***Official Duke 2019 ED Results ONLY Thread***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>We are less than 2 weeks away! The announcement of when decisions will be released should be made in the next couple days. Hopefully we will hear a little earlier than the 15th. Please respect this thread as for only posting decisions. There are separate threads for hopefuls and general discussion.
Here is the template and good luck everybody!</p>

<p>Here's the template.</p>

<p>[noparse]
Pick one:
Decision: Accepted
Decision: Deferred
Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Pratt School of Engineering</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):
ACT:
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:</p>

<p>General Comments:
[/noparse]</p>

2

<p>Here’s a better template with bullets. Removed relative size because that doesn’t work anymore. Remove the spaces in the brackets for the effect.

</p>

3

<p>Decision: Accepted
Trinity</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I:
[</em>] ACT: 33
[<em>] SAT II:
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 4, 4
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 7 APs
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars:
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hrs
[<em>] Essays: Really good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Really good
[<em>] Counselor Rec:
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview:[/ul] Average
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): AL
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: M
[<em>] Income Bracket: Low
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] None
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Essay
[</em>] Weaknesses: Asian, test scores
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments:</p>

<p>Still shocked that I got in. I wish the rest of you great luck!</p>

4

<p>Decision: Accepted
Pratt</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I:2350, 800 Math, 790 W, 760 CR
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Chem, 760 Biology
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75 cum at the end of Jr year, 3.78 with 1st Tri senior grades (3.5 Freshman year, 3.75 Sophomore year, 3.93 Junior year, 4.05 1st Tri Senior)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):5 BC, 5 Stat, 5 Chem, 5 Biology
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Sophomore year took BC and Biology, Jr Year took HPhysics, AP Chem, Vector Calc/Differential equations, AP Stat, Senior year: Biochem, AP Physics C, AP Lit, and Adv. Euclidean Geometry/Linear Algebra Tutorial, and AP Macro/Econ Tutorial, Capstone Project,
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Policy Debate State Octafinalist, Some local tournament awards (Dallas, Texas), AP Scholar, High Honor Roll, Not much
Subjective:

[list]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Debate, Some Clubs,
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Helped Code a website for a company, Did some translating for them from Chinese to English, and Internship in the lab for 8 Weeks, and now I am currently doing an independent research Capstone project with the lab that I work on during the school year. About 10-12 hours a week during school hours in the lab, 2 hours outside of school, not in the lab.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at a hospital, 4 hours a week, had 180+ hours Junior Year
[<em>] Essays: Very well thought out in my opinion and a lot of drafting, with tons of peer review and edits from teacher.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Should have been very good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Excellent.
[</em>] Additional Rec: None
[<em>] Interview:[Yes]
Other

[list]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: Private (118 Graduating Class)
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: ~10k (family business just started up)
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):None
Reflection

[list]
[<em>] Strengths: I have probably the most challenging curriculum in my graduating class, I took advantage of a lot of opportunities (Math Tutorial, Economics Tutorial, and Capstone Project). Upward trend in grades. Good SAT.
[</em>] Weaknesses: Recs probably, forgot to prepare for one of my interviews for my recommenders and she asked me a lot of questions and I wasn’t able to give very well thoughtout answers but my advocacy skills from debate still allowed me some quick thinking to give myself “a theme”.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Accepted to the University of Texas at Dallas!!
General Comments: I’m so happy!</p>

5

<p>Decision: Accepted (Trinity College of Arts and Sciences)
(I’ve actually known for a while that I’ve been accepted being a recruited athlete and all. But I decided to abstain from posting this to respect the people who were still waiting for their decisions) </p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (Math: 740, Critical Reading: 790, Writing: 800)
ACT: did not take
SAT II: World History: 800 U.S History: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5) Art History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP U.S History, AP World History, AP Japanese, AP English Literature and Composition
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Got published in the 2014 Fall issue of the Concord Review</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): fencing, Key Club (Vice President), Academic Team
Job/Work Experience: Basic tutoring to elementary school students
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered for local historical society and museum
Summer Activities: fencing camp and volunteering
Essays: Wrote my common app essay on fencing
Teacher Recommendation: Pretty good I would say. I asked my AP Art History teacher and English teacher for recs, and judging by their response they seemed pretty enthusiastic and complacent about them.
Counselor Rec: Good. She told me that she had trouble fitting everything into a single page, which I took as a good sign
Additional Rec: Asked a history professor at the University of Washington for a rec. It probably helped
Interview: Okay. My interviewee as a thirty year old who asked me interesting questions. It only lasted twenty minutes and was at the public library
Other: Had the support of the Duke fencing coach. Told me he tagged my application that labeled me as an athletic recruit to the Admissions office. </p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): History, political science
School Type: Medium sized public high school in a relatively affluent area
Ethnicity: Asian (specifically Korean)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: My family makes ~$250,000 a year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Being an athletic recruit for fencing certainly helped a lot in the process. Having a relatively high GPA and scores compared to other recruits also probably helped</p>

