Chance me for RD! :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hey everyone! I applied to Duke RD, and I am just trying to see what my chances are.
I am from North Dakota, so that may be a plus!</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA- 3.95
Weighted GPA- We do not weight, but I have received all As in the AP classes I have taken.
Top 5% of class
ACT Composite: 31</p>

<p>Did not take SAT</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities and Leadership
-Varsity Swimming (7-12) [Voted Captain (11,12), All-State Team, Voted Hardest Worker (9-12)]
-Student Council (9-12) [Voted Member at Large on State Board (10, 11), Vice President (12), Member of Executive Board (10-12), National Convention Delegate (11)]
-Junior Classical League (8-12) [Executive Board (9, 11), Editor of Newspaper (9, 11)]
-Concert Band (9-11) [Band Council (9-11)]
-Pep Band (9-11)
-National Honor Society (11, 12)
-JV Soccer (9, 10) Captain (10)
-FM Chamber Youth Leadership Selection (11)
-Metro Student Ambassadors Selection (12)
-Principals' Club (11, 12)
-Socratic Club (11, 12)
-History Club (12)</p>

<p>Work Experience
-Lifeguard (CPR, Lifesaving, WSI Certified), summers before junior and senior year, 30 hours a week, also taught lessons
-Salesperson at Bridal Shop
-Volunteer Swim Coach for local team
-Week-long Mission Trip to inner-city</p>

<p>Awards and Distinctions
-Academic Letter Winner (9-11)
-Letter Winner: Swimming, Band, Pep Band, JCL, Student Council
-State Star Solo Music Performance (9-11)
-National Latin Exam Medal Winner (9-11)
-National Honor Society Selection
-AMVETS Essay Winner- 1st Place
-NDASC Member At Large (State Student Council)
-FM Optimist Essay Winner- 1st Place
-Voted Hardest Worker of Varsity swim team
-Voted Captain of Varsity swim team
-ND Girls Swimming State Finalist (9-12)
-Student Ambassadors selection
-Student of the Month (11)</p>

<p>Community Service
-Part of team of students leading a Youth-Led food drive- raised 100 tons of food and over $106,000 for charity (fillthedome.org, check it out!)
-Served on board for Homeless and Hungry project
-Latin Tutor (12)
-Went on inner-city mission trip</p>

<p>Senior Schedule
-AP Calculus AB, AP English Lit, AP US History, Latin 4, Economics, Physics, Weights</p>

<p>Recommendations
-AP Calculus & AP English Teacher
-Principal/Student Council Advisor</p>

<p>Essay
I wrote my essay about a shoulder injury that I suffered having switched swim teams; I related it to taking risks in life.</p>

<p>Duke is an amazing school, and I would be honored to be selected. I understand that it is a reach school for me.</p>

<p>This is my first post! Thanks for your time everyone.</p>

2

<p>Your grades/scores are on the weak side. But your e.c.s are so strong you definitely got a good shot.</p>

3

<p>Grades and scores are on the weak side? Really deepsand? You do realize that people get into top 20 institutions every year with 3.whatever gpas and a wide range of test scores right? And no, they are not all black, football players, or 3rd generation students from Wyoming.</p>

4

<p>I would agree that it is a reach. I would say you have somewhere in the 5-10% range of being accepted, but by all means apply! You will never know unless you give it a shot. Duke is indeed a great school. I am worried about my daughter getting in and she has pretty much the same EC’s as you, but with a 4.0 unweighted, and a 35 ACT.</p>

5

<p>Are you guys serious? How is a 3.95 low at all especially when s/he got A’s in all his/her AP classes? So, ya, OP, your GPA is perfectly fine for Duke and I think you have a good shot. As for the rest of you people attempting to tell the OP that her grades/ACT are too low, college admissions officers, especially those at Duke, aren’t as naive and simplistic in their investigation as you are. They aren’t only looking for kids with perfect scores. The fact that the OP got a B in 2 classes (i’m going to assume) isn’t going to cause them to reject him/her. They’re looking for kids who will do something at duke and with their life, not people who just have high test scores and perfect grades. Getting a B in two classes isn’t going to get them to say, “OH SNAP! THIS PERSON IS GOING TO BE AN UTTER FAILURE. REJECT HIM/HER RIGHT NOW!” The test scores and the grades are supposed to be indicators of the potential of the student, not the things determining his/her worth. From what you’ve posted here, you seem like a genuinely interesting person and, personally, I think that Duke will think the same thing and ultimately accept you. However, if things don’t work out, I can guarantee you that it won’t be because of your low test scores or your ‘low’ grades.</p>

<p>Also, to Mustang2000, what the heck are you talking about? Would you mind enlightening us all where you managed to conjure up that seemingly arbitrary percentile range from? Considering the number of subjective factors in this process and the subjectivity of this entire process, it is downright ridiculous to attempt to quantify anything in this process. So congratulations, I hope you feel pretty special because you somehow managed to quantify the unquantifiable. You should be proud!</p>

