<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I am planning on applying ED to Duke this fall. Beyond academics, CollegeBoard scores, great reccs, and the regular essays, I want suggestions and ideas that makes an app great. For example, for those that had been accepted, what did you guys send in.</p>
<p>-Personally, I will be submitting
-additional reccs
-a dance tape with a recc from my dance teacher
-research paper(s) from my work at a biomedical college
-Community service portfoilio with pictures and detailed explanation of all the excellent domestic and abroad projects that I had done
-Explanations of all my extra-curriculars in paragraph form highlighting impacts on the community, the school, and myself.
-Brief additional Essay explaining my academic background from my transition from catholic school to a preppy,competitive, boarding high school and how it changed my life as a student and as a person.
-I will be sure to write about 4 letters to Duke during the process continually pleading and expressing my desire to go to Duke</p>
<p>Anything else? I really want to take the application process as far as I can and send as much as I can to Duke because in my opinion, applying is a one time thing so I'm gonna max out. I have a passion to go to Duke and become a Blue Devil. Sleeping in a tent before a Duke-UNC game with the coolest, nicest people or conducting research at one Duke's premier labs with a top notch professor, that is what Duke is all about and that is why I want to attend! So please, I would appreciate your advice!</p>
<p>Do you really believe that they're going to want to read all of that?</p>
<p>These two in particular are going way overboard:
Brief additional Essay explaining my academic background from my transition from catholic school to a preppy,competitive, boarding high school and how it changed my life as a student and as a person.
-I will be sure to write about 4 letters to Duke during the process continually pleading and expressing my desire to go to Duke</p>
<p>Just be careful in sending all of this stuff... there's a fine line between sounding extremely interested and extremely desperate.</p>
<p>I've heard more than one admissions officer repeat the phrase, "The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant." Tread carefully here.</p>
<p>Personally, I sent in one additional rec from my boss at an investment banking firm, because I wanted to make it clear that my internship went way beyond filing and was the type of thing reserved for college students (I was the first high schooler that worked there) . My creative writing teacher also sent in an unsolicited rec, meaning I didn't ask her for it, and she explained that in the letter.</p>
<p>I sent in a lot of stuff along with my application, all of which I found to be pertinent b/c it gave depth to the parts of my app which mere listing and fragmented one-liners couldn't provide. I think you have the right idea Med. Just be careful to scrutinize what you do plan on sending in and send in only those extra things that are really necessary, not extraneous items - for example, the 4 letters, only 1 is enough, just explain it all in 1 letter, cuz I'm sure they won't bother reading 4 of them. I heard Duke admissions is really good with reading as much of your file as necessary to form a complete picture of you, but they might toss aside redundant things cuz they've already seen/heard that before.</p>
<p>i'm considering applying ED to Duke as well... so just curious med... what were your scores/class rank?</p>
<p>he has them posted in a different thread on the Duke board I believe</p>
<p>Thanks that sounds right. I was speaking with another person about my chances at Duke and she suggested that my stats were were average for Duke acceptees and were also about the ones for waitlist. So I was simply interested in intensifying my application with additional things to the point of avoiding redundancy. The 4 letters, I shall limit to 1. But, otherwise, any interesting things you guys might have added?</p>
<p>did you go to st. peters prep?</p>
<p>Yea freshman year, where did you guess that?</p>
<p>because i went to look at your stats and saw that you are from new jearsey and went to a "prep" school that also happens to be a jesuit high school</p>
<p>i also have a slight connection to the school - i went to a jesuit high school in omaha, nebraska and our academic decathlon team stayed in the gym my sophomore year and the library my senior year of st. peters prep when we were visiting new york</p>
<p>also, one of the teachers from there is now an assistant principal at my school (mr. gomez!)</p>
