<p>are these letters only for ethnic minority groups?</p>
<p>On college applications, don’t they give an option to say “prefer not to respond” on race tab? If you just want to be considered for merit and not race, why didn’t you just choose that option?</p>
<p>Don’t the phrases very occasionally and very rare seem to contradict each other?</p>
<p>Mentor let me ask you something…
Would you rather be black and face the daily racism(even if they were jokes)/insecurity and get slight college benefits or be white and not necessarily get into the college you want. I’m sure many (including me) would choose the latter option. Affirmative action benefits such a small portion of people. Think about all the people you know that have benefited and compare it to the ones that have gotten into good colleges without it. Just because your child is not as “competitive” as other applicants doesnt mean it is affirmative action’s fault. An asian (considered the most competitive race) girl at my school does not have a 2400 and she has already gotten likelies from Stanford and Columbia and acceptance from MIT and Caltech. This is not luck, it is because she was competitive. Sure there might be applicants that get in with lower scores, but wouldn’t you like to be at the upper percentile of the school rather than the lower end. If you have the stats of upper end students, there is no doubt you’ll get into a great school.</p>
<p>well this has gotten off track. I’m just wondering when the Duke UpClose opportunity will be released</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Lol, yes. ~200-300 applicants receive a Duke UpClose invitation, regardless of ethnicity.</p>
<p>wait, so Duke LL are definitely only for minorities?</p>
<p>I’m sorry that I wrote a novel mentor. At least you explicitly stated that you weren’t going to read it, unlike everyone else who just didn’t read it lol.</p>
<p>@ mikep3 No, there seem to be likely letters specifically targeted to minorities in addition to the Duke UpClose opportunity, which as eatsalot said is independent of ethnicity. They should be coming out soon, last year I think they came out the last week of february</p>
<p>Likely letters are not targeted to URMs although some URMs will get them since there is alway overlap in such things…they are general letters to Duke’s top recruits…however do not let this phase you! Please. These are students who will likely get a handful of likely letters from competing institutions, not all students who will choose Duke. </p>
<p>my son didn’t get a likely letter or expect to get into Duke. He expected a waitlist as one of the vast numbers of qualified people who apply but he was no rare bird.</p>
<p>he had a surprise admission…and honestly…that is the best attitude you can have in this process with Duke and other schools with over 20 thousand applicants for so few spots…not getting a spot is in no way a reflection on you–the odds are against everyone but the very few</p>
<p>good luck to each of you! anyone who gets into Duke has other options and lots to offer Duke and other colleges as well…</p>
<p>Duke is a wonderful experience but there are many great wonderful experience colleges out there.</p>
<p>If you are a minority and don’t get an invite to the minority weekend, does it mean you will not going to be accepted?</p>
<p>No…not at all. Many colleges recruit top minority students. In many cases the same students hear from several early acceptances. And things can get very random. One student gets into Yale and is not invited to Vandy’s minority weekend etc…</p>
<p>View the demographics page on Duke and you will see that a huge number of Duke students are minority and obviously, only a portion of them are invited to recruited student weekends. Keep in mind that those students who are attending may opt to go to a college other than Duke…just as you might. </p>
<p>One thing that we noticed on Blue Devil Days five years back…several students with multiple offers were never seen again after my son got acquainted with them…they went elsewhere. </p>
<p>One thing I noticed at Vanderbilt where our son is an honors admit…most of the rest of the students he knows are equally deserving and just outstanding people. It is hard to explain why one student gets an invite and the next one doesn’t. </p>
<p>Don’t dwell on it…when you start at College X in August…everyone is back to square one and on level ground. I always told my sons when I left them at college to never underestimate the less showy and quieter people on their halls…the ones you may not notice in orientation week because they aren’t as highly social, may be the very students who attend your weddings and are part of your lives forever…so many people are terrific talents and you can’t always predict how people will grow and expand just based on decisions from their high school records. Admissions people can only go on what they see on paper but they know that many of their finest seniors in four more years…were people that didn’t get “recruited” in high school.</p>
<p>What a great post, Faline2. Right on.</p>
<p>@falline2 Thank you!!!</p>
<p>good luck, Feliz, and may you have some solid choices in April. Our college system is still something fierce and to be proud of…you can have a great experience in scores of them if you give your heart to your college…four years of devoted effort and contributions in your final college home…will reward you many times over a lifetime.
Also…although I get that Duke is a great admission and we have a son who bleeds blue now…he had a hard time letting go of his match colleges…as he should have…because the faculty at his match colleges in most cases were just as outstanding as the teachers at Duke…so many great people teaching at the college level around the nation.</p>
<p>Got the Likely Letter, really excited. Posted my stats elsewhere so i’ll post them here too :)</p>
<p>Scores:</p>
<p>SAT I (by section): N/A
SAT IIs: Biology-M 640 Literature: 680
ACT: 32
APs: Psychology (4), USH (4), Stats, Calc (not AP), Biology, Literature, American Government
IBs: N/A
GPA: 4.0UW, School does not weight
Rank: 1/550
Other stats: eh idk</p>
<p>Subjective:</p>
<p>ECs listed on app: Speech and Debate Team President: National Qualifier, 6 time district champion, State finalist, many distinctions, etc…, Senior Class Vice-President, Tracka and Field Varsity letter, volunteer at local hospital 2 hr/week, Church youth group leader/ volunteer 5 hr/week, Link Crew Leader
Job/Work Experience: Usher at Century Theater 15 hr/week
Essays (subject and responses): I received many early likely letters, and it was likely because of this. I wrote about growing up with a single mother addicted to meth. For awhile we were homeless, i never really had a childhood, etc. I view it as what separates me from other applicants.
Counselor Rec: Great
Applied on: December
Hook (if any): African American, Past experiences</p>
<p>Location/Person:</p>
<p>State or Country: OR
School Type, Average Stats of School (if available): Fairly large Public School, pretty good but nothing special
Ethnicity:African-American (Mixed, half white)
Gender: Male</p>
<p>Stats: SAT Superscored: 2310
SAT II: Biology E: 780 Math IIC:730 (ew)
GPA: ~3.91 Unweighted
Rank: top 5%
Varsity Sports
Band 4 years
VP of 1 club
Countless positions in other clubs
Race: Half urm</p>
<p>I hope i dont end up like TheWerg/other people (amazing applicant but somehow rejected to many places 
) that only got accepted to Duke.</p>
<p>Hello everyone</p>
<p>My friend and I started a facebook page for people who will be attending the BSAI weekend 2010 so feel free to join.</p>
<p>congrads to questcrew and futurexreject!!!</p>
<p>I wish I was a minority student right now with all of these lovely likely letters. Do they send out likelies to non minority students? Or is it just minority students?</p>
<p>Congrats to the likelies :D!</p>