A great academic school with a great surrounding social scene

Introduction
This school puts academics first, and in doing so it has garnered an excellent reputation for producing distinguished and productive alumni. (The Rooney family for example) However, they will never hesitate to remind you of their "rich tradition of excellence."

I originally chose Duquesne for it's excellent reputation as a music school. However, it is also well known for its Business, Law, and Pharmacy programs among other things.

Anyone who is simply looking for a party school should plan to stay away. Most majors are more than happy to trim their numbers after freshman year.

Campus Life and Social Life
The campus visitation policy can be a pain at times. Members of the opposite sex are only allowed in your room until 2am, and you must go through an annoying process of signing in anybody that does not live in your dorm. This is in part because of Duquesne's moral standards but mostly because it is close to a part of town that isn't known for its safety. That being said, however, it is considered to be one of the safest urban campuses in the country, largely in part due to a very active police force. The police, or Dupo as they are often called are very nice, though they can be asses about parking tickets.

One of the best aspects of this school is its location. On weekends, hardly anyone stays on campus. Duquesne has a convienent set of 200 steps that goes right down to the South Side- the heart of Pittsburgh's party scene. There are countless bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops galore. Also, Duquesne is on the edge of downtown and many students are often seen going to one of the shows and performances that are always going on. Pittsburgh is well known for its culture and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (many members are faculty by the way) is considered by many to be the greatest American symphony orchestra. Duquesne also works hard to get low ticket prices for its students. Pitt's campus is only a mile away as well for a buck seventy-five bus fare or the free "Happy Bus" on Friday and Saturday nights. The proximity of Pitt helps quench the occasional thirst for a state school atmosphere.

Campus is also adjacent to Mellon arena -home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It's also only a short walk to PNC Park or Heinz Field for a Pirates or Steelers game. And with your student ID, you can get into PNC park for as cheap as $5.

If you plan to stay on campus for the weekend, however, don't plan on finding much to do. Alcohol is allowed on campus, but it must be signed in by an of-age person. It can get difficult trying to find inconspicous ways to sneak a case of beer past the front desk of the dorms so I'd suggest not trying it. If you want to drink, get off campus. It's just easier.

Very often, you will see people move into apartments, either on or off campus once they hit their Junior year. A sucky part of this is that in trying to create ideal students, Duquesne policy states that a Freshman or Sophomore can not be a commuter unless they are comuting from the house where their parents or legal guardians live. So no moving out till your Junior year. Although, with the price of tuition you'll want to mooch off of your family for as long as possible.

Duquesne is not very well known for its sports, except basketball, because basketball is the only sport for which it is Division 1A. We have great football and soccer teams but most have never heard of us. We do have one player starting CB in the NFL though. His name is Leigh Bodden and he plays for the Browns. (Clevland Sucks!)

Duquesne also has a campus in Italy which most students that I have talked to seem have enjoyed greatly.

We have a fully operational Starbucks on campus, so.....thats cool. Advertisement
Academics
The academics is where, in my opinion, Duquesne really shines. Many unfamiliar with this school often assume it is Ivy League, simply because of its great reputation for acadmics. Besides the monstrous science classes, Duquesne prides itself on small intimate classes. I for example, have a class of 7, a class of 23, a class of 24, a class in the low 30's and a class of around 50. I also, however, have two different 1 on 1 coachings.

All students, with some small exceptions depending on major, must take basic or "Core" classes in the fields or English, Math, Philosophy, Theology, Sociology, and History. Some must also take an arts class.

Most teachers are very nice and well skilled in their fields, although it is obvious that some were meant to be scholars and not teachers. Workload varies greatly between majors. For example, the science majors may not have the most work, but they definately have the hardest work and the hardest tests. No matter what your major is, be prepared to work in the classes corresponding to your major. Some Core classes are easy pushoffs though.

Although Duquesne is Catholic, they will not cram religion down your throat. You are required to take one theology class and that is it. Do not be afraid if you are not a Catholic. I myself am Presbyterian and there are many people of all faiths here as well including those without any religion. Besides, the Theology class is more of a philosophy class than anything else.

As I said before, Duquesne is most well known for its schools of Music, Business, Law, and Pharmacy. And people of these majors may have a harder time getting in than other students. (Music majors are required to take a three part audition as well).

As far as science goes, Duquesne is not well known for its research. If you're looking for that you may want to go to a state school. However, Pitt, CMU, and Duquesne have a partnership where you can intern at any of the schools in a lot of areas. They also make it very easy to transfer.

Student Body
Your typical student is probably from a middle class family and came here to get an education, although that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun.

A large number of students are from the Pittsburgh region, and as any outsider will come to know, Pittsburghers are some of the nicest people around. The whole city is crazy about sports and there is always a huge crowd at the bar on the weekend. (The saying goes that Pittsburgh is a drinking town with a football problem) Many of our students also range from the Ohio and Philadelphia regions altough there are really students from all over the US. I'm pretty sure that about 66% of the student body is Catholic.

In Closing...
Parking is a bitch. An academic year parking pass will empty your wallet of around $650 dollars, although its much, much better than your typical price for parking downtown.

Make no mistake that this school costs a lot of money, (Around $30,000 per year without any financial aid) but most students see very quickly why they are paying more than students attending state schools. It seems that Duquesne really does try to give back to the student, even if the school itself may appear to be a bit too arrogant at times.