<ul>
<li>I attend an Early College program, where I have dual enrollment in my local community college and high school, where my community college classes count towards my high school credits. We are supposed to graduate with an Associate's Degree after an extended five years of high school, though I am completing it in four.</li>
<li>I am an in-state applicant</li>
<li>I have no relation to any alumni</li>
<li>I take the highest level courses offered at the college, that being the Calculus sequence and calculus-based General Physics</li>
<li>I have a 4.0 GPA (unweighted)</li>
<li>I am valedictorian of my class</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Quiz Bowl Team all four years of High School
for those who don't know, this is like a team-version of Jeopardy where you don't know the categories</li>
<li><p>Student Government sophomore year (unfortunately I lost freshman and junior year, hopefully I'll win this upcoming year!)</p></li>
<li><p>Outside of school, I have been a competitive piano player since age 8</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Also, my teacher/counselor recommendations are likely to be very good, as my counselor and many of my teachers consider to be one of if not the most intelligent and hardworking student they've ever had. In addition, I am a good writer and put a lot of thought into my writing, so my student essay will likely (hopefully?) display that.</p>
<p>Not sure if this stuff matters, but I plan on being a Biophysics major and pre-Health student.</p>
<p>Duke has also sent me a letter saying "Students like you are what comprise the talented, engaged, and active student body here at Duke" and requesting that I respond to their e-mail/letter, which I did.</p>
<p>For anyone who goes to Duke or a similarly competitive school (or even if you don't), what do you think my chances are based off of this information? Anything that I could include in my application to help raise my chances and make me really stand out? Any answer will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I got accepted to Duke, and I don’t think you should have much of a problem in terms of grades and test scores. That said, you seem a bit light on extracurriculars. How well do you do in piano and Quiz Bowl?</p>
<p>I usually, but not always, do well enough to go into state competitions for piano (never made it past, though). If not, my scores are still very high. For Quiz Bowl, my team has come extremely close (1 question!) within going to nationals on multiple occasions, and I am considered the best person on the team. So while I am well above average in both, I am not absolutely extraordinary in either.</p>
<p>I’ve been thinking as well that my extracurriculars are light, but since my school has no sports or official clubs, and I get home after 6:00pm every day with class at 8:00am I don’t have much time. I have been very strongly considering taking up more extracurriculars during the summer, though I’m not entirely sure what yet.</p>
<p>It’s unfortunate that your school doesn’t provide groups like clubs or activities because that’s a lot of what people do. You do want to take advantage of summers, see if you can use connections to land an internship, or get a job, or volunteer.</p>
<p>Your numbers look fine and are competitive. I know that Duke wants “students who are well-rounded, some with sharp edges.” They also “want you to make real discoveries, serious contributions-even change the world.” Civic engagement and contribution and leadership to the community is a huge plus, especially for Duke. Their DukeEngage program is their highlight and emphasizes just this. Develop a passion for biophysics and pre-health by doing courses or summer programs in such things. I also recommend simply community service, as almost every Duke applicant does this. In my opinion, the ones who stick out are those who were leaders in their community and MADE A CHANGE. So, join a youth organization that tackles issues involving education equity, environment, or health in your community. I think this is how I personally got in; it was my “bump” or strong point. So, not just community service but also community leadership. (Again, I think your numbers are fine)</p>
<p>From their website: “Most students admitted to Duke have demonstrated, in a word, impact. In some venue they have made a difference. It might be in the classroom, in the community, or on the athletic field. It could be doing one thing brilliantly, or several things exceedingly well.”</p>
I have been very strongly considering taking up more extracurriculars during the summer, though I’m not entirely sure what yet.</p>