<p>Yes, they say that it does help because Duke was our first choice.</p>
<p>I hope so. 
Because, as some point out the pool gets more competitive quality-wise (test scores, GPA’s, etc) from the sheer number of applicants that will be throwing their hats into the Duke ring because of deferrals or rejections from elsewhere.</p>
<p>Did the campus visit this fall, very nice! Remaining hopeful for my daughter to get good news from Duke come springtime.</p>
<p>Going back to dander’s question: Would it help to contact admissions personally?</p>
<p>I will be sending in my mock exam results in early Feb. </p>
<p>girlofpurple: I think you could contact admissions after you get your mid-term grades? Or if you win any other competitions etc.? I’m not sure actually, but that’s what I’ve heard. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think contacting admissions would hurt, unless you’re emailing them so often, to the point where it gets annoying.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Does Duke have a deferral supplement form, or something along those lines? </p>
<p>And would it be possible for me to send in some supplementary art materials to sort of push myself over the edge? Since all we did was TALK about what we did on the application, I think it would be a nifty idea to perhaps SHOW them?</p>
<p>Nope, don’t think they have a deferral form. Think you could send your materials to the officer in charge of your state?</p>
<p>How do you find out who your state rep or admissions counselor is, and which should I contact? I’m a little thrown off, other schools tend to have deferral supplements, so this is all new!</p>
<p>In the header of the deferral letter, there is a Frequently Asked Questions link. The FAQ page lists the admissions reps for each area and lists suggestions for improving your application.</p>
<p>Ah found it, thank you.</p>
<p>was deferred from georgetown early action. 2250 SATs. top 5% of high school. decent extracurricular activities (4 years on school newspaper, mission trip to mexico, played clarinet for 7 years). anyway, i was trying to figure out what type of people are getting admitted and once again this blog kind of helped me out. [College</a> Application Admissions Essay Editing SAT Tutor Tips Blog - What Are My Chances?](<a href=“http://www.applicationanxiety.com%5DCollege”>http://www.applicationanxiety.com) i think im going to be making some changes to my app im send out this week.</p>
<p>my app to Duke that is. oh also 760 on literature 800 on spanish and 750 on Math.</p>
<p>Acarnegie,</p>
<p>As a GU alum, understand that a deferral from Georgetown is a bit different from other deferrals and you will get real consideration in the RD round. Take a look at the NYT blog from yesterday and you will see GU has filled only about 18% of its class with EA applicants as compared to the 35-47% at other top schools. The bottom line is there is no EA bump at GU and if anything it is harder to get in EA than RD. Not sure why they do this, but it has been this way for awhile.</p>
<p>acarnegie
Essay is very important too. Have you presented to Adcorns your other ingredients, in addition to academic numbers, such as your passions, interests? Nowadays, the pool is filled with most good students with stellar stats. SAT of 2250 is not difference from 2210 in this regard.</p>
<p>The biggest mistake that most people make is writing a boring and generic essay. Even if you have great scores, a lesser qualified applicant with a better essay will have a good chance of taking your spot. The common app essay should be very unique and show your personality and who you are. Imagine how many kids wrote about a volunteer trip to south america or debate team; I would even discourage writing about anything you do as an extracurricular unless it is extremely unique because they dont want to hear the same thing about you over and over. I personally wrote about how I tried to keep beating my dad at a board game as it showed aspects of my personality (creativity, competitivness, etc.). </p>
<p>I have helped a lot of people edit and revise their essays and soooo many people wrote about how awesome their grandparents were but it was all the same and it told nothing about themselves. Keep this in mind when writing your essay: the focus should be on you.</p>
<p>A year ago, I was dealing with the pain of deferral from my dream school. Here I am a year later, having finished my first semester at Duke University.
Admittedly, I was pretty cynical about my chances after I was deferred, and with good reason: a 10% acceptance rate is not promising.
However, I did not wallow in self-pity, which was the best decision I could have possibly made for myself.
I worked REALLY hard on my RD apps and learned so much about myself in the process of writing the essays.
I did NOT give up on Duke. I sent them two, strong updates that I’m SURE are what got me accepted over other deferred applicants in the end. Also, my first semester grades helped me out; they were much stronger than my midterm grades that were sent when I applied ED.
The updates I sent were 1) a letter with updates on my academic and extracurricular progress since submitting the ED application and 2) a letter discussing 5 aspects of my personality that I believed would make me a valuable asset to the Duke Class of 2015. The letters showed my personality, as they included jokes and analogies that are so ME. At the same time, they demonstrated how committed I was to my extracurriculars and how strong and passionate of a person I am.
In the end, I’m so glad everything happened the way it did, because I got to experience the full college process.
The results:
Accepted-Duke (after deferral ED), Michigan (after deferral EA), Notre Dame (EA), UNC Chapel Hill (EA), Emory, Wash U, and Boston College Honors Program
Waitlisted-Vandy and Northwestern
Rejected-Penn, Cornell, Georgetown, and Tufts
So my advice to you guys is:
- Don’t count on Duke, but don’t give up. Strengthen your application. If you need to retake tests, retake them. If you need to bring up your grades, bring them up. Also, update them and show them YOU and why that person is someone they want on their campus.
- Work really hard on your other apps. Get excited about the other schools on your list, because there is a good chance you will end up at one of them.
GOOD LUCK! Please feel free to PM me with questions.</p>
<p>thank you for the feedback guys! i know i’ll be re-writing some of my essays. i’m also trying to spend more time on the details for ec’s with duke.</p>
<p>Some of you are re-sending your essays?</p>
<p>Anyway… If I wanted to get an extra rec letter from my employer, who should I send it to? The person in charge of admissions for my country? Or the undergrad office? Email or post? :)</p>
<p>Thanks! Merry Xmas!</p>
<p>I have a question…I was under the assumption that all applicants were to receive a written letter re the admission decision and showing the financial package? Did any of you get a letter?</p>