@Samim35 what makes you say that?
nothing yet! Does anyone know if we receive our answer first by portal, email, or mail?
my counselor told me that they post it on the portal
Gaaaa this is getting frustrating and really stressful.
On the bright side, we only have to wait a few more days
That’s true. Hopefully the warning email comes tomorrow.
Do you guys think they make initial cuts based on academics alone?
Found this from an anon source on reddit (not sure how reliable it is but):
“My guess is that they will release on Wed or Thu at 7 pm. Rationale: All prior ED releases in the last 5 years have been on the second Wed or Thursday in December. Look at the old articles from the Duke Chronicle if you need confirmation.
I’m a Duke alumni interviewer and so have been following the admissions cycles over the past few years. We always get notified a few days after the online decisions are posted. So although they say “by the 15th”, I would be surprised if the decisions are not posted by mid-week. They don’t like to post the date ahead of time in case they need a few extra days.
The committee deliberations are probably done at this point. Whats left is a process called “sculpting” that Dean Guttentag uses to fine tune the incoming class. Then a day to put all the mailing packets together. So my guess is for Wed Dec 13.”
that was from @sgopal2 haha so thanks to him/her for the info!
I’m confused. Does “sculpting” means they are going to reject / accept few students to get a more fit incoming class? Wouldn’t that mean the dean has authority over the committee?
good question @Hephaestion
does anyone know what time ED decisions come out normally?
7 EST
when do you think we will get the email
do you mean the email saying when we’ll get decisions?? I feel like we’ll get it either tomorrow or Tuesday… but it could honestly even be as early as tonight (I wouldn’t count on it though) @orangeandblack21
@mfb2018 do you think because the admissions office is closed on the weekends, we won’t get it tonight?
i just looked it up, and the admissions office is closed all day today, so we shouldn’t get an email until tomorrow at the earliest @orangeandblack21
That was me. I don’t speak for the admissions office, but I have been working as an alumni interviewer for a long time.
Sculpting is a term that Guttentag uses frequently. It is a process that allows the dean to go through the details of the class to ensure all targets are being met. The targets change from year to year, but generally are: URM, first gen, legacy, male/female ratio, majors, etc.
The dean has the final say on all admissions, even after committee votes. The process it outlined in great detail in Rachel Toor’s book if you want to have a read. If you want to understand the sculpting process, have a read of this article in the Chronicle:
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2010/03/duke-balances-competing-goals-admissions
every day i get more sure i’ve been rejected ahhhhhh we’ll see good luck guys
AH me too! I’m trying to stay positive but it is only getting harder. All I can do is cross my fingers at this point.