<p>Reflection: I’m just really glad that I can enjoy the rest of my senior year without having to worry about getting into college. Duke is an amazing school, and I feel so fortunate to be one of the few applicants that will have a chance to spend the next four years of my life at such a world renown school. I probably would not have gotten in without having the status of being an athletic recruit judging by Duke’s selectivity. </p>

<p>Strengths: Being an athletic recruit for the Duke fencing team, relatively high SAT scores
Weaknesses: During my junior year I moved from Seattle, Washington to New Jersey. As a result, my GPA dramatically fell because I had trouble keeping up with the much harder academic competition and atmosphere of the East Coast. Also, I didn’t have a lot of leadership positions nor did I win a lot of prizes during my high school years. Being an Asian-American applicant probably also wasn’t helpful.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Again, having the status of an athletic recruit helped immensely in the admissions process. </p>

<p>General Comments: Although some applicants ferociously condemn athletic recruits for “undeservingly” taking up seats at many top colleges, I have no problem with it. Many student athletes have the extreme challenge of juggling both athletics and academics which normal students don’t have to deal with. Also, academically competitive schools like Duke aren’t just going to accept academically subpar recruits; they also have to demonstrate a degree of academic ability. I’ve certainly dealt with a lot of stigma at my school by some rather vocal peers for supposedly being “academically inferior” and being admitted to Duke solely on the basis of my athletic ability. Anyway, good luck to everyone and I hope to see some of you next year! </p>

6

<p>Decision: Accepted to Trinity</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I:
[</em>] ACT: 33
[<em>] SAT II:
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[</em>] AP (5,5,5):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 3 APS, 1 Honors
[<em>] Major Awards National Hispanic Scholar. Nominee for Byrd Scholarship. AP Scholar[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Truffle Company, Piano, Banjo, Pres. of MUN, Co-editor of School Newspaper, Captain of Varsity Softball, Volleyball
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Childcare center, babysitting, paid internship at SPCA, Summer Economics Institute, my own company
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 80+ hours working with animals or children
[<em>] Essays: Very strong
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Great!
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Great
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: Really great[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: Private
[<em>] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: Middle
[</em>] Hooks: URM, [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Founded my own company, hispanic, essays, really really engaging interview
[</em>] Weaknesses: Standardized test scores
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments: Still amazed that I was accepted… I am so excited for this opportunity! Best of luck to everyone else! </p>

7

<p>Decision: Accepted - Trinity</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I:
[</em>] ACT:36 (Single sitting)
[<em>] SAT II:Math II - 800; SAT Physics - 760
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.81, Weighted : 5.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):20/583
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):frowning: AP Calculus AB 5, BC 5, AP Physics B 5, AP Psychology 5, English Language & Composition 4, AP Microeconomics 4, AP Spanish 4, AP Statistics 4, AP Computer Science 3, AP World History 3)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): Full IB Program
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:Further Math, IB HL Math, IB HL Physics, IB HL TOK, IB HL Philosophy, IB English, IB Spanish, AP ( All A’s the first Quarter)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] National AP Merit, Reginal Math Awards , not too big
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars:Concert Master of Philharmonic Ochestra at Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach ( highest level)
Math National Honor Society
Science National Honor Society
Web design and some business related activities.</p>

