Tips & Tools

Since every student’s experience at Duke is unique, there can be no template for connecting your education to the community and to the world. The tips and tools below can get you started with the process of making those connections:  the rest is up to you.

How do you begin applying your knowledge and energy to the world around you?

1)    Start close to home. Build knowledge and awareness of the needs of others by paying attention to times you helped a family member, friend or neighbor. Think about how you helped and about how this sensitivity and energy could be applied to broader or more distant situations.

2)    Take small steps. Consider volunteering for an afternoon event before you commit to a project of longer duration. You can find out what kinds of service you are attracted to and good at by trying out short-term activities, and these in turn can grow into larger commitments.

3)    Draw inspiration and ideas from other students’ experiences. Browse the profiles on this website and at Build Your Own Duke  to learn more about how other students have achieved results and satisfaction from putting their knowledge and energy toward the service of society. Visit other websites, like the Community Service Center  and the Career Center,  and read their newsletters to find out what other students are doing.

4)    Join a group. Don’t assume that you need to come up with a brand-new idea and start from scratch when it comes to service. There are a host of groups and organizations on campus and in the community involved in a huge variety of social service. Joining forces with one of these groups can really leverage your energy and effectiveness.  Check out the websites on the Resources  page to find out more about these organizations.

5)     Get involved in relation to your major. Biology majors might be drawn to volunteering in hospitals or animal shelters; English majors might work with local schools helping to produce plays. Whatever you’re studying, think about its relation to the wider world and how your knowledge of this area (plus some energy and determination) can serve your community. Of course, you can also get involved outside your major, to broaden your range of activities and the kinds of things you think about every day. Different people may prefer one approach over the other.