<p>My daughter will be applying this fall regular decision. We will not have time to visit. Is duke of the schools that takes that into consideration?</p>
<p>“We do not track the number of contacts or visits to campus an applicant has made. Although we are always glad when students visit campus, demonstrated interest is not an advantage in the admissions process.”</p>
<p><a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/ask”>http://admissions.duke.edu/ask</a></p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>HOWEVER, “interest” can be expressed in ways other than “tracking the number of contacts.” To illustrate, during an applicant/alumnus interview, the candidate who can – with sincerity and depth – explain why Duke is his ideal undergraduate school is almost certain to make a far stronger and more-positive impression than one who seems indifferent and essentially uniformed. Similarly, succinct and articulate essays that provide a compelling rationale for admission are often decisive. Accordingly, yaupon’s information is correct, but “interest” certainly is a broader metric than “contacts and visits” alone. </p>
<p>Definitely visit. Durham is a wonderful place and I couldn’t imagine going to university for 4 years at a place I’ve never visited</p>
<p>Even if you don’t visit, you have a leg up by showing interest in other ways such as emailing your admissions counselor or departments, etc. </p>
<p>I think the distinction is that Duke does not try to evaluate the “likelihood” an applicant will attend when making admissions decisions. Certainly, TopTier’s points are valid that a student who has sufficiently explained (in essays, interviews) why Duke would be a good fit and what the individual would contribute to the community will come off more positively than one who has not. So, an enthusiastic candidate with clearly demonstrated interest and passion in Duke may come across as more favorable – but Duke does NOT practice “yield protection” or try to evaluate a specific candidate’s likelihood in attending when making the admissions decision and that is why they say that they do not consider demonstrated interested (and why they don’t track things like visits, phone calls).</p>
<p>Absolutely correct, bluedog. </p>
<p>Looking at the Naviance scattergram from my school, who’s sent a lot of kids to Duke (28 kids from 2011-2013, senior class of 220 people), Duke definitely does NOT seem to practice yield protection.</p>