6

<p>Thank you guys for replying. I sincerely appreciate it. I am hoping that being from ND gives me an advantage… I understand that my ACT isn’t as high as a lot of applicants. </p>

<p>Everyone applying to Duke (for the most part) is most likely very intelligent. I hope that my ecs and community service stand out.
Thank you again :)</p>

7

<p>I really like your chances, Duke’s application reviews seem to be less numbers-driven and more holistic than other competitive institutions, and I think both the depth and breadth of your EC involvement demonstrates the impact youve made in your community. There is a video interview with Guttentag somewhere in this forum in which he highlights what they look for in applicants, and I think you match up well given your ACT score (which is on the low side) being overshadowed by strong grades and ECs (assuming your essays and recs are on the same level).</p>

8

<p>Get out of the wrong side of the bed there motion? I’m just trying to be realistic.<br>
GPA is not the question-ACT score is. Haven’t you been on any sites that rate your chances of getting into a college? It’s just a guesstimate, nothing more or less. You know that someone with a 3.0 and a 25 ACT would have pretty much no chance to get into Harvard don’t you? Someone with a 4.0, and a 36 would have a much higher chance. I know grades/test scores aren’t everything, but the better the numbers, the better the chance, you can’t deny that. Spartan, I wish you the best and hope you get in. I am your neighbor to the east-from Minnesota.</p>

9

<p>Mustang, go tell that to all the people with 4.0s and/or 1500+ SATs (counting two sections) that were rejected this month from MIT, Stanford, Duke, Uchicago, Rice, Yale, etc.</p>

<p>[Christoph</a> Guttentag Named Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Duke](<a href=“http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2005/10/christophdean.html]Christoph”>http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2005/10/christophdean.html)</p>

<p>Read the article. In the 2005 decision pool, 59% of Valedictorians were rejected, which is pretty high for people who are supposedly perfect on paper. </p>

<p>Besides, websites that rate your chances based on a calculator are highly subjective. And who are you to say what Harvard’s gpa and test score cutoffs are?</p>

10

<p>I NEVER said you would get in with perfect scores. I said you’d have BETTER chance with a 36 than a 27. You can not be so naive as to not believe that can you? I also did not say what Harvard’s cutoffs are. I guess EVERYONE then should appI tly to HYPSM since test scores and grades don’t matter. It’s all subjective and luck and EC’s, recs, and essays can overcome test scores and grades?
I think the Vikings have around a 65-70% chance of winning tonight. I guess I am an idiot for trying to quantify that though.</p>

11

<p>Usagi, I will make a litle wager with you. I’ll bet you that a higher percentage of kids with a 31 ACT were rejected than were the 59% valedictorians.</p>

12

<p>why is it that whenever a person asks for a chance thread, the Dukies feel the need to start by saying, <code>you numbers are on the weak side</code>… therefore implying that their school has many more talented people than that particular applicant. stop with the inferiority complex!</p>

13

<p>I know a guy from ND that recently got in ED with a 30… just saying :)</p>

14

<p>I never said you didn’t have a better chance, but given that 2/3 of your application at Duke is rated not on test scores and grades, I’d hazard a guess that the other factors personality and ECs, Essays, recommendations, and the rigor of your high school program) matter more. Someone with a 4.0 with 3 AP classes, one-dimensional voiceless essays, standard ECs like NHs and Beta, and mediocre recommendations because they lack any personality outside of worrying about gpa and college admissions, is not going to have a better shot over someone with a 3.6 with outstanding personal recommendations, passion for their ECs, personal and witty essays, and 6 APs.</p>

<p>[Duke</a> Magazine-Admissions 101-January/February 2006](<a href=“Duke Mag”>Duke Mag)</p>

15

<p>Lol Mustang, are we just going to wager gloating privileges?</p>

16

<p>I think we are all saying the same thing. Go for it Spartan, and I wish you the best. Let me know how it works out and I will do the same with my daughter. Being from ND, have you visited NDSU or Concordia, Moorhead? My daughter liked Concordia and has an interview there in February for a full tuition scholarhip.</p>

17

<p>Well I live, and have lived, in Fargo my whole life, so that kind of makes a difference for me! I don’t intend to apply or attend NDSU or Concordia, though I know many many people who attend both colleges and love them. Most kids from my school will attend NDSU next year.</p>

18

<p>Given the crappy weather we’ve had this winter, I’ll take NC’s climate any day. Usagi, thanks for the link to the admisssions article-it’s very informative!</p>

19

<p>Spartan where else are you applying? My D is applying to four schools in MN, along with Northwestern, Auburn, Duke, UNC, and Yale.</p>

20

<p>I was accepted to the U of M Carlson School of Management, and I also applied to SMU. All extremely different schools, I know it seems very random haha.</p>