hospitals is located only yards away, and Counseling and Psychological Services stands ready to help.

Moreover, I interact with the world's brightest minds on a daily basis, and I have a free season pass to the most coveted collegiate sporting venue in the nation. On top of that, the library not only puts millions of volumes at my disposal but literally gives me the ability to easily recover pretty much any piece of scholarly work or information I'd ever need. Finally, most of my daily interactions are with other ambitious and vibrant young people who have been carefully selected from across the nation to complement each others' development as persons. Taking all these things into consideration and regardless of whether you're paying for the Gothic Wonderland experience out of your own pocket or you receive financial aid, you have to admit that it's an attractive set-up.