***Official Duke 2020 ED Results ONLY Thread***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
41

Decision: Accepted

Pratt School of Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2050 (700 reading, 690 math, 660 writing)
ACT: 33 (33 english, 32 math, 32 reading, 36 science, 30 english/writing)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 30 out of 346
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 AP Bio, 5 APUSH, 4 AP Lang
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Human Geo, Honors II and AP Physics, AP Calc, AP Literature & Composition, AP World History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Year-round swimming, high school swimming, TRI-M Music Honors Society, church praise band
Job/Work Experience: Very brief lifeguarding experience
Volunteer/Community service: Projects through my church youth group and my school choir
Summer Activities: Competitive swimming
Essays: …elaboration under reflection
Teacher Recommendation: never read them…but from AP Bio teacher, APUSH teacher, pre-calc teacher
Counselor Rec: did not read
Additional Rec: Year-round swim coach
Interview: I was very nervous (and awkward), but I think I was still able to explain why I thought Duke was the school for me and what I hoped to achieve while attending/after attending Duke

Other

State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina
Country (if international applicant): N/A
Intended major(s): Engineering (Biomedical)
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: South African/Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: my ACT science (maybe?), my essays
Weaknesses: my class rank (I think they considered the fact that I transferred schools between sophomore and junior year), my lack of involvement in math and science clubs/extracurriculars, my math SAT and ACT scores (a weakness mainly because of my intended major)
Why you think you were accepted: my academics and test scores were within range, my years of club swimming show a sense of commitment (maybe?), but most importantly (I think) was that I was able to show the admissions officers my personal motivation/inspiration for pursuing the major I declared (in my common app essay)

General Comments:
My standardized test scores and academics were nothing special…especially for Duke. However, my essays were very personal and explained the motivation behind my prospective area(s) of study

42

Decision:
ACCEPTED

to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
710 math, 720 writing, 790 reading

ACT:
34

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
4.0

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
top 10%

AP (place score in parenthesis):
APUSH (3)
AP Language (5)
AP Chemistry (4)
AP Statistics (4)

Senior Year Course Load:
AP Calc AB
AP Literature
APES
Honors Physics
Honors Gov./Econ.
Honors Spanish IV
Philosophy
Honors Anatomy & Physiology

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
2015 National Chemistry Olympiad Finalist
AP Scholar with Honor
Junior Marshal

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Volunteer work
Beta/NHS
SNHS (President)
Mentoring
Tutoring
Training

Job/Work Experience:
3 years in local family small-business

Volunteer/Community service:
2 years hospital volunteer work
American Red Cross
Junior Diabetes Research Foundation
Breakfast Buddies

Summer Activities:
Hospital internships
Teaching ESL abroad

Essays:
Proofed multiple times (8/10)

Teacher Recommendation:
Probably positive with sufficient detail (7/10)

Counselor Rec:
Most likely generic (5/10)

Additional Rec:
(9/10)

Interview:
(9/10) really liked my interviewer

Other:

State (if domestic applicant):
NC

Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s):
Undecided; on Pre-Med track

School Type:
Private/Christian

Ethnicity:
W

Gender:
M

Income Bracket:
~150k

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Can’t imagine

Reflection:
Honestly never thought this would happen. Extremely grateful and excited.

Strengths:
Interview, letters of rec., essay content

Weaknesses:
Rigor of schedule, extracurriculars

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
I can’t begin to speculate

General Comments:
Best of luck to everyone deferred.

Congratulations to all the other Blue Devils, looking forward to meeting you.

43

Decision: Accepted

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

ACT: 34 (E34, M36, R30, S35) - one sitting

SAT II: 780 Math 2, 790 Chem, 800 Chinese - one sitting each

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88UW (a lot harder than US grading)

AP (place score in parenthesis): (5) AP Calc AB, (5) AP Comp Gov, (4) AP Chem, (5) AP English Lang

Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Stats, AP English Lit, AP Comp Sci, IB Spanish Ab. Initio SL, AP Bio

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Honors, National Merit Commended Student, Guzheng National Certificate Grade 9 (Nothing major tbh)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Wedesign (President)
  • Student Council (Exec. Treasurer)
  • Prom Committee (Founder & Head Manager)
  • National Art Honor Society (PR Manager)
  • Habitat For Humanity (Exec. Treasurer)
  • Clothe-s Fundraising Website Series (Founder & Solo-Manager)
  • Peer Tutoring (Tutored since G9!)

