It’s your junior year at Duke and you’re deciding between Madrid or Copenhagen for your Fall semester abroad. Either way, you’re definitely making a trip to Munich for Oktoberfest. 

This was not the case for Alistair Simmons, an American Duke ‘25. Studying CS and Chinese at Duke, Alistair took last spring as the chance to live in China. He remains Duke University’s only undergraduate student to study at DKU for, let’s just say, a really long time. 

A diverse course list over the span of two sessions allows visiting students like Alistair to complete major requirements and learn new material simultaneously. Another bonus is that each class is pass/fail for Duke and Yale-NUS students at DKU. Having studied Chinese since high school, Alistair is also able to practice his language skills traveling throughout China. The unique class schedule and student visa allows all students to travel freely within China in between each session. His most definite travel destinations in China included Wuhan and Zhangjiajie.

The release of Phase II during his junior semester abroad also opened up opportunities only possible here at DKU. “At Duke, sometimes I have a hard time finding a study room or even a quiet place to study in…”, Alistair said. A peaceful environment is what you get here at DKU, where there’s a small student body and brand-new facilities on campus.

However, traveling and new opportunities aren’t the only things that made Alistair choose China. Shanghai, a 20-minute train from Kunshan, was once home to Jewish refugees during WWII. Including a home to his uncle’s mother. Alistair shared, “Shanghai was a treaty port so you didn’t need a passport to enter… It’s interesting how different immigrant communities all lived and had a history in Shanghai.” With a personal connection and desire to learn about local history, Alistair’s adventure in China was definitely momentous. 

I’ll leave you with a quote from Alistair that I think perfectly describes the motivations of all students coming to DKU —

“At home, I’m too comfortable. Try to get outside your comfort zone.”