<p>Hi all, I've gotten mixed feedback from friends and family, but no one with any real clue: do I stand a good chance to get into Duke? I really want to go into economics and they seem to have the best program around (I'm in Charlotte).</p>
<p>SAT: 2180 first time (740R 780M 660W). No ACT or SATII's yet.
GPA: 4.0 unweighted and 4.87 weighted.<br>
Class rank: 9/350
I'm taking the most difficult classes at my school (IB year 11 and 12).</p>
<p>EC's: Volunteer for a start-up nonprofit that teaches kids how to eat healthy, went on 2-week mission trip to Puerto Rico to build 10 houses, drummer and Music Director for youth group praise band, lots of small volunteer work, led a group of volunteers to renovate low-income housing for single moms pursuing a college degree.
Band EC: 2nd in NC on Timpani in 8th grade, multiple District Honors Band performances, principal percussionist for the Union Symphonic Youth Orchestra, percussion tutor for middle school kids, played drum set multiple times for school plays, played drum set in the All-County play.
Club leadership: Treasurer of 1st Priority, Chairman of Financial Committee for FBLA</p>
<p>Essay should be really good. Don't mind my SAT writing.
Teacher recommendations: At least one will be amazing. Band Director said, "You are the most complete, amazing student I've ever had in 14 years of teaching..."</p>
<p>You have a fantastic chance, I’d bet money on you getting in if you keep it up.</p>
<p>I was actually thinking of applying (decided to only apply to Harvard, Yale and Columbia though) and was able to talk to the Dean and another high up individual. Both were great people and helped give me some ideas on what they’re really looking for which would’ve totally changed my approach to applying. </p>
<p>So I would definitely encourage you to reach out. </p>
<p>@MarinebioSax
Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it. No, I haven’t thought about it…what’s the tangible different between applying ED and Regular Decision? The stats seem to show that ED nets a higher acceptance rate, but that may just be because the brightest kids who will also apply to the Ivies want a “back-up” acceptance letter early in the year to reassure themselves. Like Duke should be a back-up though…</p>
<p>You have a fantastic chance, I’d bet money on you getting in if you keep it up.</p>
<p>Thanks ladeornmc! Would you care to share the “ideas on what they’re looking for?” I also plan on applying to an Ivy or two after what you guys have said. I figure that if I get in it would inherently change the course of my life for the better, so why not?</p>
<p>Yes, you stand a good chance at getting in, and if you think you’re a Blue Devil at heart, go for it and apply.</p>
<p>I disagree on the “back-up” acceptance letter theory - ED means you can only apply to one school in the early admission cycle. This is generally the student’s top choice (other than for schools that don’t have EA/ED). True confidence comes from applying to say, Stanford early, and your other schools in the RD cycle. It just doesn’t make sense to me to apply early to an “easier” school that you don’t have pegged as your top choice.</p>
<p>What daem0n said regarding ED: if you apply early decision, you are contractually obliged to attend if admitted. Don’t do this if money is a major factor for your family (honestly, I’d say most people making over $80,000 but not enough to easily pay around $50,000 per year shouldn’t do ED, because financial aid can be spotty). Only in extreme cases will you be allowed to back out.</p>
<p>EA (early action) gives you a decision with no strings attached (although some schools have an exclusive EA so you can’t EA/ED to any other schools).</p>
<p>I don’t see why you wouldn’t apply to Duke. You like it, you’re competitive, you would seriously consider attending if you got in. Do it.</p>
<p>Oh, I meant to mention that you have to go to their school if admitted. You might be able to get out of an ED contract in very extenuating circumstances for lack of financial aid, but that seems to be very rare. Exclusive EA types include Restricted EA and Single Choice EA.</p>
<p>This option is suited for students who are sure that Duke is their first choice among college options; who have established strong and consistent academic records throughout secondary school; and who will have completed all the required standardized testing by the end of October. About 10 percent of our applicants apply under our Early Decision plan. There is a measurable advantage in the admissions process to applying Early Decision. In 2009-2010, we admitted 30% of students who applied Early Decision and 16% of students who applied Regular Decision.</p>
<p>Early Decision candidates must be willing to attend Duke if they are accepted in December. Students admitted under this plan may be released only for compelling financial reasons and may not reapply to Duke under the Regular Decision Plan.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information guys. I think I’ll end up applying to Duke ED if the acceptance really is 30% that way. Any ideas on what I could improve with my EC’s and all. I’ll probably get my SAT up to a 2280 or so also.</p>
<p>It doesn’t really matter whether I stay in NC or not. Unfortunately, no, I don’t go to Myer’s Park. The IB program there is ridiculous…I go to Marvin Ridge. The IB program is only two years old, so I’m not really sure how our program compares to Myer’s Park’s.</p>
<p>I’m usually pretty cautionary about ED. Sure, the acceptance rate is higher, but there are a lot of negatives. Because you are bound to go there if accepted, you cannot weigh scholarship packages or financial aid packages or have that few months to wait and see if you change your mind about which college you want to attend.</p>
<p>But, either way, I’d say you have a pretty good chance at Duke, maybe try the ACT as well?</p>