I'm in love with Duke, but scared of Rejection. ED CHANCES

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>I guess the title says it all so here are my stats. I'd be applying to Trinity, early decision.</p>

<p>White, Female, Florida, Public
GPA UW 3.9 GPA W 5.3
Class Rank 3/600
SATs 730 M 720 CR 760 W (12 essay) 1450/2210
SAT II U.S History 730 (I'm taking one more in October just not sure which one yet)
ACT 31 (Retaking)
AP's Taken (Total of 15 by the end of senior year)
Sophomore Year-AP Bio (4) AP World (3) AP Human 3 TOTAL
Junior Year (currently taking) AP Psych, AP US History, AP Enviro, AP English, AP Spanish, AP Euro, Precalc Honors 6 AP'S TOTAL
Senior Year Schedule AP Gov, AP Comparative Gov, AP Macro/AP Micro, AP Calc AB, AP Statistics, AP English, Astronomy Honors (May take AP Chem instead) 6 or 7 AP's</p>

<p>EC's
-Class Council (9-12)
*Class President all 4 years,
*Helped raise over $10,000 for underprivileged students in our grade to go to prom
*10+ hours per week</p>

<p>-Key Club (9-12)
*Secretary 11th grade, VP 12th Grade, A LOT of different service projects</p>

<p>-Student Advisory Council (10-12)
*Student Body Representative
*Assisted the teachers and principal in making significant decisions for the school</p>

<p>-Debate Team (9-10)
*Had to stop because I didn't have room in my schedule to take the class
*Advanced to Varsity states both years
*Attended several national tournaments such as Harvard, Emory and George Mason
*Many district, regional and state level awards in Varsity Congress</p>

<p>-Social Studies Honor Society (10-12)
*Treasurer in 11th, President in 12th
-Math Honor Society (10-12) Secretary in 10th, (lost my election the following 2 years)
-Spanish Honor Society (10-12)</p>

<p>**SPORTS<a href="that's%20capitalized%20because%20they%20take%20up%20my%20life">/b</a>
-Varsity Soccer (10-12)
*Captain in 12th
*Team made it to regional finals in 11th and 12th
*About 20 hours per week during season</p>

<p>-Varsity Tennis (9-12)
*About 15 hours per week during season
*Number 1 Doubles Team</p>

<p>Community Service
-Youth Leadership Program (9-12)
*Through this, I've done about 150+ hours of service at different places
-Key Club 100+ hours
-Tutoring for Honor Societies 100+ hours</p>

<p>Work Experience
-Worked at a law office in 9th Grade
-Camp Counselor at a camp in Maine in 11th Grade summer (and next summer)</p>

<p>Awards
-AP Scholar (Depends how well I do this year on my tests)
-Many debate and Mu Alpha Theta Awards
-Winner of School History Fair
-Best Student in: 6 different classes
-Silver Knight Nominee
-Many more don't feel like listing</p>

<p>Other
-Was the 1 student in my grade selected for an all-expense paid leadership/history program in Philadelphia
-Took a course at Brown Sophomore year
-Have been going to a 7-week rigorous sports camp since I was 7 where I'm now a counselor.</p>

2

<p>** a little side note. I think I’d major in PoliSci and do a certificate program in Human Development or Marketing</p>

3

<p>you seem like a good candidate, id bring those test scores up just a little bit. i got admitted and mine were considerably higher (but then again i was admitted to pratt, whcich requires higher scores from what ive heard. anyway, with your test scores a little higher, i doubt you would be denied, especially ED cause ED is a lotttt easier to get accepted.</p>

4

<p>thanks. that’s my only worry, it’s VERY doubtful that my scores will go up any more. I started with 580/570/490 and raised my scores to what they are now with millions of hours of studying. so i doubt my scores will go up anymore =(</p>

5

<p>Your test scores are fine. I got in with similar ones (10 points higher, that’s all)</p>

6

<p>Well idk maybe Trinity doesn’t focus as much on your scores…just keep getting good grades. I can tell you that your ECs seem great for Duke, they’re like me with sports and such. My advice to you would be not to waste time and energy applying to HYPS (thats just being real with you), they’re simply uninterested in people who like sports and what not. Duke is the perfect place for you. About the scores though, go look at the 2014 official decisions thread, there you can find people who were accepted to Trinity and what type of scores they had and what not.</p>

7

<p>Dude, stop stressing. You should have very little difficulty getting in ED. I imagine your scores are fine. Just nail the essays and you should get in no problem.</p>

8

<p>you think so? i thought i had a pretty decent shot until I was looked at the RD thread for 2014 and people with 4.0 2300+ were getting denied and it made me worried.</p>

9

<p>And mentorhockey, i have no interest in any Ivy League’s really, besides for Penn. I was going to visit Penn but after visiting Duke last week I fell in love with Duke and I’m not visiting any other schools and I’m just applying ED to Duke and hoping for the best haha</p>

