this is more of what i was trying to communicate lol. it’s about how they evaluate you in the context of your situation. i was never saying that all wealthy people take standardized tests early. but we do know it’s a trend that people w/ better access to resources tend to be more proactive in the process. so if that is the type of person around you, and they have test scores but you don’t, it will be a disadvantage. however if that info is in your school report, etc., it prob won’t be held against you
I think that’s an interesting observation and I’ve heard it as well, both before the pandemic and now in a different thread, that standardized test scores rise naturally each year with or without test prep so it has been recommended for students to wait until later for their first sitting and for transfers not to stress too much about retaking it. It definitely depends on the student’s background because everyone’s advisors think differently.
It’s also been said that since test scores naturally rise with time, AOs are paying closer attention to the testing date and weighing that in as well. Idk how that would work but we’ll see with time, I guess!
You just jogged my memory about something I recall seeing in one of our school college counseling senior college meetings which was a webinar in August when I was stuck in quarantine in NY for two weeks taking my daughter back to college. It was probably the most I excitement I had during that time! I can’t believe I forgot.
Our counselors empahsized then that if you hadn’t taken the tests, don’t worry and don’t take them. So basically, if you haven’t taken them yet, don’t bother to take them. Needless to say, no one listened because I proctor and people were anxiously trying to grab and find spots and our school held testing dates for our seniors only to make sure everyone got in, and for most it was not their first time testing. But that said, my brother who lives in another state, his kid was told the same thing. If you haven’t tested yet, don’t bother testing. In his case, his kid hadn’t tested yet. But they went out of their way to drive to get a test because for that kid it could mean the difference in getting into a better school to not only show some brains but also because he had an upward trend of grades from schools which would only be a plus for him especially if he had a good score to go with that.
So to some degree telling kids not to even bother to get a test in if they hadn’t taken it may also not have been the best advice. But I guess those kids will soon find out. I would think some will say “hey best thing ever was not taking the test” and some might say “damn I should’ve taken it” and all the people that spent some money on tutors or reviewing who’s kids never took it will just be annoyed altogether.
This just popped up on my application portal. They said “We plan to release admission decisions to Early Decision candidates no earlier than Thursday, December 17 and no later than Monday, December 21. Email instructions will be sent several days in advance.” You’re welcome everyone.
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do we think they’ll all be released the same day like usual or will it be spread out over the period they gave
My portal doesn’t even say that. 
they really had to do us like that on the last night of hanukkah 
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@daniel52 It’s lowkey hidden, it’s right under the spiel about out mid-year reports.
@peypers4 Likely all the same day
And wow, I’m proud of us that we predicted this like two weeks ago! Go us!
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Thanks, I see it now
i can’t waittt another 8-12 days and we’ll know. that’s so scary
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After hearing about the 20% increase in ED applications, I’m not very hopeful! But everyone will end up where they are supposed to be I guess.
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What do we think makes a good candidate? Seems as though most will be qualified - mine is top 3-5% student in competitive HS, high gpa with rigorous APs, high SAT, what we think are great essays and recs, state and national competition, founded nonprofit, varsity athlete, clubs…what does it take???
That’s exactly the thing, no one knows.
The kids who apply to T20 colleges are all brilliant, it’s truly a self selecting pool (especially with the less popular schools like Duke, Rice, and Johns Hopkins). For the most part, we all have what it takes to thrive at and after Duke and the AO know it. That’s why people say admissions to these schools is random, because if it were based on the best and brightest kids in the country, most everyone would get in. But we all don’t and there seems to be no discernable pattern as to why.
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how much do you all think demographics are a factor? like if I am academically qualified and nationally recognized for talent, first gen college student, and come from a state where not many ppl apply ED, does that increase my chances?
yes
Demographics are a “tipping” factor from my knowledge, it looks like top colleges love continuing legacies as much as they love creating them. I imagine being a legacy or a 1st gen student gives a Duke candidate the same boost… just enough to tip the scale. They actually boast about how many 1st gen students they have, Class of 2021 is 12% 1st gen and I read somewhere else that Trinity is 12% legacies (obviously they don’t publish legacy statistics but that’s what I got).
Oh, and I can’t imagine they go by state or that they separate ED from RD, more like city or school as a whole. Though there has been some debate on whether or not T20s are going to take chances on students from schools they’re not familiar with. Ya know, inconsistencies with classroom rigor and how it’ll translate to the T20 classroom… yadda yadda…
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no one really knows. what we do know is that there are more qualified candidates at virtually every selective school than they can admit. i remember hearing (at stanford i think) they said that around 85% of their applicants would be highly successful at the school and obviously they can’t admit anywhere near that amount.
the important takeaway is that a rejection isn’t a reflection of a student’s intelligence or diminishing of their accomplishments. your kid has shown they have drive and the brains to succeed in college. even if they don’t get into duke, they will end up in a place where they’re successful!
edit: and obviously on paper your kid looks like they could get in but again no one really knows and sometimes it comes down to something really trivial like which AO reviews your app or what mood they’re in
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Duke officially announced that they will be releasing decisions between December 17 and December 21. They updated the applicant portal. Good luck everyone!
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i’m so stressed out, what am i supposed to do with myself for the next week
I wish I had the same problem, midterms are coming up so I need to worry about those. Calculus alone will keep my busy… unfortunately