<p>What are my chances of getting into Duke if I have a 2300+ SAT score but not in the top 10%? How much would my chances increase if I were to make the top 10% (I'm a junior)? How important is the ACT (and SAT II's) to Duke? This summer I plan on going to India to help out with different charity groups for a month. Is this something I can put on my application, and if so, would it stand out as being unique?</p>
<p>If you have 2300+ SATs, get into the top 10% of your class, go to India and do the charity bit, you will be about an average or maybe slightly above average applicant at Duke. I'm not saying this to discourage you, by the way. You should do those things, and yes you can put the charity in India thing on your app, but understand that Duke, like the Ivies, attracts a boatload of top students with tons of astonishing ECs, and most of them have about a 10 to 15% chance of getting admitted. You should apply - a 2300 SAT score warrants it - but understand your chance is the same as most of the other kids in the Duke app pool - 10 to 15%.</p>
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** if so, would it stand out as being unique?
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<p>only in the fact that it demonstrates you can play for pay.</p>
<p>selective colleges look down on "charity trips" It pretty much means you have lots of money to look good, tehre was an article about this in the Washington Post about a month ago. It looks even worse if you go with a church group. Why not help out in your community? This really bothers me, a lot of my peers do stuff like this thinking it gives them a leg up at any ivy, but they don't do it because they want to, only for application purposes.
I would recommend only doing it for yourself, not to get into college.</p>
<p>im not going there just for the charity project. its a family trip.</p>