o hi guys could you help me please?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hi well I am interested in applying to Duke next year and was wondering if I have a decent shot. I know that Duke is a really hard school to get into, and only the best of the best go in. So here are my stats</p>

<p>Grade: 11
GPA: 4.25/4.5 Weighted. Unknown Weighted
rank: not given, but top 10%
Grades in general are As and Bs in 9th and 10th grade and all As junior year
SAT 1: Math 720, CR 650 (up from 570 first time I took it) W: 610 (up from 560)
SAT II: Biology M - 760. taking three more in June
ACT: 30 composite in December but took second act last week and I know I did better
APs: Biology (5), Human Geography (5), European History (4), Government (4- online course), Chemistry (taking this year), World History (taking this year)
Sports: Swimming (10, 11), Crew (9,10,11)
ECs: Work at local hospital on weekend, tutored unprivledged kids at local library in fall 2009, participate in MUN (model united nations) and MAO (math club), and do some campaigning for political committee.
Honors: Algebra II award, Model United Nations at University of Chicago national conference third place award, MAO 14th place, 15th place, 3rd place, 2nd place
Summer programs attended: Duke TIP and UF SSTP
Leadership: Vice Chair of local political organization
Some neat things: built a computer </p>

<p>Well those are the things I can remember about me. I know my standardized tests are not the greatest, but I am studying for real now to get them up. I hope that my ACT composite is at least a 33 and get my SAT up at least 2100+ </p>

<p>k thx guys</p>

2

<p>Have you done any summer research? Duke’s one of the few schools that asks for an optional research supplement in their app, which if you fill out, could be a big boost. Right now, your sat scores are low, but at least you’re in the top 10% (but it also matters how competitive your hs is). Even a 2100 sat probably isn’t good enough for Duke. Try getting it into the 2200+ range to have a shot.</p>

<p>The admit rate into Duke dropped to 14.8% overall this year… if you really are committed, try applying early to maximize your chances (Duke’s admit rate is about double for ED).</p>

3

<p>i’d also suggest trying some research this summer…i was admitted this year, and i’ll be honest, my stats were all over the place. i had a 3.58 unweighted gpa, 2270 superscored SAT, 780 Bio-M, 790 Chem, 750 Math IIC. i did turn in a research report on some stuff i had done over the summer, and i have a lot of weird extracurriculars like figure skating, dragon boating, chinese folkloric dance, and student government…i’m pretty sure my interview helped out a LOT. applying to college was like a guessing game x_x i’m just glad it’s over. it seems like you could probably get a better SAT score, though. i would definitely take it again :D</p>

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<p>for summer research, im going to uf sstp(i put that in resume cause i already knew i was going). also, yah, im defiantly taking the sats again</p>

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<p>work on your test scores…</p>

6

<p>Go for it…</p>

<p>You look a lot like I did last year (2010 Senior). I swim and I row, I got straight A’s, but my test scores were kinda weak like yours. One thing to note is that you should bolster your ECs with awards and substantial evidence that you do more than just show up on a roster. From my experience, Duke likes well rounded students who can work hard (which is why I chose it over Princeton, MIT, and Hopkins, though that will catch comments). Prove it to them that you love to work hard and test scores don’t matter as much.</p>

7

<p>^I think you made an excellent choice. I chose Duke over Caltech, which is similar to MIT anyhow.
I think a majority of students would choose Duke over Hopkins.</p>

<p>Although…Princeton was my #1 so… ;]</p>

8

<p>I’ll be honest, I really don’t see it happening for you.
I know SO many people, who were more qualified than you currently are, that got rejected/WLed. However! Pretty much all of the top 10 schools are a complete crapshoot and you certainly always have a chance. </p>

<p>That being said, I think that you’re only real shot would be ED. RD has just become too competitive for anyone with under a 2200 to have a realisitic shoot (heck most of the <2300s I know got rejected). If you a URM or have some other hook, then obviously your chances increase significantly.</p>

<p>Definitely try to raise your SAT. Do research. Spend a lot of time on the essays (DO the optional why duke essay).</p>

<p>bonne chance!</p>

9

<p>^Now that’s not nice!</p>

<p>That’s a pretty impressive resume. You have a good chance IMO, especially with that as a Junior. Research would help, but like I said before, make yourself look like you enjoy what you do, not that you are a sign up hog for unimportant groups. ACT/SAT need to get up, but that will happen with studying and time. Enjoy high school, don’t worry about admissions until next year!</p>

10

<p>I also think it may depend a bit on major–are you looking at Trinity or Pratt? I will share the advice that my D got from a college counseling service that I have access to through a work benefit (its just one phone call where they reviewed her transcript, ECs and test scores and helped develop her list of schools, not anything more). She had a 4.0UW/4.2W GPA after junior year, an ACT of 33, and was national merit commended student. She had some solid ECs that showed depth and passion and wonderful recommendations.</p>

<p>The college advisor said that getting a 34 on the ACT was really important for her as a lot people have a 33, but 34 or higher would be much more impactful. (If you look at the middle 50% scores for Pratt vs the top quintile, 34 is the breakpoint there.) She also needed to maintain her GPA and class rank of 2/400. She also needed to get the subject tests done and get scores in the mid 700s. Doing these things would give her a 50% chance at Duke.</p>

<p>At the time, I thought it was crazy to even put the effort into trying to raise what I thought was a very good ACT score. My daughter did those things and spent a lot of time on her essays and was admitted. But, what was interesting is that she received likely letters from some Ivies and other top 20 schools but not from Duke, so I wonder, if she had not pushed harder for the 34 and on the subject tests, would she have gotten in?</p>

<p>I am amazed at the high quality of the kids who have been rejected. I think you have a chance but I think Duke is a reach for you as it is for nearly every one–especially if you are not a recruited athlete or URM.</p>

<p>I did notice that you have done Crew. I have read that many top schools have difficulty finding strong women for their crew teams. If this is something that you love and are good at, perhaps that can be a hook.</p>

<p>I also think if you can demonstrate that passion that you have for Duke and how the Duke community would benefit from having you on campus, that will certainly help. I wonder too, how much influence the alumni interview has. I would think it would be really important to make a strong positive impression. Basically what I am saying is focus on what you can control–the interview, essays, etc. Also, work now for those recommendations. </p>

<p>One thing my D did, was to not get a rec from a counselor as she was at a new high school and her counselor was changed after her sophomore year. The new counselor really did not know her, but the principal sure did–he had to keep changing her schedule so she could get her AP classes fit in and had to approve some independent study that she did. She asked him to do the counselor rec which he happily did. It was a great rec and I think helped to set her apart.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>