<p>One thing about Duke legacies is it is easy to target the school from birth since you were brought up into that and the school’s reputation has been in a virtuous upward circle since your parents both graduated. Nobody will criticize you for wanting to go there. Also remember, when your parents went there 20-30 years ago, Duke was not the Duke that it is today. It can seem heretical to consider not following in their footsteps.</p>
<p>But is it a fit for you? Other than the fact your parents and aunts went there, what draws you to Duke above any of 50 other equally worthy, or better, colleges? You really really owe it to yourself to answer that question.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is to target the best college fit for yourself based on your own interests. Believe me, there are a lot of great colleges out there and many of them will offer you an experience equal or better to that at Duke.</p>
<p>As a Duke alum myself, I hope you take that advice to heart. Like you probably did, my kids also grew up in Duke onsies, idolized Shane Battier and Jon Scheyer and enjoyed their trips to campus (we too are an extended Duke family). We made sure to expose them to the alumni events in our large metro area.</p>
<p>Ultimately, neither of my kids are going to attend, and I really do view that we won the college process in the way we approached their searches and decisions. And both had the stats and activities to be legit Duke candidates, equal or better qualifications than yours. Daughter1 had a specific interest that Duke did not meet. Daughter2 fell in love with another school. With the perspective now of being dome wit the process, I know in my heart that these were the right decisions. Like I said, I think you owe it to yourself to fully explore every option.</p>
<p>As a Duke alum & parent, however, let me also give you a reality check:
- Because Duke is “hot” you will not be the only alumni child trying to get in. There will be hundreds. And they are all qualified. What can you do to stand out better?
- The Duke summer programs are expen$ive and offer no preference in admissions
- You have a lot of activities, but one would simply assume that (and partially-to-significantly discount it) at a tiny school with 35 Seniors and enough resources and clubs that everyone can get involved and play a leadership role since there are so many slots and so few people to fill them
- You probably hurt yourself by not taking the AP tests on your own. If your classes are so great you would have aced them and had the proof that your rigorous curriculum was indeed rigorous and that you compared well to the super-smart public school kid from Denver or Minneapolis or Tulsa. Those kids now have 5s on the AP that show they are every bit the equal of your tailored classes. You also do not have much science or math. That will count against you, especially if the UPenn-psychiatry-bipolar wok indicates an interest in science or medicine.
- Frankly, this is the age of hooks. Well-rounded kids who have been spoon-fed every advantage in an insular environment do not realize what they are up against in the upper levels of college admissions these days. Duke has hundreds of kids like you and may prefer the unpolished Houston diamond-in-the-rough with one big story or skill to offer. In today’s selective colleges, they do not just pick the most qualified or most well-rounded kids - they pick the best portfolio of kids, where every kid has something unique to bring to the class. You will learn about this beta and alpha when you take your financial math class this fall, but trust me this is not to your advantage. If you go on the Harvard tour or look in the this month’s Duke alumni mag and see who Duke is choosing to highlight you will see this trend in vivid red-lipped action. I do not mean this as criticism of your background, which is laudable, but merely a warning you need to spin your quite conventional resume and make it stand out.
- The USNWR rating war-games have made Early Decision strategies critical. If you want to go, apply early. Of course, this then precludes other choices and puts more backend risk into RD at other schools if you do not make it. So again, find the very best fit for you.
- Please, do some soul-searching about what other school(s) might be better for you than Duke. It is important as you may need to fall in love with one of them. After all is said and done, Duke is no better than a 25% chance for anyone, including a double legacy.</p>
<p>Good luck</p>