<p>I applied to Duke RD and was rejected, and was wondering if tey have an appeals process. I'm not sure why I was rejected (it's such a subjective process) but Duke was definitley my top choice school.</p>
<p>It’s tough to accept - my son was rejected too even after spending four summers at Duke TIP where his rubric was the highest “surpassed course expectations.” I felt that he had a very strong application too. However, I remember reading an MIT student’s advice for getting into that school. He said you needed to be an exceptional student along with some good luck. I think the same applies to Duke, especially with the large number of applicants this year.</p>
<p>I forgot to say I don’t think there is an appeals process. There’s another excellent school out there for you!</p>
<p>I used to think that this applied to a lot of professional schools like medical schools where the acceptance rates are usually in the single digits but now it seems as if even at the undergraduate level, once you have reached a certain level of qualification, then the process becomes more like one of musical chairs rather than a straight up evaluation. No doubt the transformation is accelerated by the adoption of the commonapp and the subsequent explosion of applications to the top schools. </p>
<p>But the point is that this new reality probably requires a change in applicant mindset from one of getting into as many schools as possible to finding one where both you and the school can agree that you are a match. With that in mind, I’d advise that you not dwell on this any further and focus on finding a place where you’ll be happy.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice!! As of now, it looks like I’ll be attending UC Berkeley or Johns Hopkins…</p>
<p>@jane101smith Go JHU, Berkley…mehh. I live near there. Its basically all concrete, no grass or trees or pretty brick buildings; but San Fran is near by. Personally i think Philly and Boston are much better! best of luck!</p>