<p>That is great! I knew Mr. Gomez. He really took control of the school and its activities and was a friendly, yet stern kind of guy. I actually got cut from his baseball team freshman year during tryouts but other than that I knew he was a history teacher. For me, prep was easy and not a fun lifestyle. It wasn't the kids but I guess I was not a conservative guy who wanted to follow that Jesuit lifestyle. Perhaps I can talk with you about applying to Duke and how I may enhance my app in a quicker and more convenient way. Do you have a screen name by chance?</p>
<p>Mr. Gomez isn't all that popular at my school. For one thing he's kind of racist in that he does a lot more for minorities than for white kids, but oh well.</p>
<p>and heh, st. peters must have been a lot different than my school, i'm a liberal atheist and had no real problems but enjoyed it a lot. Most of the teachers were quite liberal as well.</p>
<p>I dunno if I can help you enhance your app though, sorry. I just did the common app (no extras) and ddin't hear from duke again until i got in.</p>
<p>i mean u really have impressive stast Azmodan from what I saw from previous posts. I was wondering what you think my chances are EARLY DECISION to Duke and looking at everything, if you think I may need to improve anything?</p>
<p>Everyone is just guessing, no one really knows whether you can get in or not. My only advice is just to finish everything early and make sure you have an english teacher revise all your essays for you and make sure you perfect them.</p>
<p>But be wary about "perfecting" essays. Some are over-edited to the point that they have the life sucked out of them. If someone makes a non-grammatical suggestion that you really don't agree with, don't be afraid to ignore them. Past mechanics, it's all subjective, and you should defer to what you feel is best. Definitely look for the merit in what others' suggestions, but don't make changes that don't sit well with you.</p>
<p>Would anyone like to share their essay topic that they discussed?</p>
<p>I wrote about photography... an essay that two years later, I still remember its opening lines. But, at the same time, I also sent a portfolio of photography and other mediums of art.</p>
<p>Med_TMuds: I can tell you are really enthusiastic about Duke; however, it is imperative that you do not come off as desperate.</p>
<p>Anyway, take advantage of an interview with an alumnus. I loved mine.</p>
<p>I agree with Majayiduke...
it's awesome that you love Duke, but even coming across to the adcoms as you do here will make you seem a little on the annoying desperate side-- and although you're qualified and love the school, that can hurt your chances. (I'm sorry if that was mean, but it's really the truth).
You don't need to submit additional rec's because unless they will be ENTIRELY different and bring into a light a new, wonderful side of you, then it's a complete waste to even read them all. Meaning: getting tons of recs from all of your teachers is stupid if they're going to say "What a great student! What a pleasure to have in class!" Now if you're a performer and you get a rec from a vocal/music/dance coach or an art teacher that can talk about your skills and your ability to perform, that's a little different. Even better-- if you've had really interesting and relevant work experience and internship, have your boss write one. I think outside of the two teacher & counselor rec, the one that you'll be sending from your dance teacher is the ONLY other one you should send (especially if you're going to send tons more stuff).
-With regards to the research papers, unless they're award winning, I'd send one at most. It probably won't be read.
-The problem with sending lots of supplemental stuff to Duke (unlike other schools I applied to) is that the admissions office doesn't read it, instead, they'll send it off to an appropriate department and in that department (whether it be dance, music, art, or whatever field your research is in-- actually, I'm not 100% sure they do that with research) where they rate it, critique it, and send their critiques back to the admissions office. Getting a low rating can hurt your chances of acceptance-- so unless it's top notch, I'd reconsider sending it.
-Unless you can make a poignant personal statement (aka your main essay) on that transition of schools, I'd refrain from sending it because it's more to read and they should already get a good glimpse of you through your personal statement.
-Have you even looked at the Duke application? It doesn't ask to see the inner meanings of every single extracurricular-- answer what the most meaning extracurricular that you've done was... and do it in a paragraph or so (it needs to fit in a box!). Therefore, doing that for everything is redundant and actually will detract from a part of application.
-4 letters to Duke throughout your process... in a span of what? Three months-- if even? I sent one to my early school. I'd save the letter writing campaign for if you get deferred, but hopefully you won't.</p>