<p>[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Hospital Volunteer
[<em>] Essays:9/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations:I don’t know
[<em>] Counselor Rec:I don’t know
[</em>] Additional Rec:I don’t know
[<em>] Interview:[/ul]: Very good
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant):FL
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type:Public
[<em>] Ethnicity:Asian
[</em>] Gender:Male
[<em>] Income Bracket:
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]No
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths:
[</em>] Weaknesses:
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments:</p>

8

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: Did not submit
[</em>] ACT: 32 with 12 essay 32M 32R 32S 31E
[<em>] SAT II: Did not submit
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 UW 4.8862 W
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/488
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB 5 AP Lang 5 AP World 5 APUSH 5 AP Psych 5 AP Environmental 4 AP Statistics 4 AP Human Geography 4
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, Newspaper, Accounting I Hon, AP Spanish, AP Micro/Macro Econ, AP Gov
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] National History Day State Finalist, FBLA Banking and Financial Systems 5th place SLC
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Varsity Football (3 years) Editor-in-Chief of school newspaper (2 years) FBLA president (1 year) Parliamentarian NEHS (2 years) Political discussion group (3 years) Partial found of a peer mentoring club at my school (2 years)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Worked for a local entrepreneur in car audio and my father’s shaved ice business
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours at local Boys & Girls club
[<em>] Essays: Wrote about my love for cooking and how it stemmed from my Italian grandmother
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: I didn’t read them, but I’m assuming they were both excellent.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I’m not too close with my counselor probably generic.
[</em>] Additional Rec: My head football coach wrote one probably very good
[<em>] Interview:[/ul] Went extremely well. My interviewer liked me and said she hoped I got in.
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Fl
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type:Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[</em>] Gender :Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: 100,000+
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] none
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Extracurricular activities, letters of rec
[</em>] Weaknesses: Test scores :frowning:
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Kind of weak test scores and maybe my essay wasn’t the most attention grabbing
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Don’t know yet
General Comments: For all that got in congratulations. Still hoping I’m part of the 5-10% of deferred applicants to get accepted after being deferred. Go Blue Devils!</p>

9

<p>[ b]Decision: Accepted**</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 1980
[</em>] ACT: 30
[<em>] SAT II: 700 Math II, 650 Biology
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unranked
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 AP Calc BC, 3 AP Physics B, 4 AP US Gov’t, 2 AP CompSci ( :frowning: )
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP CompSci, Honors English, Honors Chemistry, Honors French 1
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Local Recycling Club Top Recycler of the Year[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Recycling Club
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Waste Disposal and Recycling Center Volunteer, 1-2 hours a week
[<em>] Essays: My English teacher didn’t particularly like them, but I would disagree alot seeing as how since I got in.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: I asked my CompSci teacher who seemed to like me I guess, as well as my homeroom teacher. They were probably pretty good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I don’t know, didn’t know her too well.
[</em>] Additional Rec: I asked my boss at the recycling center. Probably a great rec.
[<em>] Interview: Didn’t have one.[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: Private
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: Upper Class
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): What does this mean?[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: Recommendations?
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m not sure, but I feel so blessed! I feel like my volunteer work helped alot.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
**General Comments:
I’m so excited and I can’t wait to meet my fellow class!!!
**</p>

10

<p>[ b]Decision: Accepted**</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 1980
[</em>] ACT: 30
[<em>] SAT II: 700 Math II, 650 Biology
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unranked
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 AP Calc BC, 3 AP Physics B, 4 AP US Gov’t, 2 AP CompSci ( :frowning: )
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP CompSci, Honors English, Honors Chemistry, Honors French 1
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Local Recycling Club Top Recycler of the Year[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Recycling Club
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Waste Disposal and Recycling Center Volunteer, 1-2 hours a week
[<em>] Essays: My English teacher didn’t particularly like them, but I would disagree alot seeing as how since I got in.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: I asked my CompSci teacher who seemed to like me I guess, as well as my homeroom teacher. They were probably pretty good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I don’t know, didn’t know her too well.
[</em>] Additional Rec: I asked my boss at the recycling center. Probably a great rec.
[<em>] Interview: Didn’t have one.[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: Private
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: Upper Class
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): What does this mean?[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: Recommendations?
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m not sure, but I feel so blessed! I feel like my volunteer work helped alot.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
**General Comments:
I’m so excited and I can’t wait to meet my fellow class!!!
**</p>

