<p>Can I get into Duke's Pratt School of Engineering Early Decision?
Here are my stats.
Rank- 32/289
GPA- 4.193 weighted
Highest ACT scores- Comp=27, Writ=28, Math=33, Reading=26, Essay=9
High School Background- Top public high school in South Carolina
AP Tests- AP Euro=3, AP Eng Lang=3, AP Eng Lit=?, AP Calc BC=?, AP Physics B
Mostly AP/Honors Classes
EC's- National Honor Society, Christian Youth Group(Guitarist/Leader), Varsity Baseball(4 years and captain senior year) Science club (community outreach officer), Spanish Club (President) Summer travel baseball and fall travel baseball at very high competition level
Work- Part time during summer as landscaper (50+ hours/week), maintenance crew for PGA
Community Service- American Red Cross High School Leader Program, Vet Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity (100+ hrs)
Recommendations- AP English Lit teacher(very good), AP Calculus Teacher(Perfect), Athletic Director/Baseball Coach(very good)</p>
<p>I have a feeling I am borderline so my essay and alumni interview will be the deciding factors.</p>
<p>Your ACT score is well below Duke’s bottom 25%, which is 31. The scores at Pratt are even higher than Duke as a whole. Also, you don’t report your Science subscore. Based on a composite of 27 and your other subscores, the Science score is around a 21.</p>
<p>94% of Duke freshmen rank in the top 10% of their high school class, which you do not. You don’t report your unweighted GPA, perhaps because “Mostly AP/Honors Classes” would bring your 4.2 WGPA down dramatically.</p>
<p>Nothing jumps out to me about your ECs. You certainly seem to have been involved in your community outside of the classroom, but there does not appear to be a significant, unique impact. This might be the strongest part of your application, but it is unlikely to compensate for your suboptimal academic record.</p>
<p>I would suggest that your self-evaluation of “borderline” is optimistic. Both Clemson and USC could be solid in-state choices. I would also suggest to you that South Carolina participates in the Southern Academic Common Market, which allows students to have in-state status at a number of institutions based on their major. Here’s a link:</p>
<p>If you attend, “Top public high school in South Carolina”, then talk to your GC. He is likely to be familiar with other applicants from your school who have applied to Duke with comparable records. He will have far better information that anyone here.</p>
<p>@rmldad sorry my science subscore was a 30. Those are also the highest subscores. I took the test twice. I realize that I haven’t made a “significant, unique impact”, but that could partially be due to the amount of time I put into baseball. Thank you for your input. I will definitely be talking to my counselor, and I will try to find out more information about the Southern Academic Common Market. I have never heard of it. Thank you again for your input.</p>
<p>Duke does not superscore the ACT, so your superscore composite doesn’t matter. Your academics are a fair amount below the Duke average. Nothing is incredibly impressive in your ECs. They are a bit below average for Duke students as well. ED will help, but you are a below average ED applicant. You have a shot if you can write an incredible essay, but it is a reach ED.</p>
<p>@rmldad Please link to the source where you got the 94% of students are in the top 10% of their class. Can’t seem to find it anywhere, and Duke doesnt publish it in their common data set</p>
<p>Everyone is being so harsh… Geez
I’d say Duke is a low reach, just because of your ACT. USC (assuming Southern California) is a high match, and Clemson is a match</p>