I'm in love with Duke...chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>*So I just got back from my last campus visit, and it's official: I <3 Duke! Can you tell me what you think my chances are? Please be brutally honest, and, if possible, tell me where I need to improve.</p>

<p>-Junior
-Western NY, female, Asian
-Rank: 3/250
-GPA (unweighted): 3.95
-have taken all APs/honors possible so far</p>

<p>Courseload:
-APs... Bio, US, Lang. and Comp. (Euro last year-4)
-French through local college
-Honors: Physics, Pre-calc
-Anatomy (no honors available)</p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule:
-AP Physics
-AP Calc
-AP Psych
-AP Literature
-French 4
-regular Gov. and Econ (those just sound so boring, I don't think I could take the APs without falling asleep lol)</p>

<p>ECs:
-Cancer Research (Summer '06)
-Job (starting in May, will be 15-20 hours a week...will continue to work throughout my senior year)
-200+ hours community service: nursing assistant in Intensive Care Unit of local hospital, skating instructor for Skating Assoc. for the Blind and Handicapped, errand/escort service at hospital, tutor for 9th grade Bio students
-Interact Club (community service-based school org.)
- Cheerleading: Football, Soccer, and Basketball Seasons...JV (1 year, captain), Varsity (2 years...will be captain next year), UCA All-star ('03, '04, '05), trying out for an All-Stars team in May (2x National Champs! yay)
-JV Lacrosse
-Violin: Seven years in nationally recognized school orch. (but couldn't fit it into my schedule this year :/ ), Area All-State Orch. member, Auditioned for All-State, private lessons since 5th grade (still continuing, even though I'm no longer in the school's orch.)
-Student Council VP (2 years)
-NHS (projected: Pres. or VP?)</p>

<p>SATs: 2290 (740 M, 750 CR, 800 W)</p>

<p>-planning to take SAT IIs in June (def. Bio and Math IIC, not sure what else...I think I'll do alight, especially since it's a month after my AP Bio. I'm studying really hard for Math, since I did the worst on the Math section of the SAT I.)</p>

<p>-as of now, I want to major in biology (pre-med)</p>

<p>...oh, and don't take it offensively or anything if I don't respond quickly...I'm flying/driving home today and tonight, so I won't have access to my computer for awhile. Thanks a bunch for any help you can give me!</p>

2

<p>I think you have a pretty solid shot. Keep up the good work.</p>

3

<p>hm, it's rare to see an Asian american from the northeast so interested in duke. but i'm probably falling behind the times. it used to be easy for asians to get into duke, but now there are "too many." so you have to stand out the same way you need to for elite northeast schools and the ivies. get more leadership positions, take that AP econ. try to get recruited for lacrosse if you're really good. your EC's are kind of all over the place, concentrate them more around one thing, like research, a sport, or community service.</p>

4

<p>I think it's solid shot.</p>

<p>Chlor, I really don't think that someone on JV lacrosse is going to be looked at by a Duke scout.</p>

5

<p>I think the best opinion I can give you is through giving you my stats, because in my opinion, its miraculous I ever got in! (accepted just this April, yay class of 2010!)</p>

<p>-Senior @ small college prep school
-White female South Carolinian
-Rank of 4 out of 70
-GPA (weighted) about 4.3, 4.4
-Courseload junior-senior years: AP Comp. (5), AP US History (4), AP AB Calc.(?), AP Art (?), AP Bio (?), AP Lit (?), honors physics, honors chem, honors spanish 3, Art II, honors Pre-Cal, Econ/Gov't, and AP Human Geography (4) in 10th.
-Highest courses in everything except math</p>

<p>-School Clubs/Honors: Literary magazine (editor), Paguay Jazz Band (viola), Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club, Junior Marshal, Headmaster's List since freshman year (highest recognition), Honor Council, Var. Swimming since freshman year, Art Club
-Unafiliated Extras: Placed in 1st, 2nd, 3rd at local horse shows, 1st and 2nd at local art shows, Illustration/logo design (mural for local library, for sewing company, for school program, etc.), volunteering in community (30 hrs + per year), tutoring, stable hand, Marketing Team for Network of Complementary Schools, viola since sixth grade</p>

<p>SAT's (old school): 670 M, 800 V
SAT II's: 760 Eng., 620 Math II</p>

<p>Even with a SAT Math 20 points below what 25% (with like 75% having like a 740) Duke students have, having a REALLY dismal SAT II Math II score, and being in the overpopulated demographic of decently intelligent upper-middle class white girls from the South, I somehow managed to sneak pass the admissions sessions. It is amazing (to me at least), and I think you are incredibly qualified if they found me good enough ;). Some tips: Essays are extremely important in admissions, as they set you apart. Write one that will get the sense of YOU across. I did CA for Duke and so had one essay where I could essentially write on anything. I wrote about grits. And how they disgust me. And how they helped me adjust to living in the South. Something funky (true story: my admissions counselor loved an essay about a socks collection), even funny, will show personality and not just some grade-grind. Another thing: I regret never calling any of my admsisions counselors at any of the colleges I applied to. Counselors are assigned by region (like mutliple states) and will read your app at least twice usually. Call them and introduce yourself, and just show your interest in the school. Again, you're setting yourself apart. Also, take the option of doing the interview at Duke. Its yet another way to show who you really are. Now, I'm not recommending you do this but... in my alumni interview (which I didn't know I was doing until 4 days before it happened, do to reasons that made me look like a total scatterbrain), I told the truth to every question asked. Meaning, when asked what my top choice was, I cheerfully replied, "Stanford, if I can get in." Ok, so I was told later that you're supposed to brown-nose a bit but for me, being relaxed and interested in a genuine conversation with the interviewer seemed to do me some good. We talked about swimming and the best routines for a workout, about the happiness of her two sons at their respective colleges, and her own experience at Duke. Don't view your interviewer as some indifferent entity; they're a genuine person who'd like to have good converation with an interviewee for once. Dunno if that's The Way to go about it, but it seemed to work for me. Sorry that my response is so long, I guess I like to help out other people in the college nightmare while at the same time talk about myself <em>wink, wink</em></p>

6

<p>Does Duke do on-campus interviews? If so, how do you go about signing up for one? Thanks in advace :)</p>