<p>I've seen the ED decisions thread, and it made me feel like I could EXPECT an acceptance. How much tougher is it to get into Duke for RD than for ED?</p>
<p>Something like 11% versus 29%. You do the math.</p>
<p>Also you seem like an “average” applicant so I wouldn’t expect anything, though you could very well get in.</p>
<p>The acceptance rate is lower, but nobody can give you an objective measurement of how much harder it actually is to get in.</p>
<p>Ya, the numbers indicate it is harder, but honestly a good fit for Duke (recognized by admissions as a fit academically and socially) would Probably get in either way. It really depends on how you look at it.</p>
<p>RD is always tougher than ED, statistically but mind you the standards for ED are sometimes higher than RD. If you really want to go to the school and display a high chance, than by all means apply ED.</p>
<p>I would assume that the ED pool is more self-selecting and thus more competitive than the RD pool. So the acceptance rate is higher, but the average stats for the applicants would be higher as well.</p>
<p>For RD, you get a lot of people who either a) threw Duke on at the last minute due to the ease with the Common App, and b) underqualified applicants who applied to Duke for the heck of it. That’s why I think the “optional” Why Duke essay is in fact quite important - there are many HYPSM applicants who apply to Duke as well without any real desire for the school - by showing Duke your interest. Duke (like all other top schools) would like to keep the admit rate as low as possible, and in order to do that, they need to maximize yield. So in addition to being a strong candidate, you need to show your passion for the school.</p>
<p>So in the end, I think an applicant who gets admitted ED would get admitted RD, and vice versa. True, the numbers may suggest it’s more difficult, but you need to look beyond the statistics.</p>
<p>^ Maybe, but I thought of it more as with RD you have a lot of kids who are applying to HYPSM first choice and Duke as a more grounded reach. Therefore you would have more qualified applicants RD who are afraid of the word “binding.” That’s how I am at least. I’ve always thought of Dukes ED pool being more people who consider Duke both a high reach and their first choice. Thus ED would be easier in two ways, selectiveness of applicants and straight admission statistics.</p>
<p>Well my thinking is that Duke doesn’t want to admit people who wouldn’t likely commit. That would drive down their yield, and thus cause them to admit more applicants. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part though.</p>
<p>This girl at my school with a GPA .1 points lower than mine and a 29 ACT managed to get waitlisted last year during RD, so that gave me optimism about my chances. And the best part is, she wasn’t a URM, legacy, big donor, or had any advantage that I could think of.</p>
<p>she must have had something, whether it be sports, or some amazing extra-curricular that you didn’t know about. Kids like that don’t even get waitlisted unless some other part of their app shines out</p>
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<p>Certainly writing a great essay which illustrates how you’re a good fit for Duke could theoretically help your application, but Duke does NOT take “expressed interest” or “demonstrated interest” into account in making admissions decisions. In other words, you’re just as likely to be admitted with your “Why Duke” essay as you are without.</p>
<p>Candidates who claim they were denied from Duke because they were “too good” or “clearly not going to go” are just rationalizing or in denial.</p>
<p>Visit 20 times? Visit 0 times? Call the Admissions Office 10 times? Don’t call, don’t interview, don’t write the optional essay? Doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Duke currently has a yield, traditionally, about ~40%.</p>
<p>It could increase yield, and lower selectivity, by taking expressed interest into account and not admitting students who were less likely to attend.</p>
<p>Does it do that?</p>
<p>No way.</p>
<p>It wants the strongest class possible.</p>
<p>Why, then, do they require an essay for Pratt applicants?</p>
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<p>I think you are making “demonstrated interest” a bit too broad. Your last statement is definitely true in that Duke doesn’t keep track of how many times you visit, call, etc. and thus doesn’t consider that when making it’s decisions (unlike Wash U, for example). In addition, Duke doesn’t give you an advantage if they can surmise that Duke is clearly your #1 choice when you’re applying RD or penalize you if they think you’re using Duke as a “backup.” </p>
<p>However, they most definitely do want people who feel a connection to the university and feel that they can contribute to the community in a positive, worthwhile fashion. Thus, your “Why Duke?” essay is most definitely considered and can help your application tremendously if you convey why Duke is a good fit and how you’d be a contributing member of the community. So, while “demonstrated interest” isn’t directly assessed, certainly the admissions committee views favorably upon those applicants that have demonstrated why Duke is a good fit for them and how they’d be an integral member of the student body. So, in my mind, it’s too simplistic to say that demonstrated interest and a strong desire/affinity towards Duke isn’t factored in the admissions decision at all.</p>
<p>@Wong Tong Tong</p>
<p>It’s very hard to judge engineering aptitude. Few schools offer such courses. I think the Pratt essay just gives admission officers another look at why an applicant wishes to pursue engineering since it is a very difficult discipline.</p>
<p>To answer the OP: Yes, RD is markedly harder than ED. The very strongest applicants rarely apply ED, since they want to hedge their bets with HYPSM, so the competition is fiercer. Borderline applicants are more likely to be tipped into the accept pile ED and rejected in RD.</p>
<p>I applied RD and can attest to the fact that many of the strongest applicants I know also applied RD because they dont’ want to be bound.</p>