SAT: 1390
Act:30
Subject Tests:
-Math Level II: 650
-US History: 620
-English: 550
(I’m retaking those this Saturday)
GPA UW: 3.95
Rank: 8/213
AP Classes:
-AP US History-4
-AP Calculus-3
-AP Language and Composition-3
I’m taking AP Psych, AP Stats, and AP English Literature and Composition this year. My school only offers 9 AP classes.
I also am section leader in my marching band, garden manager for my environmental club, and have been a member of 4-H club since I was an infant. I volunteer at a therapy place in my community, as well as at the local animal shelter. I believe my essays and recommendations are strong. I attended North Carolina Governor’s School this past summer for mathematics and I attended Duke TIP Field Studies for Clinical Psychology the summer of 2017.
Please let me know what my chances are. I want you to be 100% honest with me. If I don’t have hope, just tell me.
Duke looks like a far reach for you just in terms of those test scores unless you retake them and can pull those scores up. The EC’s look typical and you’ll need a big and unique hook to have a chance. Essays are going to serve you big time in terms of persuading the adcom and admissions officers. Good luck!
Unless you are black or Native American (w/verifiable tribal proof of membership), I would say your chances are incredibly low. GPA & Class rank are fine, but you aren’t in the middle 50% of test scores. I would shoot for an ED 2 at a school that is a tier below Duke (e.g. W&L, Emory College at Oxford, U of Miami, Tulane or Wake Forest). JMO, but good luck.
Agree Duke is a super reach unless you have a major hook. Ditto for Vandy. Also agreed it is worth applying to other excellent schools that are a bit easier but unfortunately still a reach for you — e.g Washington & Lee, Wake Forest, Emory, Tulane, UNC, Davidson. Also look at Rhodes, Sewanee and University of Miami.
@Vaquita - You now have an excellent reason to send a short, polite email to your admissions rep to let them know about your latest ACT score - be sure to have the official score sent asap! (You might want to ask the rep if you should pay extra to have the score rushed to become part of your ED file, or if you can just send it regular speed.) Call the admissions office to request the email address of your rep if you don’t know it. And, good job bringing that ACT score up!
Stay positive! I think you have a decent chance, especially with your EC’s and Duke summer experience. As you may have read elsewhere, Duke wants real people with great personalities and a passionate interest/s.
Meanwhile, write the supplemental essays for some second choice colleges so you aren’t facing a lot of work if you don’t receive good news on 12/15. (UMiami doesn’t have an addiitonal essay, so it would be easy to submit an application even tomorrow.)
You’re an excellent student and should be proud of your accomplishments. Wishing you happiness wherever you land!!!
@LuvsLabs I really appreciate you. I sent my ACT and they’ve updated it in my portal. Hopefully that will help out because my other scores are pretty low. I believe my essays were good but I don’t know. I’m working on my applications for other colleges and I’ve heard back from several saying I was accepted. However, the only decision I care about right now is Duke’s. I really hope I get in but I know my chances are slim. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.
@vaquita : It’s great to shoot for a Duke, but remember there are a lot of great schools out there. Not getting into Duke may not be the worst thing that could happen to you. A family friend went ED to Cornell two years ago and applied to a lot of other top schools. He ended up at USC and couldn’t be happier. He said not getting into Cornell and a few others was the best thing that could have happened to him.
S was shooting for UVA (was a Jefferson Scholar nominee, made it to second round) but it didn’t happen (OOS). He has been extremely happy at Wake Forest! Duke would be great, but please accept that it’s a long reach (for everyone), and there are many other great schools that will get you where you want to go.
@JenniferClint I guess you could call me financially disadvantaged. To put it plainly, if I were to get accepted to Duke, it would be free. @SlimJim005@rickle1 Thank you, I appreciate you both. I know my chances are very slim, especially with the rush of new applicants this year. I am hoping for the best, however, pray for me :).
@Vaquita: Seriously consider other options – at least in terms of getting applications ready and putting your best foot forward. You now have a 32 ACT. You might really want to look at Wake Forest ED 2. Also, it sounds like you are from NC, so UNC-Chapel Hill is a great school.
tbh I dont think u have a real shot. im really sorry, and it sucks but I think it’s best to be brutally honest. I think you should be reaching for schools of less rigor than duke tbh.
^ I disagree. I think you have a chance, and yes it is slim but it’s slim for everybody. Your numerical stats are on the low side, but again Duke cares SO much more about your essays and what you can bring to the school rather than your GPA. Actually, my counselor showed me this website that showed what Duke considered very important, important, considered, and didn’t care about. GPA was in the considered group whereas essays and ECs were in the important column. Test scores and recs were in the very important column.
@Vaquita I’ll add to others who know kids who are truly very happy they are where the landed and did NOT get the school they thought was everything in the world for their future!
My own daughter auditioned for 16 BFA acting programs. She could not imagine another path. Didn’t like the 2 programs she was accepted to and went to Skidmore since they have a BS in Theater. Turns out her favorite classes are a advanced Latin class and playwriting. She is still very interested in and loving their theater program, but now thinks she may double major in Classics or Linguistics, and may want to teach Latin one day! She’s also been able to ride horses for her PE and is honing her interest in photography. Things that would not have been possible in the must-have-BFA programs she was broken-hearted over.
It may hurt to hear from Duke, and you’re entitled to want it badly and to be sad if it doesn’t happen. (My son may be right there with you - fingers and toes crossed you’re both happy instead!!) But you have to believe there are many places you’ll be happy. From what I can see, your future is bright! Keep reaching high, and believe in yourself!
@Vaquita, I actually think you have a good shot. If you are socioeconomically disadvantaged and somehow still managed to score a 32 on the ACT that means so much more than someone else paying expensive tutors for years in order to prep for the test and then score a 36. I think your GPA, your stick-to-it-iveness on 4H and your other EC’s are really interesting. I know that there are a lot of great candidates but from what you said, I think you have as good a chance as any well qualified applicant and as you said, you already have in hand other acceptances so that must give you peace of mind that you will go to a great school no matter what. Congrats for that.
