<p>Longwinded title, but yeah. A few weeks ago I went up to duke and did the tour/info session dealio. At the info session, the admissions rep. was talking about the "Why Duke" part of the supplement. I believe he said something along the lines of "Yeah, this section is basically a small essay where you HOPEFULLY write a couple SHORT paragraphs about why you want to go to duke."</p>
<p>Caps Locks = Emphasis (in his tone)</p>
<p>So, this makes me think that the Why Duke essay plays an insignificant factor in the overall admissions decision. Does this make sense to anyone? or have ya'll heard that it plays a bit more significant role than the simple "This applicant knows more about Duke than it's basketball team" check mark.</p>
<p>Short doesn't necessarily mean not important. Every part of the app tells the ad-committee a little about yourself and you just have to see each part as an opportunity for them to see how well you fit into the class and not as a reason to reject you. </p>
<p>Also, what does it say about your interest in the school if you feel it's not worth the time to write a few paragraphs? You're not interested in the school, you are lazy, or you are applying for reasons that aren't really your own. My guess is that this question exists to weed people out.</p>
<p>I'm hoping this is not true for the engineering essay since it was require of all engineering applicants. But still, I would think that the essay would hold some weight in the admissions process or else why would it be there in the first place.</p>
<p>For my local information session, the rep basically said as long as you have your CommonApp essay done, you're finished with your Duke application, and never even mentioned the Why Duke? essay.</p>
<p>So I believe what your guy said completely.</p>
<p>It could tip the balance in your favor when deciding between applicants with similar backgrounds and qualifications. It would make sense that Duke would rather increase its yield by admitting more applicants who are likely to choose to enroll.</p>
<p>Are students accepted without the supplement? Absolutely. But, you would be foolish to ignore the opportunity to show them why you belong in Durham.</p>
<p>Good points all around. I applied for Pratt, so I was required to write about my interest in engineering and Duke combined. I had no idea that it was optional for Trinity applicants, so maybe that's the reason why I was confused with what the ad com said.</p>
<p>I only spent max 1 hr on it and was dead tired after getting only 4 hrs of sleep the night before. Don't worry about it but I think the best Why____? essays are the ones with personal reflections and anecdotes.</p>