Duke CHANCES

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

Hey everyone,

I visited Duke last weekend and I was blown away. As a first generation immigrant, I was always led to believe that Ivy League campuses are “king” and no other university could match their caliber. Up until this point, I was 90% sure I wanted to apply ED to UPenn, but that all changed this last weekend. I am absolutely torn b/n the 2 schools. Growing up in a city, I have always wanted to go to college in a city environment, but I’m also an avid basketball fan. Can everyone please chance me/give me advice for Duke (ED or RD)?

GPA: UW 3.88 W 4.38 (UPWARD TREND 3.61 fr, 3.90 so. 4.0 jr. 80% chance 4.0 sr)
ACT: 35 (36 superscored) w/ 32 Writing
SAT II: 800 Math II, 770 Physics
Class Rank: Top 4%
AP: 12 APs by the end of it all: Euro, Chem, APUSH, Physics 1, Spanish, Calc BC, Psych, Bio, Micro and Macro (self study), APCS (self study), Stat (self study)
Awards: Won a Indian Cultural Writing Contest 5 years in a row, National Merit Commended, AP Scholar with Distinction, Regis Book Award.

ECs:
Music:
-Been playing the classical violin in traditional and Indian Carnatic styles (12 years),
-Indian Carnatic vocal training (12 years),
-alto and bari sax (12 years),
-Piano (13 years)

  • I am the lead alto sax for a select wind ensemble, and the jazz band
  • I also filled in at the bari sax for a few years in the jazz band
  • received the 8th Grade ABRSM Certification in Classical Piano (certified to teach professionally)-
    -Graduate of ABRSM Royal Examination board-- passed all 8 grade levels
  • Performed Classical Indian Music in Hindu temples
  • I’m also a DJ in my free time and create remixes to classics
  • Tri-M Music Honors Society

Academics:
-National Honors Society

  • Torch and Laurel Society
  • Attended the National Congress of Future Medical Leaders
  • Founder of a finance club currently among the most popular clubs at our school (the club is also partly responsible for reviving the economics curriculum)
  • Founding Member of a group that discusses philosophy
  • Core Member of the Math team and Academic Decathlon
  • Intern as a Surgical Assistant in India (2 years)
  • Shadowed an Ayurvedic Healer (ancient forms of healing in India), currently writing a paper on the legitimacy of Ayurvedic techniques
  • Taken several online courses in AI, Nueroscience, and Big Data (a rising field)
  • aspire to conduct research this summber on the applications of Big Data to Genomics
    -As a result of doing Data Science, I am proficient in SQL, R, Hadoop, Java, and Python.
    -Executive in a family run start up company where I’ve coded in HTML - 6 years
    -Write amateur health papers that are sometimes published on an e-magazine (more of a hobby)
    -Looking for a reserach position in the upcoming academic year (IDK if this is guarenteed)

Job/Work Experience: See above ( I may start working part time in a restaurant to start saving money for college)

Volunteer/Community service: Played Music for War Veterans-3 years, Charles River Cleanup- 2 years, Peer Tutoring, 180+ Hours in the Local Hospital

Sports: Was on a USA club Swim Team (4 years), Varsity Track, and AAU Basketball

I aspire to be a cardiologist as a close family member suffered a near fatal heart attack.

Intended major(s): Pre-Med

School Type: Small, Highly Competitive, Nationally Ranked Public School

Ethnicity:Indian

Gender:M

Income Bracket: High

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First to attend college in the US.

This profile is not final. It contains everything that I do. I don’t really know what to cut yet. Any advice/feedback would be very helpful. Also, don’t be afraid to give me the hard truth (that’s what I’m here for).

2

Hi I’m an Early Decision Applicant like you, but how did you know about the National Merit Commended status? Aren’t those not supposed to be released until September?

3

I’m in a similar position as you, I’m indian trying to get into premed there (female though), and it’s really tough to be honest. They get so many applicants like us, it gets to be a real struggle to differentiate ourselves. That being said, I have actually talked to a few Duke interviewers, and I might help you gauge your odds. There’s a lot of other things that they consider: what area are you from? how competitive is your school (my GPA is nearly exactly like your’s and I’m barely scraping top 10% in my school)? Do you have any hooks? Are you submitting a musical portfolio, since you seem to be strong in the music department? How many students from your school are also applying to Duke? How do you compare to them? Just things you may want to consider.

4

I definitely think you should apply to Penn. Firstly, you have a better shot at Penn. Secondly, if city life is a priority you will suffer in Durham. Durham is Duke. Your life will be limited to the campus in Duke. At Penn, the whole city of Philadelphia is your campus

5

^^^ Logan2020, I’m confused. It seems you’re trying to dissuade people from applying to Duke, I’ve seen it on others’ topics, and I don’t understand why. I personally think OP has a great chance.

6

Go with your gut! Which one did you love when you visited? Don’t try to figure out which is more prestigious-- it’s a wash. You will never regret going to Duke-- never.

7

I’d say go for Penn, just because Duke won’t give you the city vibe you’re looking for. Penn is an incredible school and I think you have a very strong shot there. However, both are incredible schools. I personally love Duke and didn’t love Penn, because I wasn’t looking for that city vibe. Good luck!