11

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
Note: Graduated Early From High School
• SAT I (breakdown): n/a
• ACT: 32 w/10 on writing
• SAT II: n/a
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/266 (ranked with senior class)
• AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Statistics (5)
• IB (place score in parenthesis):
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP U.S. History, AP Literature Composition, AP Microeconomics, Honors English 11
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Speech & Debate State Qualifier
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 1) Speech and Debate (9-10) 2) Key Club (9,10,12) (2 years VP and President now) 3)Student Council (9,10,12) (At-large representative) 4) JV Volleyball (9-10) 5) Marching Band (9-10) played piccolo 6) Wind Ensemble/Band (9-10) 4th chair flute- played flute 6 years 7) NHS (12) 8) Academic Challenge (9) (4 years total including middle school) 9) Bollywood Dance for 11 years 10) Seniors Collaborative Intergenerational Technology Program (12)
• Job/Work Experience: none
• Volunteer/Community service: 500+ hours volunteering at the hospital and through Key Club and NHS
• Summer Activities: 1)100 hours Cleveland clinic volunteering and training others 2) Mercy medical center shadowing program 3) shadowing general surgeon at Cleveland clinic 4) shadowed cardiologist at Akron General 5) observed hospitals in India with my cousin who is a med student
• Essays: very good- common app: experience in India about seeing the beggars at a temple; why duke: tied in harry potter and my enthusiasm to do Duke Engage, Optional essay: talked about social injustice in the medical field in India
• Teacher Recommendation: probably alright, I got three, (AP bio, English 10, and honors world history) all of them love me, especially my Bio teacher who I have known since 6th grade
• Counselor Rec: very good, talked about me graduating early, we are pretty close
• Additional Rec: (3): key club advisor- talked about my leadership skills, Cleveland Clinic Volunteer Coordinator- talked about my passion to volunteer
• Interview: none
Other
• State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
• Country (if international applicant): USA
• School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Indian
• Gender: Female
• Income Bracket: 100,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Bollywood Dance Supplement
Reflection
• Strengths: Dance Supplement, Essays, ECs, Debate State Qualifier, tons of volunteering and career based stuff
• Weaknesses: ACT, no SAT subject tests, early graduate, not as many APs?, no interview, too many teacher recommendations (I had 6 lol), being Asian
• Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am grateful to Duke for not rejecting me and at least deferring me, especially since I am an early graduate. Still it hurts a lot and I can;t stop crying to be honest. Congrats to everyone who got accepted!</p>

12

<p>ACCEPTED!</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2080 (760 CR, 670 M, 650 W) (I was hoping they would overlook this)
[</em>] ACT: 34
[<em>] SAT II: Bio E- 790 US History- 790
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/277 (Highest weighted GPA in my school’s 50 years)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5), APUSH (5), APES (5), English Lang (5), Psychology (5), Stats (4)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1, AP English Lit, AP Euro, Engineering
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] Wendy’s Heisman school winner… other average awards.
Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars: 3 sport athlete captain in 2 of them. Participated in some clubs nothing too big.
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours
[</em>] Essays: Probably best part of application. Wrote about mother’s illness.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Great! One said I was his favorite student in ten years, not sure about the other one though.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Loved me as well. She said I had the highest GPA she had ever seen.
[<em>] Additional Rec: By one of my coaches, should have been good.
[</em>] Interview:[/ul] I felt as if I bombed this. Probably did about average in reality. Definitely not a strong point of the application.
Other

[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NC
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Kinda Rural medium sized
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: M
[</em>] Income Bracket: <40,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: GPA, Sports, Essays, Recs
[<em>] Weaknesses: Interview and leadership/ volunteering
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my Recs were amazing and I was exceptional for my school.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul][/li]General Comments:
I love Duke, I always have. I’m so excited to be going I’m still trying to process it haha. To those that are looking at this in future years, all I can say is to find some music that calms you down when you’re feeling nervous/anxious. Doing that has really helped me in these past few days and it put me in a relaxed state leading up to the release. That’s not to say I haven’t been nervous, however. I have been on this site 24/7 for the last three months going over my chances and how I compare to other people. I have literally made myself sick with worry. I’m glad its over. Best of luck to everyone! </p>

