Duke Guide: Tips and Info on What to Do at Duke if Interested in Business/Finance at Duke

I thought I would write this out as I would like to give back a bit of knowledge to the forum. For context, I am a senior at Duke and have interned in / going FT to IB, keeping a bit vague for anonymity. This post hopes to serve as a guide of what resources/clubs are available to you at Duke and what I would recommend after being a part of quite a few of them. First, I loved my time at Duke and also think the finance pipeline has improved tremendously in my time here. Feel free to pm me or ask questions for specifics.

Social Business Organizations (Business Frats): These are all co-ed social and professional groups that generally run a relatively selective rush process involving social events and some type of interview. Each has a distinctive vibe and different pros and cons, but none are traditional frats with hazing, etc. (a worry I have heard from freshmen).

Scale and Coin: Considered the hardest of these organizations. Conducts a relatively rigorous training process for their pledging. Has a large percentage of the top finance kids and a strong culture of finance mentorship. Also has students interested in consulting, entrepreneurship, etc. Still social to a degree, but most students have friend groups or other social organizations outside of Scale and Coin. Join this if you are interested in finance/business and willing to grind during the pledge. Likely the group you will learn the most from, but is also more of a commitment during training.

DSP: Had been considered similar to Scale and Coin but has had trouble as of late as they were not able to recruit due to issues with nationals. Generally thought of as less hard and slightly more of a social crowd. Less finance-focused than Scale and Coin and less of a time commitment around the pledge. Likely will learn less directly from DSP compared to Scale, but still helpful to be connected to upperclassmen who can answer questions. Join if you don't want to grind during the pledge and are just looking for a network of people with similar career interests.

AKPsi (Formerly DBS): The newest of these three groups had been called Duke Business Society. Less selective and has been less of a tight-knit group but is trying to become more similar to the above groups. The least commitment of the three of these groups, but also likely the least reward.

Interest-Specific Clubs: The Investment Club (I-Club) is The most notable traditional finance club on campus. Conducts a class that, if passed, certifies you and allows you to interview to become an analyst. Once you are an analyst, you will be placed on a sector team and be responsible for pitching ideas from your sector. If you are interested in finance, this is probably the most important/helpful club to join. You will see a large amount of overlap of people in the previous organizations mentioned and those in I-Club, although Scale and Coin have been the biggest feeder. Most Exec members in I-Club have very strong placement across banking, PE, and hedge funds. Join this if you think you want to do finance and want technical experience and something to put on your resume that demonstrates interest. 

Duke Impact Investing Group (DIIG): Also a solid organization but more focused on early-stage investing/finance and also have a lot of non-investing divisions (Consulting, Business Development, Data). There are some members in both DIIG and I-Club, but most are in one or the other. In general, this group attracts fewer cookie-cutter finance students and more of those who may be interested in VC, impact investing, and entrepreneurship. Join this if you are interested in their mandate and care less about technical preparation.

There is a myriad of other groups (consulting club, catalyst, etc.), but the two mentioned above are the most applicable for the majority of people on WSO.

It is also worth mentioning there are a few identity-based groups. Business Oriented Women (BOW), Black in Business (BiB), Latin Business Organization (LBO), etc. These are all great communities and very supportive groups. You will see many members of the previously mentioned groups also in their respective identity-based groups.

My advice is that if you think you are interested in finance or business, you should begin looking at these organizations as soon as possible. Freshman year is the easiest time to join these groups, and the people you will meet in them will be able to guide you through recruiting and career decisions in college. All of these groups are relatively selective, so if you don't end up in any given one that you wanted, don't sweat it. The most valuable thing about any of these groups is the people you meet and the mentors you can find. People at Duke are, in general, very friendly and willing to help interested underclassmen, so reach out to those who have taken a path you are interested in and ask for their advice.

Please feel free to ask any clarifying questions in the comments.