It’s one of the most common questions students ask:
“What are people in my major or year actually doing for the summer?”
Whether you’re trying to set expectations, get inspired, or feel reassured that there isn’t just one “right” way to spend your summer, the 2024 Summer Experience Survey (SES) sheds some light.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how students’ summer opportunities compared across different majors, class years, and between undergraduates and graduate students.
By Major: The Top 5 at Duke
We looked specifically at summer experiences of undergraduates in the five most common majors at Duke (according to the Duke Facts site): Computer Science, Economics, Biology, Public Policy, and Psychology.
Here’s what students in those majors reported doing last summer:
Computer Science
- Working: 62.71%
- Did not complete a summer experience: 16.95%
- Continued Education: 10.17%
- Volunteering: 5.08%
- Duke Program (DukeEngage, Plus, etc.): 3.39%
- Study Abroad: 1.69%
Economics
- Working: 50.88%
- Did not complete a summer experience: 28.07%
- Continued Education: 12.28%
- Volunteering: 8.77%
- Duke Program: 0%
- Study Abroad: 0%
Biology
- Working: 56.41%
- Did not complete a summer experience: 17.95%
- Continued Education: 12.82%
- Volunteering: 10.26%
- Duke Program: 2.56%
- Study Abroad: 0%
Public Policy
- Working: 58.93%
- Did not complete a summer experience: 14.29%
- Continued Education: 10.71%
- Volunteering: 8.93%
- Duke Program: 5.36%
- Study Abroad: 1.79%
Psychology
- Working: 57.14%
- Did not complete a summer experience: 21.43%
- Continued Education: 21.43%
- Volunteering: 0%
- Duke Program: 0%
- Study Abroad: 0%
While “working” was the most common experience across all five majors, the percentage varied (50–63%). Notably, Psychology students leaned more heavily on continued education (21%), while Public Policy students had higher participation in Duke programs.
By Year: Freshman Through Senior
Experiences also varied depending on where students were in their academic journey.
Freshmen
- Working: 39.86%
- Did not complete: 38.41%
- Continued Education: 11.59%
- Volunteering: 7.25%
- Duke Program: 2.17%
- Study Abroad: 0.72%
Sophomores
- Working: 52%
- Did not complete: 24.57%
- Continued Education: 12.57%
- Volunteering: 8%
- Duke Program: 2.29%
- Study Abroad: 0.57%
Juniors
- Working: 57.93%
- Did not complete: 18.62%
- Continued Education: 13.79%
- Volunteering: 7.59%
- Duke Program: 1.38%
- Study Abroad: 0.69%
Seniors
- Working: 62.63%
- Did not complete: 16.16%
- Continued Education: 13.64%
- Volunteering: 4.55%
- Duke Program: 2.53%
- Study Abroad: 0.51%
The proportion of students “working” rises steadily across each year of study, with seniors being the most likely to work (63%). By contrast, freshmen had the highest share of “no summer experience” (38%), which makes sense as many are still exploring and adjusting to Duke.
Undergrad vs. Grad
Finally, we compared undergraduate and graduate students.
Undergraduates
- Working: 53.96%
- Did not complete: 23.63%
- Continued Education: 12.96%
- Volunteering: 6.71%
- Duke Program: 2.13%
- Study Abroad: 0.61%
Graduates (Master’s/Doctoral/Alumni)
- Working: 51.03%
- Did not complete: 26.98%
- Continued Education: 14.96%
- Volunteering: 5.57%
- Duke Program: 0.88%
- Study Abroad: 0.59%
Explore More in the Dashboard
This blog highlights just a slice of the 2024 SES results. Curious what other majors or class years look like? You can explore the full breakdown in the interactive SES dashboard — filter by major, year, or degree type to see the complete picture.
Next Steps
- Start thinking ahead about what you’d like to do in Summer 2025, and talk with your Career Center advisor about building your options.
- Share your experience by filling out the 2025 SES Survey— your input helps shape resources and insights for future students.