Job/Work Experience: Intern at multiple design companies (Chaumet, Converse, Lifestyle Brands)

Volunteer/Community service: Reference extracurriculars listed above and below.

Summer Activities: Cornell Summer Program, Summer @Local Day school for the Mentally Disabled, Interns

Essays: Common app 8/10. Supplements 9.5/10 - I related sports to other areas of my life. Really emphasized my activeness and passion.

Teacher Recommendation: 9/10 I always had interesting conversations with them outside of class. My Lang teacher wrote about the time I approached him about my Student Council campaign. My chem teacher wrote about my balance between arts & sciences, studies & extra curriculars.

Counselor Rec: 9/10 She only transferred this year but I made the effort to talk to her before school even started.

Additional Rec: 10/10 Graphic teacher volunteered to write one! She loved me.

Interview: 10/10 I really connected with my interviewer and she really loved my enthusiasm. I was the only person she interviewed, and she promised to write me a great rec.

Other

Country (if international applicant): China (The ED acceptance rate in China was only 11%. Wow!)

Intended major(s): Statistical Science, Visual & Media Studies

School Type: Private, International

Ethnicity: Asian

Gender: Female

Reflection

Strengths: Activities + their impact on my school, Recs, Interview, additional Digital Portfolio submission (10/10 would recommend submitting a portfolio if you have any artistic talents!)

Weaknesses: My grades and testing scores weren’t top notch. Also I’m not the greatest writer haha.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My application really showed who I am as a person, not just a reflection of my grades, test scores and activities. Connecting many different interests and aspects together into one whole application was very difficult, but it definitely helped me present myself as a dynamic person.

General Comments: I had my doubts. My dad had even more doubts. But my counselor was pretty confident about my acceptance. It has been 24 hours since I checked the portal and I’m still thinking - Wow. We made it class of 2020! Good luck to everyone else out there :slight_smile:

Feel free to add me on FB, I’m super excited to meet everyone!

44

Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (730 CR, 800 M, 800 W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 780 Math 2,  770 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 18/438 (top 5%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on AP Language & Composition, AP Calculus AB. 4s on AP Microeconomics and AP Chemistry.
IB (place score in parenthesis): 
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP US Gov, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Calculus BC, AP Psychology, Honors English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): DECA National Finalist, National Honors Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Founded my own company; won business competitions at national level and then at state level for a different one. VP of Toastmasters Club in New Delhi (I moved to the US in the middle of sophomore year). School DECA president, won 1st place at state. Varsity basketball captain in India as well. 
Job/Work Experience: Business intern at a local tech startup - did a lot of marketing and finance work. Business development intern for a company in Singapore - did a lot of business planning, brainstorming. Started up a company with my brother on healthcare. 
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer tutor at the library, elected as a youth advocate on a local city commission board for Parks and Rec.
Summer Activities: Worked for this organic farming company - did a lot of outreach in India. Talked to farmers about the benefits of it. Other activities included above. 
Essays: My Commonapp essay was sort of unusual. I talked about breaking gender roles and related it to experiences I've had with my family. I think it was really personal, really unique and had pretty interesting structure. For why duke, I kinda went the risky route and talked about how I've never been to duke but how I know a lot about it and how I love the unity both academically and as a class. Also talked about flexibility of curriculum. For diversity, I put in a lot of thought (and time) and came up with something pretty original. I talked about fitting and moving several times since I've lived in a few countries. 
Teacher Recommendation: I assume they were good, didn't look at them. I think my english teacher's was good since he taught me for 2 years and was there when I first moved from India to the US. 
Counselor Rec: Good too I assume. 
Additional Rec: My mentor from a business competition who helped me form my company
Interview: It was awesome. We talked for almost 2 hours and was very low key, no pressure at all.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant): USA
Intended major(s): Econ w/ concentration in finance & Math
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 200k + 
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, thoughtful essays, won a few competitions related to my intended area of study
Weaknesses: didn't play sports throughout, nothing spectacular in terms of activities 
Why you think you were accepted: I think I had the GPA and the SAT scores, but what set me apart was how I was able to really show myself through my essays. And also because I did well in national competitions and started my own company. 
General Comments: still can't believe I got in.
45

Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2120 (M 690 R 800 W 630)
ACT: 34
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.00): 3.9918
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9 out of 354
AP (place score in parentheses): Environmental Science (5), English Language and Composition (5), Psychology (5), U.S. History (4), Chemistry, Spanish,
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus A.B., AP Biology, AP Government, AP English Literature and Composition, Anatomy and Physiology, Humanities, Consumer Economics

Major Awards: AP Scholar with Honor, KLAA Math and Science Olympiad (Precalculus).

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (leadership roles in parenthesis): JV Quiz Bowl (captain), Varsity Quiz Bowl (captain), Quizbusers [televised quiz show(captain)], Student Council (President), Student Government, Chess Club (President), KLAA Math and Science Olympiad, NHS, Spanish NHS

Volunteer/Community service: Part of a program to help elementary schoolers with reading, went after school and helped elementary schoolers with math, tutored a peer in AG II.

Summer Activities: Took Latin classes, participated in (different) Math and Science Olympiad, Lyons Township High School, La Grange IL.
Essays:
Common App: Couldn’t tell if it was really good or fairly bad. The topic worked well with my interest and was something I am very passionate about, but was risky. I guess it was good. (8/10?)
Supplement (why Duke): Fairly good and unique, talked about my experience visiting there and connection with the Lemur Center. (9/10)
Optional: Didn’t do it. (0/0)

Teacher Recommendation: Saw one of them, it was excellent (10/10), the other one I didn’t see and was pretty worried about, but I guess it wasn’t too bad.
Counselor Rec: Probably very generic, I didn’t know her at all (5/10).
Additional Rec: Didn’t get one.
Interview: Went extremely well, other than the part where I forgot something (9/10).

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Intended major(s): Biology
School Type: Medium to small, average
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $175,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None?

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, AP Classes, ACT, Essays, and Recommendations maybe?
Weaknesses: Uniformly academic extracurriculars, SAT, generic and common major.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I still can’t really comprehend the fact I was accepted. Almost everyone here seemed to do more stuff than me, so I have no idea why this happened, but am very pleasantly surprised.

General Comments: I am a Myers-Briggs INTP if you couldn’t tell.

46

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Pratt School of Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (one sitting)
SAT II: 800 Math ii and Chem, 790 Physics, 760 Bio M (freshman year)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96, 4.71 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 on Calc BC, APUSH, Spanish Lang, English Lang, Chemistry
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Physics C (Mech and E&M), Multivariable Calculus, AP Gov (American & Comparative), Principles of Engineering, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Mid-Atlantic Finalist in ACS Chemagination, State Finalist in Undergraduate level research competition, Top 5 Model UN Team in Nation

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Model UN (Secretary-General), Basketball (3 year captain), (Founded & President) of Engineering/Business student association, (Class Vice-President), Piano with local competitions and performances (12 years), Violin in school orchestra (8 years),
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring over summers
Volunteer/Community service: Webmaster for local Board of Ed campaign, local library volunteering
Summer Activities: Two research internships: one at Rutgers BME department, one for a local biotech company
Essays: Everyone that read said they were excellent. Put a lot of time into my Duke supplements.
Teacher Recommendation: Should have been awesome. From my favorite chemistry teacher, and my Calc BC teacher (where I showed tremendous growth over the year)
Counselor Rec: Generic
Additional Rec: From my research mentor at Rutgers. Was really good (he let me read it)
Interview: Went almost perfectly. The guy told me to ask him questions instead of the other way around, and he ended up coming to one of the events for my engineering/business organization. Was a big plus IMO.

