Insecurity after getting accepted for Duke ED

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess I’m naturally pretty neurotic but I keep doubting my decision to apply early to Duke. I don’t know if anyone feels the same way but I keep thinking about opportunity cost and how I really won’t ever know if I could have gotten into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. because looking over my application I’ve started to think how compelling my application was.

I have such stupid thoughts but these doubts keep bothering me even though I know Duke is a dope school. I guess I’m buying into the prestige like everyone else.

Anyone else have these doubts?

ED can be a double-edged sword.

Only apply to an ED school if it is absolutely
THE first choice and aid is not a concern.

Reread some of your old CC posts, e.g.

Duke is a top 10 school. Remember why you applied ED to begin with and how you felt (“shocked”) when you were accepted. You won.

@winterton the odds are that you wouldn’t have gotten into any of those schools that you mentioned (most applicants love their own application, after all they all spent a lot of time on it). So rest easy and attend a great school, come April there will be thousands of HS students who would gladly switch places with you, as many will be going to there safety school.

Maybe if you didn’t ed your Rd to Duke wouldn’t have made the cut. There’s always that possibility, so I would be very proud and happy with your accomplishment. Congrats and best of luck.

Groucho Marx syndrome. “I don’t want to join any club that would have me as a member.”

It is so cold and snowy at Harvard and Princeton! Who would want to go there? Enjoy Duke! Congratulations! Enjoy every minute and don’t look back, left, or right!

I was also accepted ED to Duke and couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if I had used my ED silver bullet on Princeton, Harvard, or somewhere else. Honestly, though, had I chosen to do this last November and not gotten in, I don’t think I would be able to forgive myself. Duke is an amazing school, and very few employers are going to discriminate between an Ivy league degree and a Duke degree.

@BEisin In some cases, a Duke degree is valued more highly than most Ivies, e.g. CS: https://www.ivyachievement.com/computer-science-rankings/

Yeah, I doubt you appreciate still that you won the lottery. Chin up and muscle through your blessings.

You shouldn’t have applied ED to a school that wasn’t unequivocally your top choice…

I would choose Duke over any of the Ivy League schools any day.

Yes, that is one of the drawbacks of applying ED. Comes with the advantages you get from doing so.

its ok fellas, im p happy with duke and realize that im pretty lucky since i had no hook as an asian male bio major
its all g

I also applied to Duke ED, and I got deferred. That enabled me to “try” at ivy league schools, and I didn’t get in. Now that Duke accepted me finally, I can go in peace knowing that it is indeed my best choice.

This isn’t an insecurity. This is overconfidence, based on your OP. But glad you expressed your gratitude.

I hate how people use the term “Ivies” so loosely. There is a real difference in selectivity between schools like HYP and Cornell…

The Ivy League is an athletic conference…the relative levels of selectivity of the eight member schools is irrelevant

When it comes to selectivity, quality of education, outcomes, etc, Duke is undoubtedly a peer of all Ivies. The opportunity to be on one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen, support best in class athletics, and receive a world class education makes Duke a unique proposition. No more and certainly no less than any Ivy.

I say this as a parent who’s son choose an Ivy over Duke but did so without any consideration for selectivity or athletic conference. He viewed them entirely as peers and made the final decision based on fit having eliminated another Ivy from consideration prior to deciding between Duke and his current school.

As you can tell I wanted Duke… and will be wearing my Blue Devils hat as they hopefully beat Mich State tonight?

MODERATOR’S NOTE:

In terms of the OP of this thread, this comment has nothing to do with the price of tea in China. Let’s try to limits tangents to innocuous threads in the cafe, not on threads where a HS student is grappling with an issue.

Regardless, the OP seems satisfies with the responses and is ready to head to Duke. So, closing thread.