Duke ED Class of 2023 Discussion Thread

@Obliviostar yeah but I also got a B- in physics (not an AP)

@sanjanagupta1 how were your junior year grades?

@madp01 not good. I got 2 B+'s (pre calc and ap bio) and 3 A-'s (ap gov, ap stat, spanish). It was a lot lower than sophomore year and freshman year. but some of it was in part due to a family issue which was mentioned in my recs. obviously tho, I can not blame my lower grades in junior years because of this.

oh crap, if i applied for financial aid, will i be screwed lmao. Alot of people are telling me that applying for financial aid will make it harder to get in.

Do you guys think that a 32 ACT is too low to even think that I have a shot? Applied ED and tbh all the other parts of my app are decent…so lowkey depressed that might get rejected/deferred just for the standardized test scores…

@bludreamer @sanjanagupta1 you guys are stressing out for no reason, this is a holistic process. I have a friend who got into Duke class of 2022 (Early) with a 1270 in his SAT. Another friend scored 560 in her SAT physics and got in.

How significant of a role do “connections” play in the admissions process? I’m guessing that a decent portion of the admitted class will come from connections/legacy, but I have no idea.

I’m not sure about connections, but I think they can’t affect the decisions as much. Don’t forget that they also want first generation students. I guess being on either extreme is an advantage.

@SGates applying for FinAid will have no impact. Duke is need-blind. They won’t know you need the aid until they accept you

@hayisforhorse they can see if you apply for aid. They can’t see anything more than that though.

@hayisforhorse: “Need blind” is a statement that sounds nice, but it’s not really practiced that way. Cornell has admitted it. So, I wouldn’t bet that app,ting for financial aid has no impact. JMO.

@hayisforhorse even if they were to consider your aid, it can’t hurt your aid.
I was at an info session for Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, and Northwestern, the same question was asked and they said, and I quote “we run out of slots before funds”

@cat111111000 were any of your friends who got in with a 1270 SAT or 560 physics unhooked? Like not URM or recruited athletes?

@bludreamer they had NO hooks. Plus they were international students (just like me). They weren’t athletes either. However, their essays were really touching.

From what they have told me (and many other friends who have gotten into Dartmouth, Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, Columbia etc etc), it’s like admissions officers don’t want a reason to reject you, they are looking for a reason to accept you, a reason to take your application to the admissions committee. A friend who got into Upenn early told me that your regional dean is like your lawyer, they will fight for you if you give them a reason to. The key is to create empathy in your regional dean.

This may apply to international students more than national students because my friends even mentioned that they (admissions officers) know that we don’t have the resources to study for our standardized tests (trust me I didn’t even have one prep class)

“General Comments: TEST SCORES DO NOT DEFINE YOU!!! I remember being so depressed after getting my ACT results back and thinking I would have to go to a state school (although they are still a great option) even though I had set my heart on attending a school like Duke or Brown. I never in a million years thought I would get into Duke but if you can demonstrate your love for a college and your passion for life through your essays, the admissions officers will be sure to feel it. Schools just want to see that you’ve been trying your hardest and making the most of what you’ve got. No matter where you go, you’ll be sure to find the best in it! Congrats and good luck to everyone!!”

This is what a girl from class of 2020 mentioned on college confidential.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19470728/#Comment_19470728

In case you haven’t read this in a while, the link is for an article about last year’s admissions, both ED and RD.

https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/02/duke-breaks-its-record-for-number-of-applications-received-staying-on-par-with-peer-schools

“There were just over 4,000 applicants who applied for early decision, of which 875 were accepted—both records. The class of 2022 had nearly 3,000 more applicants than the previous year’s class, and about 5,500 more than the applicant pool five years ago. Stephen Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education, said he believes the reason for the upward trend is simple.”

Don’t forget that of the 875 that were accepted, ED, somewhere between 172 and 225 were athletic admits, probably 40-80 were Questbridge admits, and another 50 hooked/legacy. Not saying this to discourage, but more to set expectations. ED at these top tier schools provides a statistically significant increase in chances for acceptance, but it’s not as great as might appear at first glance. But best of luck to all! And remember, it’s a journey and there are lots of great options out there!

This is why I’d like to know if we have any idea how many applied this year. Last year, the dean of admissions sent an email that leaked early as to how many people applied ED. I was hoping we’d have some idea, but it probably doesn’t matter. Those who get accepted will be accepted, and everyone else will have to look elsewhere. It’s a reason some of these “chance me” posts are a little ridiculous.

i would argue that there’s more legacy applying ED