Hi, I’ve been looking to ED to Duke since last summer (current Junior) when i visited the campus and really took a liking to it, and on paper it seems that I’d have a strong chance of getting in, but my concerns are that my extracurriculars and AP scores may be a bit lacking. Basically, I’d like info on whether or not the lack of extracurriculars and specifically leadership roles may be an issue in getting in, if only having 3-4 AP scores that are a 4 or 5 is below average for Duke admits, and things I can do to improve in those areas under these circumstances
GPA: 4.8W/3.96UW (in a county where GPAs are a bit inflated)
SAT: 1560
SAT II Math: 800
SAT II World History: (taking in August)
PSAT: 1490 (222, likely National Merit Semi)
APs:
Calculus BC (taking now)
Microeconomics (taking now)
Macroeconomics (taking now)
English Language & Comp. (taking now)
Physics C: Mechanics (taking now)
US History (4)
Computer Science A (4)
Extracurriculars:
3x Varsity Swimming (High School Championships Finalist)
Part of the Mu Alpha Theta National Math Honors Society
Part of School CS and Chinese Honors Societies
Part of a fundraiser that raised $1,000+ for elderly citizens with immunodeficiency conditions that are disproportionately affected by COVID
Have a shoe/streetwear reselling business that has grossed about $1,200
Potential Extracurriculars (unsure atm):
I was going to run for president of the school CS Honors Society but elections are delayed due to COVID
Also ran for schoolwide treasurer but again, elections delayed due to COVID
Part of a competition team for the American Rocketry Challenge (canceled due to COVID)
I had an work-study program at the Library of Congress I was looking to do, but it got canceled due to COVID as well
I specifically have concerns with my APs because I don’t feel like I tested well on a few of them, and in the case that I only got a 4/5 on 1 or 2 of them this year I’m wondering if only having a few APs where I received a 4/5 on them could be a potential issue. I’m also not part of any clubs.
Forgot to mention: I have volunteered before teaching swim lessons to young children for my local swim team as well was a junior counselor one summer for a kids summer camp. About 150 total volunteer hrs. so nothing special but some volunteering nonetheless
Courseload next year includes AP Stat, Lit, and Physics C E&M as well as Advanced (Honors) Accounting, Advanced MV Calculus, PE, as well as being a Teacher’s Aid for a CS class in 1 period.
I was admitted ED to Duke in December (and am excited to attend in August), and I had pretty similar stats to you. I played lacrosse for 3 years and was captain. 4.1 GPA; got a 31 on my ACT and had 4/5s on only a few APs as well.
You have some pretty standard stats honestly and shouldn’t be too concerned about being lower than average in terms of admitted student stats. Your numbers look good, especially for someone planning to apply ED, which obviously has a higher admissions rate.
Being that there is nothing extremely distinguishing about you, i.e. foreign exchange trips, unusual clubs or passions, unique cultural identity/home life, or huge commitment to a specific community service organization, I would recommend that you do whatever you can to distinguish yourself from the thousands of other equally qualified candidates applying to Duke ED (there might be something special about you that you didn’t mention- I’m just going off your post).
Since you have a relatively solid academic standing, take the time now to consider something especially unique about yourself that will give you the edge over the other applicants.
In my own case, being that I didn’t have a perfect academic performance, I sold myself on my foreign exchange trips to Spain and Beijing as well as my passion for environmental science.
All in all, lack of clubs and leadership roles shouldn’t be too big of a concern as long as you pad your application with unique traits, attributes, and passions.
Best of luck!
Thank you and congratulations on getting into Duke! I think that’s a really interesting insight, as I knew that colleges preferred applicants who demonstrated a strong concentration in a specific area as opposed to a “jack of all trades, master of none” type applicant but didn’t realize that could extend past a mastery of a specific sport, instrument, or academic competition such as Science Bowl or Debate.
Considering the circumstances and the difficulty in advancing the few extracurriculars/activities I currently do such as swimming or rocketry, I am in the process of organizing a weekly beginner Python CS class online to teach young children of elementary to middle school age over Zoom, as well as looking to find business/economic related internships to further an emphasis on interest in finance/business as well a sense of societal responsibility in my application.
*Unrelated, but I realized I made a typo in my original post and meant to type that I took the SAT II Math II.
Your stats look strong. A few things, ED helps with a 21% acceptance rate (even when you factor in the recruited athletes, legacy, big donors, URM, etc). Last year, there were 550 less ED applicants and the trend may continue in Fall 2020 which would work in your favor, obviously.
My D20 was also accepted ED last year and I really think that her LORs, essays, well-roundedness, and “packaging” herself (social action in D.C.). For competitive, holisitic colleges I really believe that you need to "tell a compelling story"of not only who you are but how you will contribute to the betterment of the university. What is it that is special about you that an adcom will pick up your file and “go to bat” for you in the admission committee meetings. They need ammunition and its not just about grades and test scores.
If you can afford it, hire a very good college counselor who reviews your “file” and can tailor your application to maximize your chances of an ED acceptance. We used a college counselor for about 2 years and she was great about showcasing D’s talents and passions and why she would be a great addition to the freshman class. Don’t leave anything up to chance.
I assume you can afford Duke if applying ED?
Good luck and report back in December!
You have a lot of potential activities that are affected by COVID-19. The coming commonapp will have a dedicated question for COVID-19 so don’t be afraid to mention your “zoom classes for younger kids” and such the things you are doing but also what you can’t do
Thanks both of you! I appreciate the info and believe that I will have a college counselor for when I starting to write the essays for my apps.
I would agree that you definetly have a good shot, but as always, make sure you create a comprehensive list of schools that you feel happy with and be ready to apply to other schools for the RD round. This upcoming year is going to be a weird year for college admissions, so just be prepared for anything. Good luck and no matter what happens, I am sure you will go onto great things!