Other: Submitted in mid-September (does that help??)

State (if domestic applicant):NJ
Intended major(s): Biomedical Engineering
School Type: Public, Competitive, top 200 nationally
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Moved to the US at three weeks old.

Reflection

Strengths: Tests
Weaknesses: Maybe EC’s/Awards?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea but I’m thrilled!

47

REJECTED

Decision: Rejected

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):2310, (M:770, CR:750,W:790)
ACT:N/A
SAT II: Chemistry: 750, Biology: 740, Math 1: 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):78/545
AP (place score in parenthesis):APUSH (4) ,US Gov (5), Biology (4), Chemisty (4), AB Calculus (3), English Language (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):N/A
Senior Year Course Load:AP Human Geo, AP Stat, AP Spanish, Honors English, AP Physics 1, Anatomy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):United States Senate Youth Delegate, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semifinalist, NHS

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Student Council- Secretary 2012-2015
Model United Nations- President 2012-2015
National Honors Society 2015
Interact/Rotary Club 2012-2015
Piano 2004-2015
Art 2004-2015
Yearbook: Editor-in-Chief 2014-2015

Unique ECs?:

Girls Science Interactive- President of Pennsylvania Chapter 2014-2015
o Helped create a non-profit called Girls Science Interactive and ran the Pennsylvania summer program exposing girls to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Created a Women’s leadership organization- Founder 2015
o Developed a program that advocates for more women in leadership through mentoring and seminars

Immerse Magazine- Editor-in-Chief 2015
o Created an online magazine that discusses global politics.

Working w/ Senator to form a youth advisory council

Developing an app program to teach medical professionals Spanish to better communicate with patients.

Job/Work Experience:Leadership Intern at Camp Invention for a week in the summer
Volunteer/Community service:
• Global Works- 2013
o 3 week service trip to Central America to teach English and build a community center.
• Phoenixville Hospital-2015
o Volunteered for over 80 hours.

• Team Children- 2013-2015
o Volunteered at an organization that gives computers to underprivileged children.
• Park House Geriatric Center- 2012-2015
o Volunteered for over 50 hours.

Summer Activities:Volunteering, CTY for one summer, ran a STEM camp (above), a few internships but nothing major
Essays:CA: 5/10 not my best work…, Why Duke? 7/10 not a bad essay, nothing spectacular, not a big word count I couldn’t express my love for Duke
Teacher Recommendation:10/10 from my World Affairs, AP Human Geo, and MUN advisor. 8/10 from my Biology teacher
Counselor Rec:10/10 my counselor loved me
Additional Rec:
Interview:Went really, really well! I’m a wonderful interviewer, I wish more weight was given to my interview than my essays/grades…

Other

State (if domestic applicant):PA
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s):Public Policy, Entrepreneurship
School Type:Public
Ethnicity:Indian
Gender:Female
Income Bracket:lol not getting aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):woman in government?

Reflection

Strengths:ECs were pretty unique prob Duke worthy, lots of leadership positions, SAT scores

Weaknesses: RANK. My rank pretty much killed my application from the start. If you take easy classes at my school your rank could be better than someone who took several APs. My school gives easy grades I guess, you don’t hit a 95 until rank 100-150 or so. My junior year course load- I didn’t think through my courses and ended up overwhelmed. I also changed my major- I was on a biology track, but then realized I loved government/policy and entrepreneurship so it may have seemed like the major I applied for didn’t connect to the courses I took. My grades junior year in Calc and Chemistry were pretty weak. No sports?

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: All the weaknesses listed above. I undermined the importance of rank- it would have been higher if I took more humanities classes rather than science.

General Comments: Congratulations to everyone who got accepted!!! For those of you who were rejected: keep your head up, you’re just getting started:) Good luck to those of you applying/deferred!

