Why 'campus culture' matters

Is Duke good?

I do not know how to answer this question. When my sister posed it to me over break, I was caught completely off guard. It seems simple enough, but I was speechless.

Typically, when my family asks about school, they say, "How's Duke?" or "How do you like school?" I can answer those questions. I say "good" or "I'd like it a lot more if they got parking in order." But when the question is asking for an objective statement, and not a subjective judgment, I do not know how to respond.

I can't really answer that question. Everyone's experience in college is different, and most of it hinges on completely unanticipated phenomena like who you end up living with or whether or not you find a professor you like. Those things are going to work out for some people, but not everyone, so any description of college is bound to be completely subjective. Although I personally may be happy at Duke, I do not know whether my happiness is a complete fluke, or whether it is due to something unique and intrinsic to Duke itself.

My sister, however, had no patience for that kind of philosophical slipperiness. And she has a point. Explaining the difference between subjective and objective judgments to someone who has asked you a simple, three-word question is inevitably unsatisfying. That kind of answer is a cop-out.

Obviously every student has a unique experience at college. That is true wherever you go. But pretending that the school you go to does not play an enormous role in your experience is like pretending the family that raised you doesn't play a role in shaping your personality. My sister wasn't asking if everyone at Duke is in a state of perpetual bliss because Duke is the closest thing to heaven on Earth-she was asking if Duke does a good job of maximizing everyone's chances for happiness.

And this is why people should care about campus culture. When outsiders want to know if Duke is a good school, they do not care about your own personal experience, they care about the experience that is typical. They want to know what to expect. Although "campus culture" may seem like a vague and meaningless administrative term, it is trying (I think) to define what experiences are common for Duke students. Everyone's experience is going to deviate slightly from the norm, but exposure to an enriching and challenging learning environment should be the rule, not the exception.

So "campus culture," although a terrible phrase, is actually an important subject. Sure, it's possible to be happy at a school in spite of its "campus culture," but enjoying college shouldn't be a challenge. A lot about Duke can obviously be improved by making a few small changes to problems, like those with housing, dining plans and course offerings. We shouldn't just ignore such issues because it is still possible for people to enjoy Duke in spite of them. Whether students are sick of the subject or not, a lot of their frustrations with Duke can be traced back to real flaws with the University-and, yes, real flaws with its "campus culture."