<p>Netmet: Okay, then. I'm wrong, and I apologize. I do know at least a few students who are still getting interviews (who are at the top of their class, including #1) at Duke, so I'm very surprised to hear this. But okay. Congratulations.</p>
<p>Yes, Duke does send Likely letters - 350 of them to be exact, to both Trinity and Pratt letters. They will be followed up by a T-Shirt and an all expenses paid opportunity to visit Duke in April.</p>
<p>S just got one.</p>
<p>Yes, I can believe they send likely letters. I'm just surprised by the timing and the actual content of this one..which, again, sounds more like an early acceptance at a very early date, especially when they're still doing interviews..</p>
<p>the whole point is that the letters are very early, it's the way that schools get around the rules and make contact with certain groups early, whether it be very qualified applicants in general or just of a certain minority group, or whatever</p>
<p>It's been almost a month since the deadline, and they don't need interviews to tell who's at the top of the pool, so I don't know why you're so hung up on the fact that they're still being conducted. interviews don't play that large of a role in the whole scheme of admissions at duke.</p>
<p>ay_caramba: Yes, thanks; I understand the concept of the letters and why schools send them...that's obvious; however, it's the wording on this (and, yes, the rather earlier than usual timing) that I find so surprising. You're right, though. I don't really know why I'm "so hung up on the fact" that interviews are still being conducted, as I do know that interviews are not considered in the applicant evaluation at all--they don't even hear anything about them (and that's a quote from an admissions officer), and that the interview is for the student to learn more about Duke...so you're absolutely correct on that issue.</p>
<p>From what I've heard about the Duke interview, it's hardly evaluative at all. The interviewer may write up a sentence or two about you, give you a rating, and send it in. I got a likely letter from Dartmouth without having an interview; in fact, no one I know has had an interview from there.</p>
<p>I wonder if I'll get one from Duke. I personally doubt it, but I'm not necessarily extremely concerned about my application there, since they end up accepting around 3800 students, and they only send out likely letters to 350. I also sent Duke new testing (I applied to engineering, and I improved my SAT I math score by 30 points), and information about new research activities I had been involved in, which ought to help.</p>
<p>A hearty congratulations to those who got likely letters from Duke (being one of 350 should definitely put you in the running for AB Duke), and to those who got likely letters from other colleges as well.</p>
<p>Joey</p>
<p>have they sent all the likely letters out already?!?! i really want one : (...</p>
<p>Me too. Whenever I read these likely letter threads, it makes me think that there is no way that you can get in without getting that magical likely letter.</p>
<p>i keep checking my mail box and its so sad...</p>
<p>Don't worry...most people here didn't receive likely letters, including me. (1550/top of class/750-800 on all SAT IIs/lots of ECs.) I know kids here at Duke who also got into places like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT or Princeton (which I turned down) who didn't receive a likely letter either, so don't feel bad if you don't get one--they're very rare considering the strength of the applicant pool and number of applications Duke receives. On the other hand, if you do get one then congratulations and I hope you come to Duke!</p>
<p>my friend got a likely letter to duke and doesnt have superb test scores so anything can happen =D</p>
<p>while clicking heels together: "hoping my mail is just running slow, hoping my mail is just running slow, hoping my mail is just running slow"</p>
<p>*i'm pathetic</p>
<p>Slipstream99: Our area high school here (within spitting distance to Duke) regularly sends a slew of kids to Duke every year, but don't think anyone has received the letter. I don't know where you're from, but it's quite possible they send them to great looking students (academically speaking..) who live in certain geographic regions...or it's also quite possible they throw darts to pick them. But if you haven't received one, with your profile, then I'm going with the dart theory myself...</p>
<p>I got one yesterday. They're also flying us all out there for free later this spring to stay on campus. Pretty exciting.</p>
<p>can u list ure stats tigerfan, i just wanna see what kinda kid gets a likely letter...</p>
<p>thanks for the confidence, jack! </p>
<p>i have a question: have they already read all of the 18000 applications? How would they send likely letters if they've only gotten a few apps read? Also, are these likely letters sent to the "auto-admits" that Toor talks about?</p>
<p>for those who have already gotten the likely letters, did u guys already have your mid-years sent in before or after the letters?</p>
<p>Slipstream99: Good question. I don't know, but that was one reason I found the letter, sent this early, so surprising. Hard to believe they could have read all of those applications, but I suppose they don't need to, especially if they see applicants who look very good at first reading. Again, I would guess that these are excellent applicants, perhaps from areas of the country that typically don't send lots of students to Duke. Just a guess. I'm sure as soon as I say this, someone will jump in and say he/she is from Durham and just got one in the mail today.. So I dunno.</p>
<p>KountingSheep- My stats are good, not spectacular. 34 ACT, 1/650, 800 writing/740 u.s. history/660 IIC. I heard someone say that Duke values community service highly, and I did have a ton of that. My interview went phenomenally well (actually it kind of turned into a Bush-bash toward the end, and I have plenty to say in that regard), and my Why Duke essay and regular essay were both good, in my humble opinion. The Why Duke had a different perspective, because I talked less about the things everyone knows about Duke and focused on how proud my interviewer seemed to be that he went to Duke, even years after graduation, and that I wanted to attend a school that could inspire that kind of pride. I hope this is helpful. My recs were really good.</p>
<p>crazychai- I'm not really sure. I think our mid-years were sent out around Feb. 1st, and my letter was dated Feb. 10th. That'd be very quick turnaround. I'm not sure when the mid-years were sent out, actually, but I thought they didn't evaluate RD apps until those reports were in, so I really don't know. Sorry.</p>