This time last year, I was searching through hundreds of reviews of apartments and contacting current students about apartment recommendations as soon as I submitted the deposit fee and officially enrolled in the MMS program at Duke/The Fuqua School of Business. I now want to pay it forward and leave my honest opinion of the apartment I have stayed at through my time in the MMS program in hopes it will help an incoming student make the best decision for them!

Con (Bugs):
Almost every review I saw about Chapel Tower included some mention of bugs. I thought the reviewers could have been exaggerating or I believed if I was extra clean and did my part that would stop the bugs. Unfortunately - the reviewers were right. Now, I didn't experience an apartment overridden by bugs hiding out in my food, etc. as some reviews expressed but I did experience seeing more bugs than I ever have in any other apartment I've lived in throughout undergrad/up until this point. At Chapel Tower, I would at least see one bug a day or every other day frequently. I can't recall a time when I didn't see a bug throughout the week at least once in the kitchen (on the floor, walls, or in the sink), bathroom (on the toilet, walls, or in the shower), or my bedroom (on the floor, walls, on the bed or crawling from out the closet). The bugs would vary from being large roaches, ants, smaller roach variations, etc. Regardless, you would see a bug. I am a very clean person and did everything I could to stop bugs by spraying down my bedroom and the shared kitchen area with bug spray weekly, immediately disposing of food into the outside trash can and immediately cleaning dishes after they were used and those actions still did not stop the frequency of bugs. I do live in a two-bedroom apartment and there are other tenants living around my unit so I'm unsure of the cleaning habits of my neighbors. My roommate also left food uncovered and dirty dishes with food left on them in the sink daily. Both of these variables could have contributed to the frequency of bugs and it may have been worse had I not taken the actions I did or my actions could have had no impact and the bugs would've continued regardless. I didn't live alone during my time at Chapel Tower so I can't confirm if being extra clean can stop the bugs or if they will always occur if your neighbors aren't cleaning or if they'll continue simply due to the location of the apartment.

Pro (Convenience to Campus):
Chapel Tower is the only apartment actually across the street from the Duke West Campus!!! When you walk out the front entrance of Chapel Tower and make a left, you will literally be staring at the entrance of Duke West Campus (where Fuqua School of Business is). All you'll have to do is cross the street and then you'll be on the campus. The convenience is one of the main reasons students stay at Chapel Tower despite the bugs. As an MMS student the earliest sections are at 8 AM or 10:30 AM, either way, if you're not a morning person or are running late one day, it is super convenient to be as close to campus as you are at Chapel Tower rather than having to wake up even earlier to wait for the bus. There is also a bus stop at the front entrance, however, so you don't have to walk or drive every day and can also conveniently take the Duke bus. When searching for apartments I remember some of the more expensive apartments mentioning being "right across the street from Duke" but those statements are slightly misleading as you will still need to walk a distance if you're walking to campus/not taking the bus. Whereas, with Chapel Tower, you are as close to campus as you can get and can see the campus when exiting the entrance. It gets very cold and can snow in Durham in the Winter so being closer to campus can be an additional benefit during this time.

Other:
Chapel Tower is not a student housing complex. Some students may be out here, but I've personally never interacted with any. And the apartmen

It's cheap and the nearest apartment to Fuqua but not a pretty one.

Best Value apartments for anyone coming to Fuqua.

10-minute walk to campus, and fairly decent apartments. Yes, they lack the stonetop benchtops of Ninth Street, but at half the price I can't complain.

No cockroach/pest issues which can be issues in Durham. My biggest complaint is the walls are thinnish, or at least you can hear heavy steps if someone is above you. That said, can never hear talking/music so on, seems to be a vibration issue.

The lack of a closed area does mean you have to be vigilant regarding packages/deliveries, and perhaps late night.

Best value apartments in Durham.

My biggest complaint is the lack of fixed lights in bedrooms... followed by the thinnish walls which means I can hear steps from the apartment above (but never heard any talking/music, etc.).

Amenities are decent, and very close to Fuqua (<10 minute walk).

Over the past 4 months, multiple problems have occurred. First, water was coming beneath the kitchen because of some obstructed pipe problem, and because the house is old, they needed to break the wall to fix it. Then, somehow mice appeared in my home, their actions were so slow that seemed that they did not care, and took like 3 weeks to "solve it" because they never found how they got in. Finally, the administration always tries to blame you, I spoke with some maintenance guy and he told me it has always been like that.

Chapel Tower is very convenient for graduate school. It is a 15 minute walk from Sanford. The complex is clean and the unit is comfortable. If you're looking for a "bare bones" apartment that is close to campus and has cheap rent, this is a great option.

Pros:
- Close to school (Fuqua) ~ 15 min walking
- Bust stop in front of the buildings
- Quick response for any necessary repairs
- Have a pool and a gym (though the gym is not the best)

Cons:
- There is not any type of security
- Old buildings = Old drainage network = Some leakage problem
- Some apartments have carpets as floors
- There are lots of insects

My roommates got mugged on the stairs of building which we were living in. No safety as such, apartments are okay, quality is kinda okay. Swimming pool is good. Walkable Distance from Fuqua. Overall apartment is not that good.

Place is clean and neat. No issues so far aside from package theft. However can deliver it directly to apartment office (1F) and go there and collect myself anytime. Spacious floorplan, good amenities (pool and gym). Apartment has washer and dryer with electric stove. Has duke bus stop outside my house.

affordable price but not as good quality compared to others