chances

<p>I'm a junior in HS right now and interested in Duke. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>SAT I
Writing: 720
Math: 790 (I got the dumbest problem on the whole test wrong)
Critical Reading: 770</p>

<p>SAT II
Biology: 680
Literature: 700
US History: 800
I will take the Physics test in June to improve my science score (I anticipate it will be in the 700's)
I also plan on taking Math IIC in October</p>

<p>GPA
roughly 3.9 (ish), i dont really know for certain</p>

<p>AP's
Junior Year: US History (my school only offers 2 AP's junior year, this and Statistics)
Senior Year: AB Calculus, Economics, Physics, Spanish (I'm not taking an AP English; but again my school makes tough requirements for AP's)</p>

<p>EC's
Editor-in-Chief of my schools satire magazine for 1.25 years; it comes out once a month
President and founder of my school's Dodgeball Club (which is really a league) for 3 years
Tutor in Harlem, NY on Saturday mornings for 3 years</p>

<p>Good recommendations</p>

<p>White, Jewish male </p>

<p>I go to a hard and extremely competitive high school (lots of rich kids with legacies, which i unfortunately do not have)</p>

<p>Counselor for 10 and 11 year olds at sleep away camp over this summer and worked as a counselor last summer as well</p>

<p>what are my chances at Duke? do i need more EC's? should i apply ED?
any other comments</p>

<p>Hmm... I would say that your test scores are good... one or two SAT IIs in the 700s would be great insurance.</p>

<p>Have you won any type of awards? I only ask because there is a section to put awards on the application. I only had one I think last year, but I'm sure having outstanding awards would be beneficial.</p>

<p>Your EC's do have some variety, and you show commitment to the ones that you have done. Adding more just for senior year usually isn't looked well upon by admissions committees.</p>

<p>Overall, I'd say you stand a chance, but only if you can get really good recs and write a compelling essay. I don't mean this in a negative way (as I've said throughout the first part of my post, you seem like a strong candidate), it's just that these aspects of the application are given a lot of weight. Good luck with your college search.</p>

<p>thanks,
i'm a member of my school's honor society, but i dont know how much that matters for
i think i was a merit scholarship qualifier after my psat's (i dont exactly remember)</p>

<p>and lastly, my gpa isn't weighted</p>

<p>cmon!!
anyone else?</p>

<p>Many people are waitlisted and many are admitted with your very fine profile. Duke is only a Reach for you due to the flood of applicants. Spend some time making your unique personality and inner life clear and memorable in your essays. Consider what you can personally add to the quality of life on the Duke campus or in Durham. Above all, don't focus on just one school like Duke with an overabundance of applicants, fall in love with more of a sure thing for admissions, visit Match and Reach schools and apply to more than one Reach school.</p>

<p>Faline hit the nail on the head - many applicants to Duke have stats quite similar to yours. Obviously they cannot accept them all so you need to make your app distinctive, particularly in your essays. Other than that, your EC's are moderate, so you may want to take the time in ur app to explain (about 1 paragraph each or so) what exactly u did and how/why it was impt to you rather than just listing it - it will make more of an impact, particularly your tutoring thing. Theres actually a part on the app for this if I remember correctly. If there are a lot of legacies at your school, u might consider doing ED since there is a slight advantage ----> approx 30% get accepted ED whereas in RD its slightly under 20%. Lastly, theres also a part on the app where u put down all the awards/honors and such that you've won so its good to start thinking about all the things youve won throughout the years, particularly those that have impact. Well, thats about all I can think of now, good luck with all your apps and I hope you get into Duke! :)</p>

<p>Hey..I would say you have a pretty good chance. You have really strong test scores, but keep in mind that Steffi Decker has a ton of legacy and donations. I think your ecs are a little weaker than your classmates who are looking at Duke (Jason Wald etc)...Good luck ;-)</p>

<p>who are you, collegegrl88? and how do u know where i go to school? (and people in it)</p>

<p>The quantitative stats are pretty standard for Duke, so write an awesome essay and make sure the admissions officers know exactly what your extracurriculars entailed (how much work, any unique aspects, etc). Obviously nothing's guaranteed, as I know both rejected and accepted applicants with your stats, but just do your best and hope everything will work out. :)</p>