48

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted!

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (770 CR, 800 M, 710 W)
ACT: 34 (35 E, 35 M, 33 R, 34 S)
SAT II: 790 Bio E, 760 M2, 710 Spanish
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/223
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), English Language (5), English Literature (5), Spanish (5), Statistics (5), US History (5), Biology (4), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None.
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Physics 1, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, Honors A+P, Honors Jazz Band, Latin
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, National AP Scholar, USPS Candidate, Poetry Out Loud, A few scholarships, Lots of small school-related awards (None of these are major awards, but I figured I’d include them if it helps!)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Pep band (leader), Honors Jazz Band (trombone section leader), Math Team (co-captain, team regularly places 1st in state), Varsity Crew (A-boat), Varsity Volleyball (co-captain), NHS, Tri-M (VP), Guitar (lead guitarist of local band), Piano, Climbing
Job/Work Experience: Co-owner of landscaping business, Intern at local company (involved in software and manufacturing), Shadowing physicians
Volunteer/Community service: ER Volunteer (200 hrs), Church Volunteer (50 hrs), Habitat for Humanity (50 hrs), Various projects for NHS and Tri-M
Summer Activities: Work, Sports, Travel
Essays: Common App (8-9…Very unique), Why Duke (8…Talked about experience while visiting campus), Optional (9…Wrote about family background)
Teacher Recommendations:
Spanish teacher (9…“Best student I’ve ever taught”), English teacher (Probably 9-10…She treats me like a son, and she’s an AMAZING writer), Latin teacher (Probably 9…Close to English teacher’s in quality)
Counselor Rec: Probably 6-7…We’re very close, but he’s not a great writer, unfortunately.
(I say “probably” when I rate most of these because I never actually saw them… :-? )
Interview: None.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): NH
Intended major(s): Undecided (but pre-med)
School Type: Public, Competitive
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: > $100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.

Reflection

Strengths: Recommendation letters, Academics, Demonstrated interest, Gap year!
Weaknesses: No major leadership positions, No major awards
General Comments: Future applicants! I hope I don’t sound too preachy here…this is simply what I’ve observed after having gone through this college application process TWICE. At schools like Duke, I’d like to think that everything under the “Objective” category in these threads can only label you competitive (among the top 50% applicants), and it is truly the person you are behind the numbers that will ultimately lead to your acceptance or denial. At the end of the day, an admissions counselor will probably choose to define you (in their mind, because to them you’re simply a stack of papers…unless you’ve gotten the chance to meet them in person, which is a huge plus) by only a few major points that you mentioned in your application, so make sure you always consider the overall message behind what you’re sending and present yourself in a way that NO ONE ELSE but you ever could. As with many things, being different will usually work to your advantage. Lastly, relax if you can, and remember that admissions counselors have to read a lot of boring applications…so have some fun with yours! Be serious when you need to be, but take the time to try to make them laugh here and there! Fellow ED applicants…If you were lucky enough to be accepted, congratulations! I’m really excited to meet all of you next fall. If not, keep your head up and know that life has a weird way of making sure that what’s best for us will almost always happen in the end.

…Go Blue Devils!

49

[noparse]
Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (superscore) 800 Math, 760 CR, 700 Writing
ACT: NIL
SAT II: 800 Physics, 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): NIL
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NIL
AP (place score in parenthesis): NIL
IB (place score in parenthesis): 44/45
Senior Year Course Load: HL Physics, Math, Chem, SL History, Chinese B, Language and Literature, Theory of Knowledge, History EE
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Physics Deans’ List (top 10% of cohort)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Choir (Secretary), Class (Vice Chairman), Musical Production (Founding Member, Actress), Girl Guides (Assistant Company Leader), Student Ambassador, Business Competition
Job/Work Experience: Law Firm Internship, History Research Assistant,
Volunteer/Community service: Brought drama curriculum to Trupiangse village in Siem Reap, Held a 1 day camp for children cancer patients
Summer Activities: Started my own drama programme with weekly lessons for underprivileged children
Essays: Strong personal essay (9/10), Why Duke essay was pretty candid (8/10)
Teacher Recommendation: I have no idea, I didn’t read them
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read but I trust this teacher a lot
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Very brief phone interview (10 mins), didn’t get to share much

