<p>Hey, I'm a sophomore (going to be a junior this upcoming year) and I was wondering if I'm on the right track for Duke since it seems that it's gotten really competitive lately (acceptanced is 39% on College Board)</p>
<p>RACE/GENDER: African-American/Male</p>
<p>GPA: 3.75 Un-Weighted, 4.55 Weighted</p>
<p>RANK: 15/442 Un-Weighted, 7/442 Weighted (Top 5%)</p>
<p>EXTRACURRICULAR:
Youth Action Council School Representative
Finalist in National Seat Belt Campaign "Click it. That's the ticket!"
Freshman Leadership Council
Outstanding Freshman Class Service Award
Sophomore Class Secretary
Significant Hours Award
Junior Class Secretary (for upcoming year)
Scholars Symposium
South Carolina Business Week
Clemson's Challenge for Academically Talented Students
Underclassmen Mentor</p>
<p>AWARDS:
Scholars Academy
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Freshman Social Studies Award
Scholars Academy Representative at Community Forum
Whose Who Among American High School Students
National Honor Roll
National Society of High School Scholars
National Senior Beta Club
National French Honor Society
National Art Honor Society
School Winner for National History Day
Certificate of Achievement for Regional Level of National History Day</p>
<p>JUNIOR YEAR SCHEDULE:
Algebra 3 Honors
Chemistry 1 Honors
AP English Language and Composition
AP United States History
AP Art History
Introduction to Philosophy Seminar (Honors)
Global Issues Seminar (Honors)
French 4 Honors</p>
<p>I'm just really worried about the fact that my grade in AP European History is not too good (first quarter-96, second quarter-88, midterm-55, first semester-84 [a C], third quarter-90). I'm confident that I can get a 3 on the exam in May but it's just those few grades. One of my teachers said that colleges will only see the final year grade, which I'm sure will be a B.</p>
<p>well acceptance at duke is well below 39%... for the incoming class of 2010 it seems to be at 19%.</p>
<p>you seem on track... just take the hardest courses, avoid Cs, stay involved in EC, and get a book or whatever you need to do to do well on the SAT.</p>
<p>Just don't get too utterly caught up in the stuff... have fun too!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with DrumNDukie - have fun! Do what you love, keep studying hard - you seem to be a very promising student!</p>
<p>bump up those grades buddy... I was one of the 58% of valedictorians they rejected... I didnt get a single B in all the hardest courses... and I'm really good looking too... its all about da' hook. Maybe invent something</p>
<p>hahaha "...and I'm really good looking too..." is probably the best reason I have heard yet. Sorry about not getting in... sounds like you would have been a fun student to have on campus.</p>
<p>Yes, thats what drew me to Duke, out of all the schools that I looked at, Duke had the best balance of overall enjoyment of life, and sense of humor, and such strong academics...</p>
<p>Attempting to get off the waitlist as we speak... crosses fingers for the 1-2% chance!</p>
<p>Good luck with that! And thread starter you can use Wolffy as one of many examples that the admissions process is in many ways a crap shoot and it is just sometimes impossible to know who will get in and who wont.</p>
<p>Personally, I think your ECs are lackluster and shallow. Most of your application consists of "just being a member" things. Who's who? Please. Well, you certainly have time to bring it up, seeing that you're a sophomore. Turn those "membership" things into real leadership roles. Also, you better pull down something better than a 3 on an AP if you want any props from Duke. </p>
<p>A bit part of the picture that's going to come into place is your SAT I/SAT II scores. Those probably saved my entire application. </p>
<p>As Wolfy notes, 58% of vals were denied, whereas only 41% of those scoring above 1550 combined on the Math and Critical Reading sections were. Now granted, the rarity of a 1550+ is far greater than that of val status (no matter how stupid the students, every school must have at least one valedictorian), but it does go to show that there exists an opportunity for SAT scores to significantly increase the odds that an applicant is accepted.</p>
<p>My grades were pretty mediocre, as far as Duke student go. I had 8 semester Bs, 4 of which were in the first semester of my senior year, 3 of which were in my junior year-a declining trend that certainly was not favorable to my application. But I got in anyways, so it just goes to show.</p>
<p>lackluster and shallow?</p>
<p>how did i get in here then? :P</p>
<p>Leadership isn't required; I got in with no student government positions or leadership positions in clubs.</p>
<p>Yeah I know my extracurricular activities aren't phenomenal but the only problem is that student government is very restrictive (meaning if you're in student government then you can't hold a position at the same level or higher in another club. For instance, I'll be junior class secretary so I can't be a secretary, vice president, or president in another club, only treasurer). Thanks for the help. I just wanted to see my chances for right now and though Duke was a dream school, I probably won't get accepted. I'll see how I stack up at the end of my junior year.</p>
<p>so become president at asb, vice president of key club, secretary of NHS, etc. c'mon, u know u can do it</p>
<p>If I continue with the same GPA, rank, etc. and can score between a 2100 and 2200 on the combined SAT, would I have a high chance of getting in? Yeah, leadership is my "thing" for extracurricular activities, especially student government. Student Body Officers at my school do a tremendous amount of work but I'm afraid it looks very shallow on an application because many kids might have student government.</p>
<p>You could always get an extra Rec by like a school employee who helps oversee the student government to atest both to your dedication to it and the importance of the body at your particular school.</p>
<p>As far as your question... I'm not sure many people have a "high chance" of getting in.</p>
<p>You would probably be "in the range" for duke as long as you make sure to take the HARDEST course load offered at your school... but anything you could do above that would be helpful because the problem is that a lot of people are in the range. The fact that you would be a minority student should also give you a slight boost because Duke does strive for diversity.</p>
<p>also i dont really think it's necessary to have a hook. you can have a healthy shot if you're just well-rounded, but only well-rounded in the "top 5 in class, very high SAT, plays sports, leadership in clubs, lots of volunteer hours" kind of way. and spend a lot of time on your essays.. and do the "optional" things.. like getting a peer recommendation.</p>
<p>You guys seem to have overlooked the fact that he's black. Given his numbers, that will make him an extremely competitive applicant. He may find himself getting invited to the minority recruitment weekend Duke puts together in late march/early april each year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! Yeah my English teacher says that a lot about the whole black thing lol. Whatever works to my advantage though...My extracurriculars will be a lot more focused my junior year/summer before my senior year on student government (that's the most time consuming and the one I ejoy the most). Since this was my first year to be on student government I was still kind of limited on what I could do</p>