<p>Hi!
So I'm an Asian girl and my father went to Duke.
I have a 4.64 weighted GPA (not sure what the weighted is), and my SAT superscore is a 2140. However I am taking both the SAT for the last time (hoping for over a 2200) AND the ACT for the first time this month and am pretty confident I will get at least a 33 or 34. One of my subject test scores is pretty weak so I am hoping the ACT will save me.
I took two AP classes last year (4 in Psych, 5 in Lang) and am taking three APs this year (Biology, French, Stat). The vast majority of other classes have been honors.
I have a part-time job as a hostess (about 20 hours a week), I am an editor for the school newspaper and the yearbook, I am in environmental club, french club, photography club and art forum. I have a ton of community service hours in various areas and I had an internship this summer working with a well-known clothing company in NYC.
I think my essays will be good and I know my rec letters will be really good.
My school (public) does not do class rank but is pretty competitive, I already know that at least three other students in my grade are applying ED, one of them a legacy who knows the admissions officer...
I know that my stats are not as competitive as some other applicants', and that I have no major awards to speak of, and was wondering how much legacy and early decision combined would help me (although probably not too much). However, I believe that if I get the chance to interview with an alumni it would go really well and most likely help my chances a little bit (I had my first interview today with another school and it was great).
I would like to apply to Trinity, by the way.
Any help or advice is appreciated much!!</p>
<p>Please work hard to ensure your essays provide the Duke Admissions’ readers, officers and committee with very sound answers to these questions:
- Why me, and not the other 20,000+ highly distinguished applicants?
- What will I bring to my classmates, to the faculty, and (eventually) to the University that sets me apart?
I know these are difficult questions; however, they provide a way for you to differentiate your candidacy from so many other equally deserving, talented, and accomplished applicants.</p>
<p>Have no doubt, you’re solidly in the “entirely qualified” group, but your essays should focus on moving you into the rarified “certainly must accept” category. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>You stand a good chance with legacy and ED. How involved is your dad with the alumni association? </p>
<p>I agree with @toptier. Your scores and grades are definitely within the range. Show what special skills or talents that you can add to the class of 2019. Good luck</p>
<p>To slightly amplify on @sgopal2 ‘s post, substantial involvement and tangible support for Duke need not be with and thorough the Alumni Association, per se. For example, team teaching several class sessions at Fuqua or the Medical School each semester, serving on one or more of the several important governance boards or executive committees, endowing a scholarship(s), leading class gift committees, recruiting Dukies for internships and for entry-level professional opportunities, and MANY other significant devotions of precious time, talent and treasury ALL demonstrate a loyalty to the University’s ceaseless progress that make some legacies’ “admissions bump” appreciably greater than the majority of graduates’ children.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, @toptier and @sgopal2! I have been working very hard on my essays and I am pretty happy with the results. My father is not EXTREMELY involved with the Alumni Association/the activities you listed, but he has kept in touch since his graduation and attended several Duke events.</p>
<p>Question: how much does competition from my own school affect my chances? At this point I know there at least five other kids in my grade applying early decision, with two of them being legacy… Is Duke known for attempting to only accept a certain amount of students from an area?</p>
<p>@kgemini: The first level reader will probably compare all the students from a given school (and geographic region). So yes you will likely be compared to your peers. The second level reader, generally does not have this geographic restriction however.</p>
<p>There is no cap that restricts the # of students from a given school that I’m aware of. However you probably would have been better off if no one from your school was also applying this year.</p>
<p>I typically interview 8-10 students each interview cycle. I do recall several years ago where I interviewed 4 ED candidates from the same school and 2 of them got in. So its not impossible. Good luck</p>
<p>@kgemini: I have never had any indication – however slight – that Duke places either formal or informal limitations on acceptances from any secondary school (IMHO, this is not a legitimate concern, although it’s a reasonable question). In most annual admissions cycles, I’ll interview two to four seniors from Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson, frequently cited as America’s best high school; there’s absolutely no pattern that would suggest the existence of a numerical constraint (a ceiling). </p>