Other

State (if domestic applicant): NIL
Country (if international applicant): Singapore
Intended major(s): History, Public Policy
School Type: mid sized Private school
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Financial aid not needed
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NIL

Reflection

Strengths: really let my personal voice show through my essay and backed up by my activities, strong grades
Weaknesses: no outstanding awards or talent
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: passion and drive showed

General Comments: can’t wait to start college!
[/noparse]

50

[noparse]

Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): CR 750 M 800 W 740
ACT:
SAT II: Math 2 800 Chemistry 800 Physics 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83 (converted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: H1 General Paper, H2 Mathematics, H2 Physics, H2 Chemistry, H2 Music, H3 Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Singapore Chemistry Olympiad Bronze Medal

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Singapore National Youth Orchestra, School chamber ensemble
Job/Work Experience: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering Internship
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays: 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: 8/10
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: 9/10

Other

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Singapore
Intended major(s):
School Type: Private School
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: SATs, Extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments:
GO DUKE!

[/noparse]

51

[noparse]
Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Pick one:
Pratt School of Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (690 R, 760 W, 770 M)
ACT: 34 (35 S, 35 M, 34 R, 32 E)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 760 US history, 750 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), US Gov (3), Lang (4), Phys B (5), Calc AB (5), Calc BC (5), Chem (5), Lit (4), Euro (4), Phys C Mech (5), Phys C EM (4), Bio(4), Comp Sci (4), Macroecon (5), Microecon (4), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, Chinese, Anatomy, Organic Chem, Linear Algebra, Literary Theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): varsity basketball, public forum debate, a capella
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: NHS, Tri-M, Red Cross. total of >250 hours of volunteering
Summer Activities: 2 week Chinese summer camp, 6 week math camp where I did linear algebra, research assistant at 2 labs at local university
Essays: Common App 9/10, talked about basketball and compared it to playing tetris. Why Duke/engineering 8/10, somewhat generic, mostly talked about my summer activities. Optional essay 7/10, really generic on how Filipino I am, but better than nothing I thought
Teacher Recommendation: both 10/10? math teacher really liked me and helped me self-study calc AB before freshmen year. also wrote recs for me before w/ all the summer camps. Lit teacher also really liked me.
Counselor Rec: 10/10. She liked me too for some reason I think.
Additional Rec: 9/10 Lab mentor. I always showed up and worked a bunch, but I didn’t do anything really exceptional.
Interview: 9/10 The interviewer liked me and we had a good conversation. it only lasted 20 minutes though because he had to do something else.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): AZ
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): biomedical engineering
School Type: charter
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket: >200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope

Reflection

Strengths: course rigor and GPA (took a lot of AP classes…) extracurricular/activities/volunteering were pretty diverse yet still large focus in stem. also good rec letters and decent essays.
Weaknesses: no major awards or leadership positions
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really have no idea why they accepted me…but I’m super glad they did!

General Comments:

