ED chances for a legacy?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
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<p>Chances for early decision and regular decision, if any?
My dad went to Duke. He passed away when I was young, and I'm discussing his story in my common app essay; I'm just wondering if this might also have some sort of push (don't worry, it's certainly not a survivor's tale or a sob story). Anyway, here are my stats:</p>

<p>-GPA: 3.55uw
-SAT: M 720, CR 740, W 740, Total: 2200
-PSAT: National Merit
-Subject tests: Lit-660, USH-720
-Taking as many AP's and honors as my school will allow me to take (11 honors, 5 AP)
-AP Lang: 5
-APUSH: 4</p>

<p>-White male from Arizona, family makes <60k
-Prestigious college preparatory
-School does not rank, but I'm in the 'Summa Cum Laude' program- the most regarded, most competitive diploma, which is typically a good indicator of being near the top (usually around 20-25 out of 200 graduate Summa)
-Prospective major is philosophy/neuroscience</p>

<p>-Founder and president of Philosophy Club
-Vice president of Politics Club
-Diversity/International Club board member; went with the club on a three-day 'cultural exchange' trip to our sister school in Kingston, Ontario, Canada
-"Friends of the Orphans" Club President; went on an 8-day volunteer trip to an orphanage in Mexico in March; went back for another 8 days in July
-Over 100 hours community service</p>

<p>-Very good recommendations (my speculation is that my counselor rec and two teacher recs will be phenomenal; I'm very close with my counselor and the two teachers I chose)
-Past employment as a lifeguard</p>

<p>-3 years varsity track for school
-Scholar-Athlete Award
-Club track during the summer and off season (Track Athlete Year Round)
-Qualified for and placed 27th overall in the USATF Junior Olympics National Championship for 110m hurdles (basically nationals for club track) (regionals came before this)</p>

<p>**Perhaps I should mention my thought for why my GPA is relatively low; my freshman and sophomore year, I didn't have the accommodations plan I have now--because of my ADHD and anxiety disorder, I get extra time on tests and quizzes when I need it. I had a 504 plan in middle school but neglected to seek a similar accommodations plan when I entered high school. I was given the accommodation plan at the start of my junior year, and my grades skyrocketed.</p>

<p>My progression is something like this:
freshman: 3.44uw, 3.6w
sophomore: 3.45uw, 3.6uw
junior: 3.75uw, 4.31w
I'm not sure if I should mention this somewhere in my application or not.</p>

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<p>I think you should definitely put the thing about the lack of accomodations in the additional info section found in the writing part of the common app. As for chances, I think you definitely have a chance of getting in, at least more of a chance than I do. Though, honestly, these chancing things don’t really work for duke since it is a “crap-shoot” :/</p>

<p>Edit: Is that supposed to read philosophy/neuroscience or psychology/neuroscience?</p>

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<p>Thanks for the input. It’s supposed to read philosophy/neuroscience. Haha, odd combination I know.</p>

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<p>Bump? I could really use some advice on whether or not I should use my ED on a more pragmatic choice. Would anyone think a >50% chance?</p>

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<p>How is a 3.55 GPA near the top of your class? Does your school grade unusually harshly? I think that would be key determinant as to your success in admissions. Also, I know that Duke’s policy is to not give extended time to any student (unless a specific professor decides to do so for a given student, then that’s his/her decision). Not saying that hurts your chances, but perhaps they look negatively upon that (not sure though). But an upward trend in GPA is always positive. Your SAT scores certainly make you a competitive applicant and legacy obviously helps. I personally think Duke is a reach for you, but you never know, especially if you have a compelling essay. ED+legacy boost is probably vital; I’d think your chances in RD would be much worse. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the honesty. Like I said, we don’t rank, but Summa Cum Laude students are viewed as having taken on the greatest academic rigor. (To be Summa, you need to have taken at least 14 honors/AP, at least 4 of which must be AP, have a weighted >3.75 GPA, and have some sort of leadership position). There are never more than 10-15% of the class who graduate Summa. It’s in this regard that I say I’m “near the top” of my class. Solely based on GPA though, I probably hover somewhere around the top 20-25%.</p>

<p>That’s interesting about Duke’s extra time policy. Where did you hear about that? And where do you think I could find out if mentioning it would hurt me or not?</p>

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<p>Check out this page:</p>

<p>[Duke</a> University Admissions: Information for Students with Disabilities](<a href=“http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/apply_disabilities.html]Duke”>http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/apply_disabilities.html)</p>

<p>It has a lot of good information. </p>

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<p>Also check out the Duke Disability site:</p>

<p>[Duke</a> Disability Management System: Student Accommodations](<a href=“http://www.access.duke.edu/students/index.php]Duke”>Students | Disability Management System | Duke)</p>

<p>It doesn’t explicitly state extended time is not given. However, in college exams extended time doesn’t really help all that much anyways (unlike high school). The class periods are much longer and professors typically give you more than enough time to complete. I really only had one class (and I was in engineering) were I was at a major time crunch for exams. Basically, the accommodations are tutoring services, etc. but those are available to all students. Professors are obviously always willing to meet with you and help out.</p>

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<p>Hope that is helpful information!</p>

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<p>That’s definitely helpful, thank you.</p>