<p>Hey guys, I was wondering if you could give me an idea of what my chances are of getting in this Fall, and maybe offer some advice or suggestions.</p>
<p>ACT: 36 composite, but it's without the writing since it was provided free by my school. I'll likely be taking it again in October.
SAT: 2080, retaking it Nov. 3.
SAT II: Taking Math 2 and Chem in October.
Class Rank: 30/827
GPA: 3.96 unweighted</p>
<p>9th Grade
Class - 1st semester grade/second semester grade
Golf Academy - A/A
Honors World History - B/A
Honors Biology - B/A
Honors English 9 - A/A
Honors Math Year 3 - A/A
JV Jazz Band - A/A
Spanish 2 - A/A</p>
<p>10th Grade
AP Biology - A/A
AP Human Geography - A/A
Honors Precalc - A/A
Honors Chemistry - A/A
Honors Spanish 3 - A/A
JV Jazz Band - A/A
Honors English 10 - A/A</p>
<p>11th Grade
APUSH - A/A
AP Calc BC - A/A
AP Chem - A/A
AP Spanish 4 - A/A
AP Lang. & Comp. - A/A
Honors Physics - A/A
Jazz Band - A/A</p>
<p>12th Grade
AP Lit.
Calculus 3 (1st sem.), Differential Equations (2nd sem.)
AP Physics
Linear Algebra (1st sem.), Math Topics (2nd sem.)
Jazz Band
Engineering 102 (I get credit at one of the state universities)
AP US Gov. (1st sem.), AP Macroeconomics (2nd sem.)</p>
<p>Extracurriculars
Speech and Debate (11th-12th)
National Honor Society (11th-12th)
Spanish National Honor Society (10th-12th)
KIVA Club (12th)
2nd Chair in Jazz Band (11th-12th; we've won some awards at festivals, if that helps)</p>
<p>I think that's it. So I've got a couple of questions:
1. Should I retake the ACT with writing?
2. How much does being a minority actually factor into admission?</p>
<p>Sorry for the double post, but I can’t edit the original.</p>
<p>There’s a Duke rep visiting my school next month, so I can get some extra info there. Also, if it matters, my ACT score was specifically 35 in math and english and 36 in science and reading.</p>
<p>It says here ([Checklist</a> & Deadlines - Duke Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/application/checklist]Checklist”>Apply - Duke Undergraduate Admissions)) that they will consider additional testing, which is Oct. 27 for ACT and Nov. 3 for SAT. I think I’m still going to take the SAT again mainly because my current score was from last October, and I literally didn’t study at all for them, so I can definitely improve.</p>
<p>I’m leaning towards actually NOT taking the ACT again in October, mainly because I probably won’t get a 36 again. Like I said, there’s a Duke rep visiting my school next month and I plan on asking them about it then.</p>
<p>Take the ACT with Writing, but skip both SAT I and SAT II. You don’t need either SAT if you have the ACT with Writing. In fact, submitting an SAT might actually be a slight negative since you essentially have a perfect ACT. Focus on getting a good start to your classes instead.</p>
<p>Your ECs are pretty thin. What have you done over the summer? Can you start tutoring or some other job after school? Developing this area would be far more important in my mind than working on a test score that is already perfect.</p>
<p>Actually, I just emailed an Associate Dean at Duke who’s coming to visit, and he said that because I will have done my SAT and SAT IIs, they will consider the 36 on the ACT as my overall performance.</p>
<p>I did work at a Math tutoring place for about six months (including over summer), so I’m sure that will help. It’s the same place that I attended for about 8 years, so it was pretty formative in my education. Also, I’ll be getting some more tutoring opportunities through National Spanish Honor Society.</p>