13

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I:
[</em>] ACT: 33 (11 on writing)
[<em>] SAT II:
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Gov+Pol: 5, French:5 English comp: 4 apush: 4
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AB Calc, AP Bio, AP Pysch, journalism, film photography, peace&justice
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] AP National Merit Scholar, US Fencing All Academic Team
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Nationally ranked fencer (and recruited for it), President of French National Honors Society, Photography/my schools literary magazine, newspaper, international club
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 40+ hours at elderly home
[<em>] Essays: I felt pretty confident about my common app essay and got a lot of good feedback on it, my duke essay was good but not fabulous
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Awesome, both of the teachers loved me
[<em>] Counselor Rec:
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview:[/ul] I think it went well, my alumna was pretty chill
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): IL
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: private catholic
[<em>] Ethnicity: white
[</em>] Gender: female
[<em>] Income Bracket:
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] Fencing

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths:Essays, GPA, extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: test scores
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments: So excited to be a Blue Devil!! Congrats to all of my future classmates, and to those who got deferred, I wish you the best of luck!</p>

14

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2260 CR710 M800 WR750
[</em>] ACT: did not take
[<em>] SAT II: M level 2 800 Chem 800 Bio M 790
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school doesn’t do gpa
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesn’t do rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): chem(5) cal BC(5) stat(5) micro(5) macro(5) bio(4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: only classes needed for graduation
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] ap scholar, some national math award, bridge competition 3rd/4th places
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: president of a department in student gov, summer programs at Columbia and a research institute, bridge team at school
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: lab assistant at the institute (ongoing)
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: volunteer teaching every weekend for 2 years, volunteer librarian at school
[<em>] Essays: very personal
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: great
[<em>] Counselor Rec: also great
[</em>] Additional Rec: perfect, one from columbia bio professor, the other from Duke alumni (also a bio professor)
[<em>] Interview:[/ul] very conversational, lasted for an hour
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): n/a
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): China
[</em>] School Type: public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: middle
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] none
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: research on bio, fantastic extra rec
[</em>] Weaknesses: SAT
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my recs and interview helped a lot. Also I’ve always been working on bio research/programs so Duke may have seen my passion.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments: This feeling is soooo gooooood! Congrats everyone!</p>

15

<p>Decision: Accepted to Trinity</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2280 (750 CR, 800 M, 730 W)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: Math II- 800, US History- 720, Spanish- 730
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not reported
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 in World History, 5’s in APUSH, Bio, Chem, and English Language
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit, AP Human Geography
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals; AP Scholar w/ Distinction; National Merit Semi-Finalist [/ul][/li] Subjective:

[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars: 8 Seasons of Track & Field Hurdling (6 Varsity), National Honor Society (Secretary), One of Two 4-year members in my school’s Jazz Ensemble (alto saxophone), YMCA Model UN (Premier Delegate, Alternate to CONA), Teen Prevention Education Program (Peer Educator, Senior Leader), Ping Pong Club (one of the original members-- my friend started it), Spanish National Honor Society.[/li] [li] Job/Work Experience: 9 Weeks as a Sleepaway Camp Counselor; Private Tutor for one student in Chemistry, Geometry, and Spanish.[/li] [li] Volunteer/Community service: Quite a bit with one organization that fights local hunger-- something I’m very passionate about; Counselor-in-Training at the camp I would later work at.[/li] [li] Essays: Common App was stellar, it was about camp and how much I love it; Why Duke was also good, it talked about all the little things I love about it; Optional Duke Essay was killer-- it made my English teacher cry and it was very personal and raw.[/li] [li] Teacher Recommendations:] One was probably top-notch, that teacher loved me and we had great conversations, and the other was also probably good, but nothing game-changing.[/li] [li] Counselor Rec: Probably good, I have a good rapport with her[/li] [li] Additional Rec: N/A[/li] [li] Interview: Lasted about 35 minutes, it was really good, my interviewer liked me and seemed very impressed. [/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):—
[<em>] School Type: Medium-Large, about 1400 something, my grad class is 475.
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: M
[</em>] Income Bracket: Custodial- ~100k, Non-custodial- ~300k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None to speak of. [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: My passion, my optional essay, my resume looks very impressive, one recommendation, and my heavy involvement with a lot of different things
[<em>] Weaknesses: Maybe spread too thin, and my background/location don’t help much.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I’m well-rounded, which is what Duke is looking for.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere, and that is going to stay that way! :slight_smile: [/ul][/li] General Comments: I am still in shock, and I am so happy for everyone who has been admitted. I look forward to meeting some of you and going to Duke! To those who were deferred, denied, or just perusing here-- just keep doing what you love and make sure that colleges see that. They will respect it and it will all work out in the end. Good luck to all!</p>

