Early Decision Thoughts--Middlebury, Duke, Northwestern

Colleges & Universities A-Z Duke University
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<p>So I applied Early Decision to Middlebury on November 15--A great school academically...I like the size, location (I love skiing, and it is Vermont after all) and when I toured the campus it felt awesome..every kid that I know who goes there loves it</p>

<p>However, for a while in October, I was considering applying Early Decision to Duke or to Northwestern...I like both schools (I like that they are a bit bigger and near cities, especially Northwestern)...and I occasionally think of what would happen if I did apply ED to either of those schools...they certainly have a "bigger name" than Middlebury not to mention D1 sports (especially big at Duke)</p>

<p>So do you think I would've had any chance ED at Duke or Northwestern? Also, I now have recently been hearing that ED doesn't help quite as much as it is played up to...athletes, legacies, and top students are all applying ED, so doesn't that "skew" the ED acceptance percentage?</p>

<p>My Stats:</p>

<p>-I'm white, Jewish...no legacy help at any of these schools...and not applying for need based financial aid anywhere
-Ranked 19th out of 270 in a top Connecticut public school
-4.24 weighted GPA (valedictorian has about 4.85)
-2110 SAT Score (Math: 740, CR: 680, W: 690)
-770 Sat Subject Test US History---710 SAT Subject Test Math 2
-Take a fairly rigorous high school course load (all honors plus 2 APs Junior year and 2 APs Senior year)
-5 on AP Stat exam---4 on AP US History Exam</p>

<p>-Essay was well written about how I started a mini business where I bought and sold popular items online and how it shows that I like to be a leader</p>

<p>-I consider myself good-natured, hardworking and pretty well-rounded and therefore I think I'll get great recommendations from Guidance Counselor and teachers</p>

<p>Extra Curricular:
-I went on a community-serviced involved biking or hiking trip to various parts of the country each summer of high school (close to 100 hours of community service total)
-I play Cross Country, Golf, and I'm active on the student government and I tutor first grade inner city students</p>

<p>So that sounds pretty good but the only thing is that my high school has a website (Naviance) that tracks all the students from my high school that apply to each college.....and I'm far from the average at each school....only 3 out of 25 applicants have been accepted at Northwestern...they had an average high school GPA of 4.55 and SAT of 2330....Duke was even harder to get in...they've only accepted 1 kid in recent years (perfect SAT score)</p>

<p>Sorry that was so long...but do u think I made the right decision applying ED to Midd? Could I have gotten in to Northwestern or Duke? Thanks</p>

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<p>Sounds like you made the right choice for you. You considered other alternatives and ultimately chose Middlebury. You should never choose a college, undergraduate in particular, based on its name/status. I understand the D1 sports thought…Duke and Northwestern both have great D1 programs. However, sports is just one facet of a college experience and you will find that school spirit is not solely determined by the level of competition.</p>

<p>Ultimately, its what you do in college…not where you went. In fact, many successful people never went to college.</p>

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<p>I understand your qualms, but given that the choice has been made, it probably makes sense not to second-guess your ED choice but to put your nervous energy into working on your RD essays, which will probably involve explaining why each school would be good for you. And, of course, your match schools will all have essays as well, and you should put a lot of your energy into those. That is, having already narrowed your choice to one, you need to pan back out and remember why you were interested in each, since you’ll be applying all over again, unless you get in early. And you can’t count on that, although you look like a pretty strong candidate.</p>

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<p>thanks marysidney…are u saying that I should apply RD to Duke and Northwestern? I really doubt that I would get in (I was not too optimistic about getting in ED, never mind RD)… I think the ED at Midd is better too because they have a smaller applicant pool and I feel like they would give more energy and consideration to my essay, recommendations and extra curriculars, whereas a huge applicant pool at Duke and Northwestern more focus might be on my grades and SAT scores which aren’t quite as high as their standard</p>