Chances for Pre-Med Major!!?!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>I would absolutely love to attend Duke, but at this same time it is a highly competitive school. I know I could have a much better portfolio, but with the stats I have, what are my chances of getting accepted into Duke's Pre-Med program? </p>

<p>My top schools are quite ambitious: Duke, Columbia, Washu, JHU, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern, and NYU. </p>

<p>AFTER 1st semester senior year:</p>

<p>GPA:
W: 4.49
UW: 3.89</p>

<p>ACT:
34 (35 English, 35 Math, 34 Reading, 32 Science)
11 in Writing</p>

<p>AP Exams:
Biology: 5
Chemistry: 5
Calc BC: 5
English Lit. and Comp: 4
(Will take Physics, Macro, Micro, and Spanish Lang)</p>

<p>This year I'm taking Calculus 3 through University of Illinois, as well as all other AP Classes. </p>

<p>I have OK EC's. Only remarkable thing I've done is volunteer is a third world country's hospital.</p>

<p>Other EC’s:
Ran Track and Field Freshman and Sophmore year
Member of BPA (made state)
Member of TARC
Volunteer (Couple hundred hours)
Tutor (inside and outside school)</p>

<p>My essay's are very personal to where I come from and how I was raised. I can attach if asked for it. Those who have read mine really liked them</p>

<p>I'm a foreign born, white female. (I was born and raised in Albania)</p>

2

<p>Your chances are probably next to none, considering that Duke doesn’t have a pre-med program or a pre-med major. Just sayin’.</p>

3

<p>Duke offers the premed major…I would know as I applied for it on the common app</p>

4

<p>@aleee102: No, Duke does not have a formal Pre-Med major (not withstanding the Common Application). Incidentally, this has been addressed, quite recently, on CC. The following URL (from the Undergraduate Admissions website) lists the majors, minors, and certificates available at Pratt and Trinity; Pre-Med simply isn’t included:
[Majors</a>, Minors & Schools - Duke Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/education/majors]Majors”>Academic Possibilities - Duke Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

5

<p>As a 2013 Duke graduate who was premed, I can tell you that Duke does not offer a premed major. Being premed at Duke- and at most schools for the matter- involves taking a specific track of courses (1 year of biology, 1 year of general chemistry, 1 year of organic chemistry, 1 year of physics, and starting in 2015, 1 semester of biochemistry, 1 semester of psychology, and 1 semester of sociology on top of that), as well as involvement in research, community service, leadership roles, and clinical roles. You can major in whatever you want at Duke and be premed- whether it is the stereotypical biology major or English. On the Common App supplement, Duke does list a premed program, but it is not a major- they are just trying to gauge what majors, minors, and tracks prospective students are interested in Duke.</p>

<p>If you want more information on the premed track at Duke, I suggest you visit this site: [Office</a> of Health Professions Advising – Duke University](<a href=“http://prehealth.duke.edu/prospectivestudents/]Office”>http://prehealth.duke.edu/prospectivestudents/). </p>

<p>In terms of your competitiveness for Duke and the other schools, your GPA and standardized testing scores are within the range of a competitive applicant. Your extracurriculars do not stand out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in. Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as they state on their website, like to accept high school students who have demonstrated impact, whether it is one particular activity or a wide variety. You will need to communicate how you made an impact with the organizations you are involved in in either your main essay, short essays, extracurricular activity section of the Common App, or resume. They frankly don’t want to see a laundry list of activities or expect applicants to volunteer abroad (they get a lot of those applicants anyway). Volunteering in a third world hospital is not considered remarkable by admissions officers unless you did so for a long period of time and made an actual impact with the organization.</p>

<p>I strongly suggest you thoroughly explore the Duke Undergraduate Admissions website so you get a clear sense of what makes a competitive Duke applicant and what unique opportunities are available at Duke. Here’s the website: admissions.duke.edu.</p>

6

<p>Pre-med isn’t a major. It’s more or less a designation with a few requirements. You can be an English major and pre-med for all the med schools care.</p>