<p>I am a junior currently and my weighted GPA is 5.0 and my unweighted so far is 4.0. I founded the Interact club at my school two years ago and I was the vice-president last year and this year I'm currently the president. I am a member of NHS and I am extensively involved in high ranking orchestras and quartets since I play cello. My ranking is 5 out of my entire junior class. I just took the PSAT today, and I'm pretty sure I got a 100% on the math section and the reading/writing sections were pretty easy too, so I'm sure I'll be qualifying on SAT terms. I took the SAT II in biology and I got a 730.</p>
<p>The only reason I have a doubt in getting accepted is because I am getting a B in AP physics because it's so hard! Every other grade in my entire high school life was an A. I'm taking 6 AP classes this year. If I get B's in AP Physics, will I not be able to get into Duke? </p>
<p>Thank you!!</p>
<p>dukegirrl,</p>
<p>Don’t fret about AP Physics - the rigor of the class shows your potential and willingness to challenge yourself. Most take it as a senior! Besides, it’s still early in the year.
Grades are only a part of how your performance is reflected. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself and pursue your passions aside from just academics and those 6 AP classes.
Even if you do get a B, your GPA will still be very high, and the rigor of your courses will show that you are a very capable student. You seem to be very qualified to enroll in Duke.
Don’t just take courses and ECs for the credit; do what you really enjoy regardless of the “credit” or what others are doing. </p>
<p>If you need help with physics, I’d advise picking up a supplementary book (such as 5 Steps to a 5) or watching videos (MIT OCW, Khan Academy) if you have the time.</p>
<p>A couple of Bs won’t kill your chances. I got a couple of Bs in high school, and I got into Duke. It’s the holistic application that matters, not just grades. There are valedictorians who were rejected, but there were also people with lower grades and lower test scores accepted. Duke rates your application on five criteria: grades/strength of curriculum, extracurricular involvement, letters of recommendation, essays, and SAT/ACT scores. You want to do well on all five of these categories, and it looks like you are a well-qualified applicant to Duke.</p>
<p>duke girl, I hope you will close your CC account and reopen it with a name other than dukegirl. Been around since 2004 when our Duke '09 son was in high school, and the scores of bluedevils and dukeboys on this board is an annual event. Even though you are well qualified for Duke, you have equal odds of being bypassed for another equally qualified student. Only because of the high numbers of equals in the application pool. The best advice I can give you is to give it your all, do alum interviews and write great essays, and to not fret about a B in Physics for even a second. Then make sure you are also applying to colleges that are more certain to accept you and can be considered match schools. Duke is a reach college for ALL applicants. yes, it is harder to get into several of the Ivies, but Duke is still a reach college for ALL. So many national merit scholars are on the waitlist annually. Be smart. Attach to your match colleges and then pursue your favorite reach colleges. Realize you can shine at a match college and excel at many colleges less selective than Duke. You can’t get good information and advice for the coming year with your name dukegirl or harvardcrimson. Be anonymous. Be open. Appreciate several colleges as you speak with current students, alum and parents on this board. Common sense dictates that you need to be in conversations with other schools. If you are really set on Duke, go ED if you can afford your Estimated Cost of Attendance. good luck</p>
<p>^^ Agree completely with Faline2’s post! It is pretty much a crapshoot getting into Duke no matter how qualified you are. And yes, whether you get into Duke or not, there are definitely plenty of colleges you can be happy at if not happier, including less selective ones.</p>
<p>You seem very competitive, but year after year it gets tougher so look around other schools as well</p>