16

<p>DUKE:
Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Pratt School of Engineering</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):
Math = 780
Reading = 660
Writing = 580
Total = 2020</p>

<p>ACT: Did not take</p>

<p>SAT Subject Tests:
Math II 750
Physics 710</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA (out of 6.0, 4 for academic course, 5 for honors course, 6 for AP course) 5.16
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 out of 400+ (top 1%)</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis):
Calc AB (5), Statistics (5), Environmental Science (5), Calc BC (4), Computer Science (4), Physics B (3), English 3 (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load:
My school runs on the block schedule (4 classes in Fall and 4 in Spring)
First Semester (Submitted First Quarter Grades):
(A) Engineering Level Multivariable Calc at NC State (Calc 3)
(A) Academic Spanish 2 Online (Had to take online to work with NC State schedule)
(A) AP English 4
(A) Honors Wind ensemble (Top Audition Leveled Band Class)
Second Semester
Engineering Level Differential Equations at NC State (Calc 4)
Honors Spanish 3
Honors Wind ensemble (Top Audition Leveled Band Class)
Honors Us History Online (Had to take online to work with NC State schedule)</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
(Single Drum Major Senior Year) of 136 kid Marching band. I was the bands sole leader and conductor.
HS Marching band for a total of 5 years (joined as an 8th Grader).
Lacrosse
Varsity Junior/Senior year
JV Freshmen/Sophomore year
Our Wind Ensemble, our schools top band class out of 3 offered, performed at Carnegie Hall my Junior year.
(Vice-President) National Honor Society </p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: None</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: I gave about 100 hours to a homeless family shelter that rehabilitates struggling families. It is a very small organization compared to others (housing only 7-8 families at a time), so I really got to become a big part of the whole system. I mainly helped with daycare and gave the most hours from any single volunteer. </p>

<p>Summer Activities:
Start Up Business Camps
Drum Major Academy
Shelton Leadership Challenge
Scuba Diver Certified</p>

<p>Essays:
I wrote my first on being Drum Major and the leadership qualities it instilled in me.
I wrote the “Why Pratt” essay on my interest in the field of Energy.
I wrote my third on volunteering at the homeless family shelter.
I had my parents and my AP English 4 teacher help me revise them and they thought they were good and passionate.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation:
I had 3
My AP Computer Science & AP Calculus Teacher (Same Person, Junior Year). I think he was going to help show my technical side.
My AP English 3 Teacher (Junior Year). Every college I’ve heard would like to hear from your Junior year English teacher. She liked me a lot so I think she wrote well of me and could show my non technical skills.
My Civics and Economics Teacher (Sophomore Year). He was one of my all time favorite teachers and we got to know eachother well and personally. He said he wrote great things about what I added to the classroom. </p>

<p>Counselor Rec:
I had one from a counselor I got to know really well. She told me she wrote saying a college would be crazy to turn me down. Very personal letter especially coming from a counselor which are usually generic.</p>

<p>Additional Rec:
I had 2
One from the volunteer coordinator at the place where I volunteered. We had a really good relationship and she used to read applications for a top college, so I expect it was good.
One from my Band director who absolutely loves me. I have known him for many years, and I think it is special to have a letter from a teacher you had every day throughout high school. He was also able to attest to my leadership skills since I was basically second in command of the Marching band behind him.</p>

