I did a reseach at Duke last summer at Engineering school and the professor is very happy to provide a strong recommendation letter. Orginally I was thinking ED Rice since Rice seems a little easier to get in. But I was told if professor from Duke can give recommendation letter, then ED Duke might be a good choice-- I am not sure how the recommendation letter will be evaluated. Anyone can give some sugestions?
Just curious, but why these two schools for engineering? There are much stronger engineering schools out there.
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Which would you rather attend? Thatās where you ED - if and only if you can afford the school.
You have a lot of threads going - and with different schools.
Perhaps you can simplify all to one place.
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Rice and Duke have very similar ED acceptance rates. ED should be used to the school you like the best.
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I like both Duke and Rice, whichever I can get in.
True. But they are for different topicsā¦
Neither will be āeasyā. We have a friend who attended Duke TIP summer session, prior to Senior year-top national scores, program insinuated it would greatly up their chances at admission.
Nope. Straight denied Duke admission.
They did, however, get into UT and Michigan Engineering-much stronger programs.
Wouldnāt put too much faith or stock into the promise a letter of rec will count muchā¦
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Thank you very much for all the suggestions. I am a NC resident. So Duke was my top choice for ED. But I have a couple of Bs (in history and Spanish in 9th grade and Spanish in 10th grade). I thought Duke would not be realistic for me, although I have good SAT (1580) and APs (six 5s and one 4). I am taking the most challenging math and physics courses that are offered at my school. I am sure there will be more students in my school ED Duke rather than Rice. But the rec letter from Duke professor obviously will weight more to Duke than to Rice. So I am trying to see which one give me more chance.
And yes, I love both schools and will for sure attend if every got accepted.
Hope that gives more background.
Thank you again!
Letās say you get into both!!
Which would you rather go to?
These are two very different schools - location, weather, even lifestyle (Rice with the residential college system, etc. I wouldnāt be concerned with the grades but since you are, Duke (in the 2021-22 CDS), shows the test as Most Important - and 93% submitted and I donāt know but would assume that perhaps athletes make up a large portion of the remainder.
Rice only considers - so doesnāt put nearly as much weight on the test score - thatās the overall university - I canāt say that for engineering specifically. 76% submit.
Your score is strong for both.
Based on the CDS - your score will help you more at Duke - but again, these are both different schools - so choose the one you like best and apply to the other RD.
PS - check the common app - some accept āextraā letters and some donāt - so if one doesnāt, your professor letter wonāt matter. If they do, Iād assume the professor and what they write will be more impactful than the school it came from - so it could have an equal effect at both.
In the end, these schools will provide a different environment and experience so itās not just about getting in. Itās about getting into the school that is best for you.
Those who just go to get in - often decide they made a mistake. We read it every year - it was Ivy so I had to go or I knew such and such school wouldnāt be good but the name was just too good. It could be both are great for you or neither is great for you -but find that school that, on paper and after visiting, is the best fit for you. - and again, ensure you can afford before applying ED. And thatās the one to apply to.
Just assume you can get into both - and and go from there. They are different enough that one will just feel or seem better.
Best of luck.
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Guys, the OP asked a specific question about admissions. Letās keep the responses connected to that question, rather than start a discussion about how to rank or compare engineering program, which is a different topic altogether. Thank you all for your cooperation.
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CC has a tendency to go off on huge tangents so Iām gonna straight up answer you. I think a letter from a prof will helpā¦.it helped me get into a T20. If you like both schools, then ED Duke. Best of luck!
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Thank you!
Thank you - That is a very good point to check whether they even accept additional letters. I did go back and check- looks like both of them allow additional recommendations. I was not aware that Duke actually makes standard testing as very important in the CDS. Thank you for pointing it out. I totally forgot about that.
I donāt think either is āeasierā. My D goes to Rice and did not get into Duke. She recently met a Duke student who told her he applied to Rice and didnāt get in. They are both good schools but are different environments so Iād use your ED for the one you most want to go to.
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Certainly! Having a strong recommendation letter from your research experience at Duke is great for your application. The quality of such a letter matters a lot.
When choosing between ED Rice and ED Duke, a few things to think about. Dukeās Engineering school reputation and your experience there could help your ED Duke application. Recommendations from respected professors, especially within or from reputable institutions like Duke, can boost credibility.
But ED Duke needs careful consideration. You should genuinely want to go there and align with its goals. Remember, itās binding. Only pick it if youāre fully committed.
Remember, great recommendations are just a part of your application. They look at grades, tests, essays, and activities too. Talk to your Duke professor or counselor for insights. Ultimately, your choice should reflect your goals.
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Definitely! I do not have issue to commit- for both Rice and Duke- but I want to see which one gives me more chance to get in. I like both of themā¦
One thing about Rice it is more of a liberal arts school and within it engineering. They value community involvement and the ability to be āmoreā than just an engineering student. We know several kids that went to Rice for engineering and all had very unique resumes. For instance, one kid wanted to join the MOBā¦ had lots of interest in music, yet was a very strong stem studentā¦ as an example. Rice tends to like quirky more than conventional.
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Whoever told you this, did they also provide supporting evidence? The ideal convincing fact would be two groups of applicants with highly similar stats (GPA, test scores, course rigor, whatever Duke considers as contributing factors for admission), group one with Duke professor letter of recommendation, while group two without. If group one shows significantly higher acceptance, then it is likely that the professor rec letter made a strong impact.
If your question is which school, Duke or Rice, you would have a higher chance of receiving admission to, Iād suggest you do a little research on the current student body in these two schools. Find several real students in these two schools and ask them to estimate how many students like you they know on campus. Define ālike youā with the characteristics you feel important to you (grades, personality, accomplishments, etc.)
However, my guess (based on the small number of students I know attending these two schools) is that thereās no significant difference. Your chances of getting in these two schools are both very high. Since I do know more Rice students, I have the impression that Rice takes it very seriously that the applicants REALLY illustrate a good fit in their applications. I can remember at least a dozen students attending Rice in the past three years, of which only one didnāt put Rice as his top 2 choices.
So, it all still comes down to: which school do you REALLY want to be in?
How do you know the chances? We have no information on this applicantā¦