Chances at Duke ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

Duke has been my dream school since I was a little kid, so I was wondering about my chances at Duke as a mathematics major.

Background:
Asian Male
Medium-sized public school in Southern California (not the most academically competitive, however)
Lower-Middle Class
Both parents went to college (Father has a Ph. D)

Stats:
SAT: 1540 (740 Reading/Writing, 800 Math, 16 Essay I know I’m crying internally)
Subject Tests: 740 Chemistry 800 Math II
GPA: 4.0 UW/4.42 W
12 AP Classes in High School Career
Class Rank: 4/410
AP Tests:
9th Grade: None
10th Grade: World History (3), Calculus AB (4)
11th Grade: Chemistry (5), Calculus BC (5), English Language (4), US History (4), Psychology 3
12th Grade: Physics 1, Statistics, English Literature, US Government, Spanish Language, Physics C: Mechanics (our school doesn’t offer Physics C: Mechanics as a class, but I’m taking the test anyway.)

Extracurriculars:

  • Paid tutoring job where I taught international kids who were struggling in math and other subjects
  • Basketball Team (JV Captain junior year)
  • Tennis Team 2 Years (JV junior year, Varsity senior year)
  • UNICEF Active Member - Service Coordinator (11) Vice President (12)
  • Started a club with my friends to address the growing homeless population in Orange County
  • Altar Server Captain at my church
  • Youth Ministry Leadership Team at my church
  • Mariner Mentors (basically a poor man’s version of Link Crew because our school couldn’t afford it)
  • California Scholarship Federation (lots of community service and advising those who need academic help)
  • National Honor Society

Awards/Accolades:

  • ACS Chemistry County-wide Olympiad (10)
  • President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold)
  • Scholar of the Quarter (10,11) (basically getting good grades and standing out as a student)
  • AP Scholar with Distinction

I know my extracurriculars are kind of underwhelming, but I’m hoping that my essays and statistics can provide some leeway. Also, my school uses semester grades and not quarter grades, so do I still have to send my quarter grades to Duke? Our school technically keeps track of them, but we don’t use them officially.

2

The stats look good, but it all comes down to how well you can purvey your extracurriculars in your essays. You definitely have a shot. In terms of submitting your senior year grades, if you’re applying ED, you probably won’t be able to submit your first semester grades. However, if you’re applying RD, you definitely need to submit your first semester grades.

3

Thank you! Your input means a lot. If I’m unable to input my first semester grades for ED, then do I have to input my first quarter grades, even if my school doesn’t count them?

4

If you would have your first quarter grades before the ED deadline (11/1), I recommend putting in your first quarter grades since it would give a sample of your senior year grades to the admissions officers.

5

Alright, thank you! Would you still recommend it if my first quarter grades are a little shabby?

6

I would take a look here: https://admissions.duke.edu/application/instructions#transcript

“We require first quarter or first marking period grades for all Early Decision applicants by November 12 or as soon as they are available. Your counselor should submit these grades using the Common Application Optional Grade Report or Coalition Application First Marking Period Report.”

“If your school will be unable to provide us with official midterm grades by mid-November, you should request an unofficial progress report to be sent by a school official. A student’s senior year academic work is often a critical component of our review.”

Duke Admissions requires unofficial scores too, so in your case, you would need to submit your first quarter grades.

7

Oh shoot thank you for your information! You’ve provided a lot of help. It really does mean a lot to me so thank you so much.