<p>Interview:
It was supposed to be a 45 minute interview, and we ended up talking for about and hour and a half. Not sure how to interpret that. I think it went great though, it felt more like a conversation about me and my interest rather than an interview. He seemed to be impressed with my resume (I did bring an actual resume for him to keep for afterwords, but mostly I just told him what I have done) and everything was very comfortable and friendly the whole time.
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Electrical Engineering and Energy Engineering.
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Extra curricula’s, Leadership experience, Course rigor with all A’s, and Recommendations. </p>

<p>Weaknesses: Standardized test. SAT was lower than Dukes average, and not all AP scores were 5’s and 4’s.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly think they let me in because I shined in the areas that mattered. I had one of the hardest curriculum that could be made at my school with all A’s, and I took many of the big ticket items (Physics, Calc, Comp Sci) my junior year so they saw I could handle hard classes. Also I don’t think I had a lot of extra curricula’s, but the ones I did have I was really involved in, got leadership roles, made sure to write about them in my essays, and I had great recommendations for those activities to back up everything I was telling them. Thankfully those things were able to over power my lower than normal standardized scores :P</p>

<p>General Comments: Congrats to everyone who got in, and good luck to everyone! I decided to be so detailed solely because of how much reading these things helped me (mostly my sanity). If you have any questions (like maybe you are a junior looking at this page hoping to come to Duke, like myself), then feel free to message me! I’ll be happy to help! Don’t be so scared off by the high SAT scores like I was, I got in with a 580 on the writing! They clearly look for more than good scores, and a good package won’t be ruined by below average scores. </p>

<p>[/noparse]</p>

17

<p>Decision: Accepted
Trinity</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: Did not submit
ACT: 35 composite (35 E, 34 M, 36 R, 35 S)
SAT II: Math 1 770, US History 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 (weighted 4.75)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 28/613
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang (5), Psych (5), Us History (4), Gov (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Euro History, AP Human Geo, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, Research methods honors, Marketing
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
ap scholar with honor, 1st place state winner of junior FL classical guitar competition, won an essay contest for the volunteer center of Durham
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Leo Club (President), Varsity Volleyball (Captain), Travel Volleyball (Captain), NHS, Freshman Mentor (Leader), Classical guitar player, Student Action Board.
Job/Work Experience: Volleyball coach for my volleyball club (Head coach)
Volunteer/Community service: Literally my life. 100+ each summer, received Mayor’s Award (x2) and Presidential Award.
Essays: Wrote about letter writing to my senior citizen pen pal, how I thought Duke was my “soulmate”, and my mother’s broken english
Teacher Recommendations: Never saw, but one of my teachers was basically my best friend throughout high school (in the most normal way possible)
Counselor Rec: Didn’t see either. Didn’t know her well but she always made an effort to say hi to me and wish me luck with college.
Additional Rec: One from the volunteer coordinator at a senior home in Durham. Never saw it but I would guess it was outstanding. She loved me.
Interview:
Honestly thought I blew it. I stuttered, came up with stupid answers to her questions, and she was even texting during our interview.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):n/a
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen immigrant? Dual citizenship (Singapore)? Don’t really think these are hooks anymore.
Reflection
Strengths: ACT score, leadership experience, essays, the depth of my involvement with both Duke (volunteered at Children’s hospital) and Durham
Weaknesses: GPA, Interview, being asian and female
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, I have no clue. I did not expect this at all and didn’t get my own hopes up. I thought my GPA was too weak to even be considered, but I guess Duke saw how badly I wanted to go there.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - Penn State @ University Park
General Comments: Congrats to everyone who got in! As for those deferred or denied, you have so many options awaiting you - be excited! Can’t wait to meet you all in the fall!</p>

18

<p>Decision: Accepted to Trinity College</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2260 (800 Math, 770 Writing, 690 Reading, 12 Essay)
[</em>] ACT: 35 (36 English, 35 Math, 33 Reading, 35 Science, 10 Essay)
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Molecular Biology, 770 Chemistry, 760 Physics
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Who knows, 4.43 weighted doe
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No official rank but prob 10-15/464
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Environmental Science, 4 Biology (shoulda been a 5), 4 US History
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Human Geography, AP Calc AB, AP Econ (Macro and Micro), English Honors, AP Chemistry, Organic Chem, Bio-Nuclear Chem
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
Subjective:

