<p>@runner444 I would plan to wait till I got home, but, being unable to withstand temptation, I would open it at work anyway :P</p>
<p>The email was longer than that right? Talking about cheacking your decision alone, etc.? </p>
<p>@dancingwriter Agreed! I don’t see how he could make it a minute past 7! Good luck!</p>
<p>@runner444 Best of luck to you too!</p>
<p>I applied to Trinity for Neuroscience and Global Health. Good luck everyone!!</p>
<p>Got Duke decisions go’in upppppp… on a Thursday!</p>
<p>Major: Mathematics on an Actuarial Science track</p>
<p>Omagerd @ellisnp! You gave me a heart attack! </p>
<p>In other news, I applied as a visual and media arts studies major. But theatre sounds pretty good to me also.</p>
<p>Anyone know the specifics of the admission process? Like how exactly our applications are evaluated? Do individual people look at them or is it like voted by a committee? I wonder if Guttentag is directly involved in the process </p>
<p>@hersheybar315 When I toured Duke, they said applications are read by many people. The first reader is a random admission officer, I believe. I know for a fact that the second reader of your application will be your regional admission officer - if you called Duke admissions, you probably talked to him/her. The regional admission officer then crafts a recommendation for the application committee and presents only the strong candidates to that committee. That committee consists of around 4 people from what I was told. </p>
<p>Thank you! @Rawhide96 </p>
<p>This article might be interesting to read, @Hersheybar315: <a href=“http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2012/03/28/university-streamlines-admissions#.VIJXdtKsWTx”>http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2012/03/28/university-streamlines-admissions#.VIJXdtKsWTx</a></p>
<p>I don’t really like the fact that you can be rejected after one read…</p>
<p>@dancingwriter Very interesting article. I was actually most surprised by this:
In addition to the qualitative review of applications, readers still rates applicants on a five-point scale in six categories: achievement, academic curriculum, essays, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities and personal qualities. </p>
<p>So, do standardized test scores/GPA/Grades all fall into the “achievement” category?</p>
<p>Yeah I also don’t like the fact that they can reject after one read…</p>
<p>Don’t you guys think this is a bit extreme? or is this real?
“Guttentag said the bar for acquiring a top score in each of the categories is continually increasing. Seven or eight years ago, five Advancement Placement exams with a score of five would warrant the top score in Duke’s achievement category. Today, about half of the applicants meet this standard.”</p>
<p>It’s extreme, but I think it could definitely be true. APs have become an extreme in my school and many surrounding schools. I’ve taken 6 AP exams and gotten 5s because all of my teachers “taught to the test.” I’m taking five more APs this year. It’s kind of sad, because it’s not really learning if we are just trying to “win” the AP exam the whole year.</p>
<p>Not to worry though, admissions looks at every applicant in the context of the school they go to. You wouldn’t be able to compare the number of APs I took (11) with the number of APs taken by someone who goes to a school that only offers a handful of APs.</p>
<p>Wow that is impressive with all those 5s! Thanks for the answer @julianic </p>
<p>So… I logged onto my Duke portal today ('cause why not?) and almost died. At the top of the page, there is a big “Welcome!” in bold letters. I thought it meant welcome as in “Welcome to Duke!” and freaked out. Apparently, it just means welcome to the portal page lol. This is how jumpy I am for the impending decision.</p>
<p>“Under the streamlined process adopted this year, regional admissions officers denied admission to about one-third of the applicants after the first read, Guttentag said.”</p>
<p>Whew, one third. That’s frighteningly high.</p>