10

<p>Yeah, I do. There is always a reason why people with near perfect SAT scores and perfect grades get rejected. As I have seen (from looking through threads like this at high level schools like Harvard, princeton, Caltech, etc.) the reason why these “perfect” students are denied is they do nothing but study. This is why they do so well. They no ecs (or they just have a laundry list with no significance or leadership). Another integral factor is the essays. From what I have heard (keep in mind I am not an admissions officer, just another applicant like yourself) many essays are good, but they don’t express who the writer is. At the end of the day, that is the point of an essay, to allow the readers to get to know you as a person. So, I would say make sure you express who you are in all your essays (of course make sure they are proofread and spell checked). Finally, you may have been looking at RD as opposed to ED. RD is about 2.5X more selective than ED is, but it isn’t binding. Honestly, if you do well on your essays I feel that you stand an excellent chanceof being accepted. Best of luck.</p>

<p>Edit: Also, I was at a Harvard information session, and the speaker said that many top notch schools (like Duke for instance) were beginning to look less and less at numbers. They just want to make sure you are qualified for the education you would recieve. They really look for who you are and what you will do with all the opportunities presented.</p>

11

<p>jeez doberhound, thanks. That’s so assuring like everyone who I’ve been talking to has said that I really shouldn’t get too carried away with Duke because it’s a long-shot to get in because of my scores compared to those of the other applicants. You’re post gave me hope haha.</p>

12

<p>Good, but I don’t want to give you complete hope. There is always the possibility that you wont get in, so pick some safeties. For instance I’ll probably apply ED to Duke, and I’ll have UNC and App state as safeties.</p>

13

<p>Yeah…its getting ridiculously hard to get into Duke…I believe the admit rate last year was just 19%.
This year its 14%.</p>

<p>Its only going to keep going down…unless you’re ABSOLUTELY sure Duke is your choice, apply.
But I honestly would apply ED (not EA) to a competitive place like Stanford or MIT…something that’s nonbinding.</p>

<p>Good luck!!</p>

14

<p>John, I’m 110% sure that Duke is where I wanna be and am completely fine with the binding factor so I’m definitely applying ED. Thank you! Any tips? (I see that you got in haha)</p>

15

<p>And idk if this makes a difference but I forgot to add that I’m heavily involved in NFTY-a Jewish Youth Group</p>

16

<p>dukelover, i should apologize, i didnt pay much attention to your sat scores, i tend to look straight to act cause thats what i took. anyway, your sat is much better. i would expect that applying ED would definitely get you accepted, but as someone already commented, these things can sometimes be a crapshoot.</p>

17

<p>dober, your comment that kids who perfect grades only study, is way off base. My daughter has taken the toughest course load possible, has a 4.0 UW and a 35 ACT and got rejected by Duke. She has been involved in many many EC’s and two sports. She has a lof of friends and is always “on the go” doing something. It is extremely hard to get into Duke and is somewhat of a crapshoot. She did get other scholarships and acceptances which other kids did not and some of these were accepted into Duke. All you can do is to get the best combination of grades, standardized tests, essays, rec’s, EC’s, that you can and hope for the best. Even with the best of everything, there is no guarantee or even a better than even chance of getting into a very top school. YOu could get rejected by DUke and accepted by Yale. dukelover, I wish you the best, but don’t “put all your eggs” into the Duke basket. If you love it that much, I’d recommend applying ED, as it does increase your chances.</p>

18

<p>Thanks Musttang. Yah, it really sucks how this whole process is a crapshoot when dealing with the top schools. I’m 100% applying ED though so hopefully my chances will be somewhat better.</p>

19

<p>Mustang2000: You’re right, it is a crapshoot. The trend (I imagine your daughter would be an exception based on what you’ve said) is that many students who have these sorts of statistics do not do very much outside of the classroom. I know many people like this. The main point I’m trying to get across here is that even being heavily involved in ECs will not get you in. You need to do something. Something that makes you stand out. Doing this will greatly increase your chances of getting in. Another thing is the essay. Nothing helps an otherwise mediocre application more than the essay. Nowhere else in the application is there room for the candidate to really express himself (or herself to be politically correct). Take for instance my friend Pete. He had a 2040 SAT and a 3.68 gpa and clocked in at about top 25% of his class. This being said, his essays were great and he got into MIT EA. Now, I’m just repeating what I have heard from admissions officers and alumni of these major colleges. </p>

<p>Dukelover87: Yeah, apply ED and EA to a few other colleges, and if you do not get in apply RD to Duke and some other schools. Just make sure to have at least 1-2 safeties so your fallback isn’t community college.</p>

20

<p>oh HEY dukelover87, fancy finding you here. i’ll give you my two cents-although i could just do so in person but this is more fun :D.</p>

<p>honestly, don’t get caught up in the obsession with scores. obviously they’re very important but you have good scores so far. maybe your ACT could go up a little but it’s still good. scores aren’t everything, though. you’re exactly the type of person duke is looking for (or at least, what they’re known to look for). you’re very well-rounded. and even more than that, you’re a leader in most of the things you’re involved with-which is good.</p>

<p>what i also think duke likes is a person whose interested in them, for reasons other than their ranking and renown. of course, the fact that you would be applying ED helps give them this idea but the supplement essay that you’re supposed to write would be a good opportunity for you to express this as well. don’t list everything you know about them, but incorporate into your essay the little things about duke that you appreciate (probably mention, but don’t necessarily focus on, academic opportunities they they undoubtedly provide), like their gardens, service programs, or what have you.</p>

<p>all in all, i think you have a great shot at duke, especially ED!</p>