[list]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Varsity Football
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Internship not paid but helped probably
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Hospital, youth football players program,
[<em>] Essays: Pretty dope
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Pretty good prob
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Definitely good
[</em>] Additional Rec: None
[<em>] Interview: Went well
Other

[list]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Pakistani (considered Asian though)
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: idk on the higher side
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]
Reflection

[list]
[<em>] Strengths: Solid grades, extra curriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: Declined GPA junior year, took a study junior and senior year (I don’t recommend it for junior year unless you really need it like I did)
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Because this is a no flex zone jk honestly idk my scores and essays prob
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted rutgers thats all ive heard from so far
General Comments: So glad to have D1 Sports aka Football and Basketball</p>

19

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>School/major: Environmental Science</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (5), US History (5), English Lang (5), Japanese (4), Env Sci (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Marine Bio, AP Calc BC, AP Macroeconomics, AP Government, AP Literature, AP Statistics, Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar Commendation</p>

<p>Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Show Choir (Dance Captain, Spirit Committee), Xeriscaping Garden, Video Competition (1st place division, 3rd place national), wrote a children’s book about environmental science, and a lot of other small things
Job/Work Experience: Paid Internship over the summer researching environmental stuff
Volunteer/Community Service: Animal shelter, summer camp, homeless, etc
Summer Activities: Volunteering as a counselor at a summer camp, internship (2)
Essays: Main about trip to Japan, Why Duke was good, other one was about my summer internship
Teacher Recommendations: One from Env Sci teacher who really likes me, other from English teacher who writes bomb LORs
Counselor Rec: She’s new, but I think she likes me
Additional Rec: From the professor who I worked for during my internship, probably really good
Interview: Really great! It was actually my econ teacher’s wife who also teaches at my school haha. She really liked me! Hugged me twice!</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Didn’t state, but I am Asian/white
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: n/a
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Activities, essays, interview
Weaknesses: Test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ??
Where else you are applying or have already applied: doesn’t matter I’m going to Duke!!!
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m so happy!! This has been my dream school since like forever haha!!</p>

20

<p>Rejected (hopefully others will post theirs too)</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: didn’t take
[</em>] ACT: 34
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Physics, 790 Chem, 760 Bio, 670 US History, 800 Math II
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 25%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics B (5), AP Chem (5), AP Physics C E/M (5), AP Physics C Mech (5), AP Bio (5), AP Calc AB (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Stats (5), AP Lang (4), AP Euro (3), APUSH (3), AP Comp Sci (2)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Pysch, Civics/AP Econ, APES, IC3/Health, Multivariable Calc (my senior classes are a lot easier since I took all my hard classes earlier and ran out of classes to take)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] National AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, Physics Student of the Year
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: fencing 5+ years, FASCA (taiwanese association), Miss Teen Taiwan pageant
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: FASCA, Miss Teen Taiwan, CSF, Orphanage (animal shelter), INSAN (homeless shelter)
[<em>] Essays: should be pretty good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: also pretty good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: decent (had a new counselor this year, previous one retired from heart problems)
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview:[/ul] it was alright, nothing much happened but I don’t think interviews would determine acceptance or not
Other

[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: public
[<em>] Ethnicity: asian
[</em>] Gender: female
[<em>] Income Bracket: 130k
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] fencing, coach said they gave my resume/scores to admissions officer and they liked my app
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: fencing, Taiwanese (duke has a history of being racist so I thought my involvement with my culture would help), pageant (interviewer said that it made me stand out from other interviewees)
[</em>] Weaknesses: not enough extracurriculars, asian, low GPA (took all the hard classes so I was always with upperclassmen)
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I honestly don’t know. The fencing coach said the admissions officer really liked my app and that I was their top female recruit. Then again they could have lied to me and just made me wait a couple hundred flying over there to visit and apply.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments:
I honestly wouldn’t have been disappointed if it weren’t for the coaches raising my expectations. They kept telling me that I had no problem getting in and that they would love to have me on the team. They even said that I would probably make the traveling team my freshman year. Just because I tried to get in using athletics doesn’t mean I’m not a good student. No hate.
If anyone has an idea on why I was rejected I’m open to your thoughts and opinions.</p>