Are there any Duke supplemental essays?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>I was checking the common app and it appeared as though the only essay was an optional one regarding gender/cultural identity. I thought there was a why Duke essay or something. Are there are other optional of non-optional supplemental essays this year?</p>

2

<p>There is one specifically for the school of engineering, otherwise I don’t think so.</p>

3

<p>There was a Why Duke? essay for Early Decision students. I would think they would have one for Regular Decision too. It may be different for RD students but when I applied ED they had both the Why Duke and Cultural Identity essays on the same page.</p>

4

<p>For regular decision I didn’t see a Why Duke? essay</p>

5

<p>Regardless of whether you applying ED or RD, once you select the school you are applying to on the Common App (Trinity or Pratt) you are directed to the essay prompt required for that school.</p>

6

<p>Okay thanks everyone! I see the essay for Pratt now that I checked off Pratt. I don’t see a why Duke essay so I assume that was for early decision only.</p>

7

<p><a href=“Apply - Duke Undergraduate Admissions”>http://admissions.duke.edu/application/instructions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I would hope Duke applicants would thoroughly research such important questions – not on CC or by relying on the Common Application – but by investing a little effort and time on the Duke Undergraduate Admissions’ website, where it is explained unambiguously: </p>

<p>“Both the Common Application and the Universal College Application include a one-page personal essay. In addition, both include short essay questions that are specific to Duke and that offer you the opportunity to share your unique interests and perspective. One question is required, and we also offer two optional prompts–and yes, they are truly optional! You can submit your short writing with or after the other student portions of the application, no later than the application deadline.”</p>

8

<p>Thank you TopTier for your response! However, one thing remains ambiguous. The website points to two optional prompts on the Common App. I only see one (the gender/cultural identity prompt.) Does anyone know what the second prompt is? They have an optional resume submission, is it a valid assumption that this is the second optional prompt that they are referring to?</p>

9

<p>@supersoaker101‌: Yes, the second optional essay permits an applicant to upload his resume, as specified here: <a href=“Apply - Duke Undergraduate Admissions”>Apply - Duke Undergraduate Admissions;

<p>Germane instructions section quoted:
“• Duke will learn about your extracurricular involvement through the Activities section of the Common or Universal College Application. If you wish to include a brief resume you may include it here. (Upload a document smaller than 500 KB using one of these file formats: .pdf .doc .docx .rtf .txt.)”</p>

10

<p>Thanks!</p>

11

<p>Would there be any advantage to uploading a resume? It would most likely restate what I’ve already put in the Common App extracurricular section. And, is the identity question simply an LGBT/minority prompt? I don’t want to appear like an a****** for answering it as a straight white male, but I’m not sure how to show more interest in Duke.</p>

12

<p>@rusties:

  1. I’d respectfully suggest that you upload a resume ONLY if: (a) it provides significant information that does not appear elsewhere in your application or its documentation and (b) that information is clearly pertinent to the admissions evaluation process.
  2. The second optional essay’s instructions follows: “Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better-perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background-we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke.” While I believe it is principally LGBT/minority focused, it certainly is not exclusively so. To illustrate, I could envision an applicant who lived for an extended period – completely emerged – in a foreign culture employing this essay.</p>