<p>I am applying ED to duke for the the year 2013 and I was wondering if anyone knows when the Duke Supplemental Essays for this year will be available? I really want to get started on them because I have no time during the school year with football practice. Thanks for any responses in advance!</p>
<p>Usually they are all optional</p>
<p>1- Why Duke? (Trinity)</p>
<p>2- Have you ever done research? explain. (like scientific studies or what have you, most people don’t and don’t answer this question)</p>
<p>3- Why Duke? why engineering (Pratt). They’ll officially come up in July/Aug I believe</p>
<p>So if I am applying to Trinity is Why Duke? the only optional essay that I have to write? Or do I also do that essay #2?</p>
<p>Ya if you are applying to Trinity write your Why Duke (and Trinity) essay I think they recommend 1-2 paragraphs. If you ever did some sort of research you can write number two, but that is rare for most applicants I’d say.</p>
<p>Okay that is what I figured. I did look at the 2012 supplement a while ago, I just forgot if that other essay was optional too. I will definitely do every optional essay because Duke is my number 1 choice!</p>
<p>Ya don’t force the research one if you didn’t do any but I highly recommend the Why Duke essay. There always are people who don’t do it and get in, but if you really want to go there, write the essay.</p>
<p>For my commonapp, you could have a close relative or friend send in a letter through mail as to why you should go to Duke. It’s essentially a letter of rec but personalized. My bro wrote me one and I got in. =)</p>
<p>Sorry yup that’s the other essay- an optional peer/friend/moderator rec</p>
<p>@djking99 I read about it on the Duke website. Is this what you are referring to - the 1 additional recommendation? Because I am kind of unsure on what you mean exactly. <a href=“https://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/apply_recpolicy.html[/url]”>https://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/apply_recpolicy.html</a></p>
<p>If so, they claim they wont use it in admissions</p>
<p>I think they do use it in admissions, or else they wouldnt ask for it, but just that its optional and not a huge piece</p>
<p>It says they dont use it for admission but I will do everything that is optional cause I am dying to go to Duke lol so I will definitely send in that 1 extra recommendation</p>
<p>They read it to learn more about you and what you have done. It is optional so they don’t score it officially, but they read it to learn about you by someone close to you (I got my friend to write a rec) and determine your fit. Definitely get a boss, overseer, club moderator, friend, or someone to write it. You could do a family member, but I’d caution against that.</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t people who have done research do essay #2 o.o?</p>
<p>^they do but most high school students don’t do scientific research</p>
<p>Will it hurt my chances if I dont do the number 2 essay because I am pretty sure I havent done any research. But I want to do everything that is optional still.</p>
<p>Not at all it would be worse to pretend that you did some type of research. All the essays are optional, so do the why Duke and then get an extra rec letter and that would still help you. Most people don’t do the research essay because they haven’t done any sort of scientific lab research</p>
<p>@Canefreak2001 The essays are all actually really, seriously optional. In retrospect, I was a very unremarkable applicant who procrastinated too much to write my “Why Duke” on time, but I was still admitted. If you didn’t do any research (like most of us), then it’s absolutely okay to not write an essay.</p>