<p>I just finished my junior year of high school and I'm strongly considering Duke. My GPA and SAT scores are in Duke's range, but will not stand out in the strong pool of applicants. I have very solid ECs and am taking the toughest courses possible at my school. I go to a very competitive suburban public high school. Do you think my chances of admission to duke will be much greater ED?</p>
<p>Big or small applicant pool...Duke will accept you if they want you. The AdCom has had a lot of experience in what kind of students they are looking for so there really isn't an advantage if you prove to be mediocre. However, doing ED says you're committed to this school (obviously) which is always good. So I say, do ED if fin aid is not an issue for you and you are in fact truly committed. Make sure to make your application personal and reflective of who you are--all dimensions!</p>
<p>There is an advantage to applying ED - especially if you are a strong applicant already and would like that little extra edge. Duke's ED rate this yr was like 31% and for RD it was slightly below 20%. Thus if Duke is your top choice, u should go for ED, pending on financial circumstances obviously</p>