52

Decision: Rejected

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 32 (33 E, 29 M, 32 R, 32 S)
SAT II: didn’t submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t have GPA
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t have class ranking
AP (place score in parenthesis): School doesn’t offer AP
IB (place score in parenthesis): School doesn’t offer IB
Senior Year Course Load: Calc AB, Advanced Biology, Advanced Spanish, Senior Studio, Emotionology, Surrealism, Theory of Color
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, but probably should have submitted art work to scholastic and other competitions, as I was applying for studio and visual arts and would have most likely won national awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Club Swimming, Varsity Basketball, Varsity Soccer, Varsity Tennis, volunteer work in animal shelters, language programs, study abroad, art classes, lifeguarding, interning for a congresswoman, babysitting, founder of the cooking club, swim camp
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Worked as a volunteer at an animal shelter in Chicago
Summer Activities: volunteer work, swim camps, art camps, lifeguard training, interning, language study abroad
Essays: wrote about not embracing my heritage and quitting Chines school because I felt that this was un-American and how I redefined American by embracing different cultures. Felt that this essay was very strong and definitely made me seem mature. Why Duke was a little quirky, kinda generic but still very eloquent. For the optional essay I wrote about why I wanted to win ANTM and how it would change the way Asian Americans are seen through media. Thought this essay was amazing, though not that well written
Teacher Recommendation: History and Biology teachers. Both know me extremely well and are fantastic women, extremely inspirational. One went to Stanford and UChicago so you know she’s the real deal 10/10
Counselor Rec: I don’t know. He has strong credentials and is a strong writer, but he doesn’t know me well. 8/10
Additional Rec: Art teacher and ethics teachers. Both know me extremely well and definitely spoke about my character in an enlightening way. I’m sure that they both wrote me excellent recommendations 10/10
Interview: Went well. He wanted me to get in pretty badly. We weren’t a match personality wise, but the interview still went well, nonetheless

Other

State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Studio Art
School Type: Elite Private
Ethnicity: Asian, Polynesian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <25,000, but special circumstances
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lol nope

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses: Grades (thanks freshman year), test scores, Asian,
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m honestly not sure. I knew it was a reach, but I thought that my essays and art portfolio definitely demonstrated deep, intellectual thinking that was different from anyone else. Obviously if grades and test scores were weighed heavily, then those obviously hurt me. New York is super competitive for college, so being compared to these kids with 36, 2400, perfect grades, and who have cured cancer (literally) doesn’t look too good for me

General Comments: I cried. A lot. I even sent Duke a letter asking for a reconsideration. I really did feel like it was the place for me, and that I fit in very well. I guess not. Congratulations to everyone who got in though! Duke is an amazing school and I’m definitely jealous, but very happy for you for getting in. Best of luck to everyone else still applying!

53

Accepted
Pratt School of Engineering

Objective:
SAT I: CR: 700 M:760 W:750
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Math II: 760 Chemistry: 700
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank: 4 out of 312
AP:
Physics 1: 5
Calc AB: 5
History: 4
English Language: 4
Chemistry: 3
Senior Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Physics Mechanics & Electricity/Magnetism, College courses at County College towards Associates in Engineering
Major Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, Presidential Bronze Medal in Service

Subjective: 4 Year Varsity Track (Captain), 4 Year Varsity Cross Country (Captain), 2 Year Varsity Soccer, Science League, NHS (Vice President), Class Council (Vice President)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Quixote Quest: Tutoring/mentoring program for kids in Trenton. Over 200 hours
Summer Activities: Boys State, Cross Country Camp
Essays: 9/10: Wrote about how being an American Citizen did not impact my core values from being Indian.
Supplement:1) Wrote about my unique relationship with my “Little” who I mentored as part of my volunteering. 2) Wrote about how I didn’t want to be an engineer, but wanted to be a world changing engineer and how Duke was the only that could provide me with that opportunity.
Teacher Recommendation: Calculus teacher: Great because he liked me and was also my coach. English Teacher: Great
Counselor Recommendation: Great,
Additional Recommendation: Service Supervisor: Amazing
Interview: Went well, talked about future ambitions and my core values

Other

State: NJ
Intended Major: Bio-medical Engineering
School Type: Public over 1000 kids
Ethnicity: Asian Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks: None

Reflection:

Strengths: GPA, Academic Rigor, Leadership and EC’s
Weaknesses: Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was very nervous and thought I had no shot. I really think I got in though because of my essays and how they were personal and separated me from everyone else. Also my academic rigor and leadership in EC’s

54

Hey, I was just wondering which NGO you interned at… looking for a summer internship currently

55

[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color]

