Hey guys, I was just wondering if anybody might be able to gauge my chance of getting accepted to Duke if I apply early decision. I will be a senior in the fall and want to major in environmental science or environmental studies and am also interested in marine biology.
Stats: 1570 SAT (790M, 780RW) (Probably low adversity score). 4.0 UW GPA, 1/40 students (I know, small class). 770 Biology E subject test, retaking math II in August. 10 AP’s, only know how I did on Euro (5) but I think I’ll get mostly 5’s with a 4 or two.
EC’s: Debate- 500+ tournament hours between 40+ tournaments. Speech captain my junior year and Public Forum Debate Captain next year. Qualified for my state’s (TX) state tournament twice, qualified for the national tournament twice. Academic All American (750+ speech and debate points, awarded to 0.5% of debaters each year. First student from my school to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. Nationally ranked Public Forum Debate team. Sports- member of varsity track and cross country teams. Leadership- Honor Council member all 4 years and Honor Council Chair senior year, student senator junior and senior years, NHS Vice President senior year, Varsity Cross Country team captain, peer advisor, admissions team representative. Community service- writing center tutor (reviewed writing of my peers and made suggestions and edits to essays), built bird and bat nesting boxes for my school’s forest to support animal populations, trying to volunteer at my local state park, food bank, pet shelter. Probably around 80 hours total. Other- Attended Sustainable Summer program at Dartmouth where I learned about environmentally friendly business practices and environmental policy.
Essays and rec.s: Haven’t done essays yet but I’m a strong writer and I think they would be pretty good. I have an interesting story being a Jewish vegetarian in the Bible Belt of BBQ-loving East Texas. Teacher and counselor recommendations should be very good.
I know it’s hard to tell from a forum post, but I’m wondering if I’d be competitive at Duke if I applied early decision and what my chances might look like. Obviously I’ll take everything with a large serving of salt. I appreciate anybody reading this 
I’m sorry you have to be concerned with your low adversity score. It’s not like someone wrote your papers or took your exams for you. Lol. Chin up.
You have a remarkable profile. But just don’t put your emotional eggs in one basket. As a recent dad in this process, I was shocked a what I came to see as the arbitrary nature of admissions.
Digging in a little more I’ve come to see it as quite fair, if you understand that schools are trying to paint a picture by little dots and not in broad swaths.
D was accepted early at BC. WL at Brown. Tonight on the BC WL thread the Brown admitted student sadly reported their BC WL rejection. Go figure. You can only do your best and apply to a broader spectrum than the dream school. Think of it as them bidding on you than the other way around. If a school says no they simply aren’t bidding anymore.
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate your insight!
You have as good of a chance like many other qualified people to go to Duke. I suggest you do a little research on Duke’s Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC since it’s a very unique experience Duke students can take advantage of. You seem to have interests in environmental studies/marine biology, so I would definitely take a look. It seems like a good fit for you. Otherwise, best of luck with the ED process! Just make sure to have some regular decision schools in place for backup in case early decision does not go out as planned.
I don’t think you will be throwing away your ED shot at Duke and that you will definitely be in the running. At a school like Duke, you will need a bit of luck on your side to be the great student who is accepted rather than the great student who is not. Way more kids at Duke have not experienced adversity than have, so you should put that thought out of your mind now!
Hey,
Incoming Duke freshman who applied ED (got deferred then accepted). For me applying ED definitely had a boost. Apart from extracurriculars, my stats were similar to yours (environmental science major, 4.0 UWGPA, 1560 sat score, limited amount of APs, etc.) I heard community involvement and contribution is very important to Duke. Did you also attend Sustainable Summer’s Environmental Leadership Academy at Dartmouth (led by Jeff Sharpe)? I attended that program in 2018! Which year did you attend? If you do apply to Duke ED make sure you apply to other schools EA as well. Good luck!
Hey man, thanks for the reply. I am attending Jeff Sharpe’s Environmental Leadership Academy this year, leaving in 4 days! Congrats on your acceptance.
Enjoy your time at Dartmouth!