<p>I visited Duke and basically fell in love. Other than Duke, I'm considering along Notre Dame, Penn, Northwestern, Boston University and various state schools. Honestly, Duke is my first choice.</p>
<p>SAT I: taking in eleven days
ACT: 33
SAT II: will take depending on SAT score
GPA: 3.87 UW, 4.7 W
Grades in AP/IB/honors classes: basically all A's, except a few B's in honors/AP math. The only non-honors/AP classes I've taken are foreign language and orchestra.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15 of 711, top 2%
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5) <- you can only take one AP as a sophomore...
Junior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP German, Honors Trig/AP Calc A, AP Physics, AP Lang/Comp, Orchestra
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Econ/AP Gov't, AP Stats, AP Calc BC, AP Human Geography, AP Lit/Comp, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major... I won a writing contest through U of Wisconsin. Honor roll all semesters.
Extracurriculars (position & years): Yearbook [staff (1), section editor (2), editor-in-chief (3,4)], Newspaper [staff writer/copy editor (1-4)], NHS [secretary (4)], Science Olympiad (3-4), Math team (3-4), Elected Junior Class Board (3), Elected Senior Class Board (4), Orchestra (1-4)
Job/Work Experience: I work at a pool store, doing chemical tests in pool water. (10 hours a week).
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at a retirement home (only about 6 hours a month)
Summer activities: Well, I applied for an American Cancer Society Summer Research opportunity. I interviewed two weeks ago. Fingers crossed!
Intended Major: EvAnth
State: IL
School Type: large, suburban public HS; no seniors are going Ivy this year... two last year...
Ethnicity: Asian. Kind of a hinderance at this point... ORM...
Gender: Female</p>
<p>Good chances I say</p>
<p>Basically you won’t be denied because of your grades, but I’d like to ask…what about Duke was so compelling? I mean, a lot of my peers wrote that they walked onto campus and fell in love, but none were accepted.
If you want to get into Duke, I suggest you go online and look up the essay topics as well as try to learn more to see if it’s a good fit. My high school posts up all the results on our webpage, and it’s just proof how important fit is.
And BTW, I hope you’re not taking the SAT because you’re not satisfied with ur AP scores…I find that a lot of Asians make the mistake of repeatedly taking the examinations when their scores are fabulous (since I’m one and made the same stupid mistake). Your scores are FABULOUS.</p>
<p>I think you have good stats, just make sure your essays show Duke why they should want to accept you. What will you bring to the table?</p>
<p>hope your Blue Devil dreams come true. Clearly essays matter a lot when there are 3000 fully qualified Dukies on this year’s waitlist. Don’t make the admissions people “guess” about who you are…make it crystal clear via essays. </p>
<p>Always have a match college where you are assured admittance. There are a ton of superior colleges where you can get in for sure if you take the time to “attach” to your match schools. Do not neglect those schools while pursuing Duke. Respect for the faculty and the mission of less selective colleges is the key to making it through the application season with your head on straight. Admittance to Duke is extremely random. My son expected a waitlist and heavily visited his match colleges…and that is the best attitude you can have in my view. His best friend with higher test scores than yours and his(!), advanced achievements in sports and a great personality was not admitted.</p>
<p>So, in my Duke essay(s) I must emphasize more on why should they pick me and less on the “strong X department” etc.?</p>
<p>you should have a vision of how you would access and use the huge amount of resources at Duke, where you would contribute to academic and student life, and you should give them a sense of your values and personal history and energy…you will be representing where you came from on a campus that is strongly national and international…so be proud of who you are now and bring the best of your heritage whatever that may be…with you to Duke and to all colleges where you apply.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! One of the major reasons I like Duke is how similar it is to my high school. It’s large-ish, relatively diverse and lots of school spirit. I talked to a professor about EvAnth and she really had a lot to share. She got me excited about college and everything it has to offer. There’s more, but I don’t have time to type it all haha… I’ll just have to write some pretty amazing essays I guess.</p>
<p>I’m taking the SAT to see how I do. I’m ok with the score I got on my ACT and not really worried about the AP tests. Honestly, if I don’t do as well on the SAT, I’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but at Duke, it’s hard to say anyone’s chances are “good.” My daughter had similar EC’s as you, took the toughest course load imaginable, had a 4.0 UW GPA, and had a 35 on her ACT and got rejected. I also thought her essays were very well written. I’m not saying you don’t have a chance, but I also want to convey just how hard it is to get into Duke. Good luck, and make sure you apply to some “match” schools and also some “safety” schools.</p>
<p>duke is expen$ive and fin aid isn’t that great. something to consider before you get too psyched.</p>
<p>You have good stats; however many applicants wanting to go to Duke do as well. Your course load is pretty impressive, and I think you can really impress upon the admissions committee through your essays. Make them unique and show your personality. You won a writing contest, so you should be good at this. Good luck!</p>