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

ACT: 30
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.36 (weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Two 3’s, Four 4’s, One 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB curriculum
Senior Year Course Load: IB Biology HL, IB Chemistry SL, IB History, IB Calculus and Descriptive Statistics, IB English, IB Spanish, Theory of Knowledge
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):AP scholar With distinction
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Track, Weightlifting, Link Crew, Secretary of NHS, Spanish club representative.
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Voulenteered a lot. Organized a color run to raise money for St. Judes
Summer Activities: Fix old houses then sell them. I told my interviewer this and she was very impressed.
Essays: I thought they were good my why duke was a little rushed but it was still a good essay. For my common app I talked about how I fused the two cultures I grew up around.
Teacher Recommendation: I only read one of them but it was really good
Counselor Rec: Probably okay I knew my counselor pretty well
Additional Rec:
Interview: It went really well. It was very informal and we talked like old friends. She also said I would be an excellent candidate at duke.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Cognitive Neuroscience
School Type: Public (rural)
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Applied for Financial Aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): US citizen but Born in Zimbabwe so URM
Reflection
Strengths: My course rigor and I am a URM
Weaknesses: There are so many. My GPA and ACT scores. I probably could have done a few more extra curriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I was a pretty weak applicant so I have no clue why they accepted me. It was probably because of my cultural background.
General Comments: I was not expecting this hahaha but I’m def excited.

56
57

Decision: ACCEPTED

Pratt School of Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (R-680/M-750/W-700)
ACT: Best Composite: 33; Best sub-scores: E-34, M-35, R-32, S-35, W-36
SAT II: Math 2- 790, Physics- 700, Chemistry (hadn’t taken class yet)- 630
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/437 (top 1%)
AP:
•5- Human Geography
•4- Physics 1, Statistics, English Language, World History, American History, Environmental Science, Psychology
(Took 5 dual enrollment classes as well)

IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
•AP Microeconomics (1st semester)/AP Macroeconomics (2nd Semester)
•AP Chemistry
•AP Comparative Goverment (1st Semester)/AP US Government (2nd Semester)
•Television Production
•AP BC Calculus
•Dual Enrolled American Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
•Class Government (VP- 11th; Treasurer- 12th)
•Student Body Government (Executive Board-11th)
•Varsity Basketball
•Political Debate and Discussion (Founder and President)
•NHS (Treasurer)
•Science Honor Society and Competition (Treasurer)
•Math Honor Society
•Social Studies Honor Society (VP)
•Essay Editor

Job/Work Experience: Math Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: ~300 hours
Summer Activities: Engineering camp at Purdue university (competitive admission, 75% merit scholarship)
Essays:
•CommonApp- 8/10. Very passionate, very flowery, very me. Maybe a little cheesy, showed some boyish enthusiasm and I felt I came off as a real kid, nothing super.
•Anti-Discrimination Statement- 9/10. Can be difficult for white dudes, however I wrote about growing up in urban America, and how disheartening “the ghetto” can be. I felt this was maybe my most flowery essay I have ever written; I cringed once I read it over a few days ago, but I knew that the essay was well written, just kinda seemed too excited I guess?
•Engineering Supplement- 8.5/10. Basic but I roped in the fact that I’m the son of a power plant worker, which fit in well with the rest of my application.

Teacher Recommendation:
•English Teacher Sophomore Year- 9/10. Beautifully written and a unique choice for an engineering major, a sophomore year English teacher that is. She was my club sponsor and she used very specific events in my letter, she shed light on my youthful fallibility, and my efforts to make things right. I truly believed that this recommendation humanized me.
Counselor Rec: No clue, but she loves me to death.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: A M A Z I N G. I have never hit it off with someone so fluidly before. Also ended up winning the district championship in basketball that day hahaha.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Environmental Engineering
School Type: Big Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Low-Income, single parent household?

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, recommendations, and my interview. I think I came across as a real person amongst papers. Also my strength of schedule was as good as it could’ve been.
Weaknesses: Scores and lack of a “WOW” factor
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Pure enthusiasm, direction of goals, and people skills. I don’t think my stats got me in.