<p>I live in Colorado. I go to a very large public high school which is prestigious out here, but maybe not on the east coast. I'm a rising junior.</p>
<p>My parents both went to Duke. They are active and conduct alumni interviews.</p>
<p>I have a 4.6 GPA. My class rank is in the top 3% of 1000 kids. I will be taking 5 APs this year.</p>
<p>I am an executive board member for NHS and hope to become the president of my chapter. I am a varsity debate member and hope to become Team Captain. I do work with Spanish Honor Society as well.</p>
<p>I also play chess. I am a 3-time state champion for my age and a 3-time national champion. I teach private lessons (along with a job at a local market) and I volunteer teaching to little kids. I would be a good/decent addition to the Duke chess team. They usually make the final four every year.</p>
<p>I also play tennis and lacrosse and my school. I am not great at either but I am consistent in participating and will probably make varsity senior year.</p>
<p>I know plenty of kids that are way more outstanding than me that don't get in. How do you think my odds are of getting into Duke? What about Ivy League schools? My parents say it'll be a reach, but I'm not trusting that. They just try to get me to bust my a-ss.</p>
<p>The bad news is that I'm white. I'm Joe Smith from mid-upper class suburbia. I haven't had any life-changing experiences, I haven't volunteered in Ethiopia, and my family hasn't immigrated from Vietnam. Shoot me now.</p>
<p>your parents are right in telling you that it'll be a reach - as it is, or ought to be, for everyone. however, with those stats you are definitely in a good place. </p>
<p>what will probably make or break you app are your SAT scores (obviously, and yes, 2100+ or 2200+ is desireable) and your essay. your essay is your opportunity to make up for your, well, advantages in life. the irony is that everyone has a story - everyone has a taste for human struggle and character development. the very fact that you are a chess player, tennis player, laxer and academic wiz is testimony to your uniqueness, even if every other applicant has the same ****. the point is, reach down and pull out an essay that really reveals something about you. it should be a real personal learning experience, if you do it right.</p>
<p>Have your parents donated any money to Duke? You don't actually have to answer that, but if they have, I'd feel very safe almost guaranteeing to you that you'd get into Duke ED assuming your SATs are in the typical range. Duke legacy plays more of a role in ED than RD, so I'd suggest applying ED if Duke is your #1. Duke LOVES legacies, esp those that have given money regularly (even if it's only like $30 every year for the past 20 years) and you're a double. Even without any donations, I'd still say you're almost a shoo-in as a double legacy ED (again, assuming proper SAT scores). I know many legacies with much worse stats that got in. Legacy admission rate is ~50%. Ivy League chances also decent if SATs are in range.</p>
<p>Junior year can be a tough year- it has the ability to elevate or crush ones dreams. Duke likes high SAT's and I think if you can score about 2250 you would be a shoe in. I think your resume looks great and you have a strong schedule and great GPA. Just keep on keeping on so to speak and focus on your grades and testing. Good Luck.</p>
<p>theres a final four chess team...
id say in regular decision, college eat up chess players and those awards are bigger than you'd imagine, a lot bigger</p>
<p>Based on what I know, ED + double legacy = very good chance. Legacy is a pretty big deal at Duke. But of course, they'll also look at your grades, essays, recs, EC's, and scores. As long as you keep up the good work, you'll have a very good chance for ED :)</p>