ABSN Duke Fall 2010

Published

Hi All!

I have decided to take the plunge and leave my career as a mental health therapist to gain a BSN in Nursing and hopefully move straight into MSN program. Is anyone else applying to Duke in the Fall??:yeah:

Hello everyone,

I am a Durham resident and have applied for the Fall 2010 ABSN program at Duke, and I thought that now was a good time to join the conversation. JasonB is absolutely right about ignoring any bad press regarding Durham and crime. Like with any city, there are problems, but things have changed dramatically in recent years. If you'd like to get an insider's view of city news, check out Bull City Rising (http://www.bullcityrising.com/). It's a great resource for learning about what's happening in Durham.

For rental areas, check out Old West Durham and Watts-Hillandale (where I live), which are adjacent to each other. We're a short bike ride from DUSON, and there are also buses. I've seen people walking to work at the hospital from the neighborhood. The respective neighborhood listservs are good resources for finding rentals (you can Google Watts-Hillandale or Old West Durham and find links to the listservs on the neighborhood homepages). If you join the listservs, you can see when new rentals become available. A lot of good properties are only advertised on the listservs (it's how we found our house!).

Some people were asking about the Durham Farmer's Market, and I just have to say how much I love it. It's open every Saturday from 10-12 (winter hours...it is open from 8-12 in warmer weather), and the offerings are great. It has it all: cheese, meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, bakeries, hot chocolate...and it's not too far away from Duke. It's in an area that is really starting to revitalize, with a great yoga studio (Patanjali's Place), a pottery studio (Claymaker's), a theater (Man Bites Dog Theater), and a new brewery called Fullsteam that is set to open this spring (Durham has another great brewery called Triangle Brewing).

My interview date is Jan. 22, so maybe I will see some of you then. Let me know if you have any other questions about Durham!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'll second Gator's impressions of the Farmers' market, and not just because many of the folks out there are my good friends :) Even midwinter, things are still going strong down there. Last weekend there was still plenty of produce, and my friend Bobby is starting his seeds for spring in his greenhouses now. The Piedmont is a great place for people who love to grow and/or eat food.

Bull City Rising (the blog mentioned above in Gator's post) is a great up-to-speed resource, and I also wanted to mention indyweek.com, the Triangle's independent newspaper. I'm kinda over it personally, but their "best-of" coverage is a great resource for the newcomer in finding everything from restaurants to shoe stores. Well worth a look.

-j

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I am sporting a selfish little frown as well. Oh well.

Also- is everyone getting a jumpstart on financial aid? I haven't contacted anyone from the office yet- as I don't want to count my chickens...

:nurse: --> me! red hair!

I called financial aid as I had completed the application around Dec. Turns out, I will have to do it all over again in Jan after I file my taxes and have my income info for 2009. At least I know what to do for it this time, it really isn't as painful as I imagined. I also am applying to one of the Duke scholarships. BUT, like you said, I'm not counting my chickens but well, I guess I'm just trying to be prepared for the best. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi guys! Just popping in to say hello before the storm hits. My classes at UNC start on Monday and I already have a TON of required reading to do before we meet.

Best of luck to you all with interviews and especially when you get in and bombarded with more than you think you can handle! You all have been so fun to interact with and I pray my classmates at UNC are the same way. Although from the looks of it, I'm not sure I'll even have time to laugh, or much else for that matter. Do you think they make Dora pull-ups that will fit me?

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey Everyone!

It feels like forever! Hope everyone had a great Holiday and wonderful New Years! I've been snowed/iced in for what feels like weeks. The wild chill is -8 degrees for tonight...someone send me back to the deep south!

Can anyone tell me about the area near the Shops at Southpointe? I have been to that area a few times and it seem nice/safe. For me, safety is a priority. I'd also like to be near shopping ect, and of course not really far from campus.

I appreciate all the information on Old West Durham and the Watts- Hillandale area, I am going to look them up for sure!

Carolina...good luck girl! I still hope to meet you when we are all in the area :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Did everyone just get that email about the fourth Duke Day?

It looks like they made a mistake and accidentally attached the list of email addresses. At least now we can figure out how many interviews they gave out: 132!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Did everyone just get that email about the fourth Duke Day?

It looks like they made a mistake and accidentally attached the list of email addresses. At least now we can figure out how many interviews they gave out: 132!

I got the email but I originally looked at it on my phone so I ignored the attachment until i saw your post. That is funny. I know it's a mistake but I am glad that it happened. 70 slots out of 132 interviewees. Not bad odds!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Isn't it something like 70 spots, right? That's a 1 out of 2 shot! Not bad!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The Streets at Southpoint is the big mall in Durham. It's a nice shopping area, with all of the normal stores, but I honestly do not go there very often. The area has newish apartment complexes, and I have met several people who live there and like it, and I do not think safety would be an issue. It's in the southern part of Durham, so it's about a 20-min drive to Duke. You would probably have to drive to a park-and-ride lot and take a bus to campus.

It all depends on what you are looking for. The Southpoint area is more cookie cutter, with apartments, chain restaurants/stores, and close to I-40. It's not as close to campus and has a more suburban vibe than the established neighborhoods near downtown.

The rental opportunities available in Old West Durham, Watts-Hillandale, Trinity Park, etc. will likely be houses. There are rooms in owner-occupied houses as well as entire houses for rent if you want to join together with a few other people. For example, the house next to ours is rented by three Duke grad students. You would be closer to campus and all of the downtown hotspots, but you might not like living with others or in an older house. Watts-Hillandale is very safe. The crimes reported on our listserv are mostly thefts of unsecured items (unlocked bikes or things stolen out of unlocked cars), and the people in the neighborhood are very quick to report any suspicious activity.

I hope that helps!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Gator!

That was a huge help. I was unaware that South Durham was so far away from Duke, I was thinking it was closer to 10 mins so I am glad you corrected me.

I am looking forward to looking more at the Watts-Hillandale area, sounds safe and close to campus. Renting a house would be prime as I have a dog might be angry with me if he did not have a back yard!

Thanks again for the info!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Are we supposed to get something in the mail about Duke Days? If we are, hopefully they send it soon since the first interview day is in 2 weeks.

Also, does anyone know if we have to have completed/filed the FAFSA in order to apply for the Duke Nursing scholarships by Feb. 5th?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Random question, are there dog parks around the Watt-Hilandale area?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion