should’ve probably clarified this - i’m a rising senior!
that makes sense! it’s going to be pretty difficult to raise my rank by that much at this point, but if i were to have good essays + good LoRs (along w/ the awards + ECs that i alr have), do you believe that could make up for the lackluster gpa + rank?
in that case, would you say that applying ED is still a sizable boost for someone like me who isn’t an athlete/donor/URM (i.e. no hooks)?
I am not saying the GPA is lackluster :-).
Strong LORs are always good.
The national stuff is very helpful.
@kystle Let me just say, because this message gets lost with the focus everyone has on number of APs and whether you’ve done enough ECs, ranked high enough, etc. — you are clearly a remarkable, talented, driven, and exceptionally bright young man. It’s not so much where you go but what you do when you get there. So please don’t get too hung up on one particular school or obsessed with arbitrary rankings. Find a place where you will thrive—there are many such schools, I promise!
True confession, I do undergraduate interviews as an alumni based on my graduate degree because the university I interview for is in need of more interviewers and still doesn’t have enough to go around. I thrived at my small midwestern liberal arts school, graduated at the top, and was easily accepted to 8 top 20 law schools, attending a top 3 (I still think rankings are arbitrary but we seem to be stuck with them). I credit my undergraduate education for my success and preparing me well - being a big fish in a small pond was a blessing for me.
I am not discouraging your Duke application at all. On the contrary — you are an excellent candidate and any school would be lucky to have you. But remember that there are many, many paths to success and admissions is somewhat arbitrary and a numbers game.
Good luck!
10 Likes
The specificity to a decimal point was more to highlight the fact that none of us know what any specific students odds are of getting accepted into any specific school. One reason none of us know is more qualified applicants are rejected from Duke than admitted every year. An anecdote credited to a Duke AO a few years ago says Duke could fill their incoming classes several times over with qualified applicants every year.
What that means in the admissions process is there is often no meaningful way to distinguish between huge swaths of applicants. There is often nothing of significance that differentiates students who were accepted from those rejected. Duke admits <5% in RD and maybe twice that percentage of ED applicants. Of course, it’s hard to judge the true ED percentage because many of those are scholarship athletes and other highly-sought after applicants.
If Duke is your favorite, by all means, apply ED. However, it is important you understand that as great an applicant as you are, the odds are probably greater than 85%-90% that your application will be denied. That’s a reality of all Highly Rejective schools.
Be sure you find things to love about other schools. Good luck with your Duke application.
5 Likes
This is the honest truth.
Applying ED always helps, especially if you are full pay. The benefit has been diminishing in recent years, but it is still a sizable advantage. The last I remember ED admit rates are around 25% vs 10% for RD.
Regarding your question about boost as an unhooked candidate: your GPA/stats would place you at a ranking of 4/5 for Academics. A 5 is given to students in top 1-2%. There are similar ratings for ECs, standardized testing, reccs, etc. You are definitely within the range, but I wouldn’t say you’d be an auto-admit. Your case will likely be decided in the committee deliberations
I think you are using 2 different definitions. AP govt/AP comp govt is 2 AP courses, but 1 AP credit. Micro and macro econ together are 1 AP credit, though 2 courses. Physics 1 and 2 are semester credits, so together equal to 1 AP. There may be others.
1 Like
thanks! anything i could do from now until november-ish to help boost my chances? this summer, besides my internship and beginning my essay-writing process, i’m not doing too much. i’m also planning to visit the campus, but other than that, is there anything else i can do?
Get your essays and app work done as much as possible this summer. Make sure you spend time finding other schools you like that are matches and safeties. Then: Focus on your grades. Get your books early, read ahead, and hit the ground running. A school like Duke requires a lot of organization, good study habits, & time management to be successful: show you are ready.
3 Likes
I would keep a close eye on what other students from your high school/district are doing. Especially if any of them are applying to Duke ED. If there are any students who are Robertson caliber then it will make things more difficult for you. Also if any students who are higher rank apply Duke ED, you’ll naturally be compared to them. So try to set yourself apart as much as possible.
Given two similar candidates, they’ll almost always go with the higher ranked student. Your ECs already look very solid, so not much to do there.
Only other consideration is to start on your essays. You’d be surprised how many rewrites it will take. If your parents can afford it, consider an admissions consultant to help “package” your story. But they can help you put together a nice narrative.
-
Internship - if it’s full time, that’s great.
-
Work on essays
-
Talk to your folks - see if Duke is even in financial range. Look at other schools - no school is more important than your safety. Find out from your folks - do they want $85K a year or $20K - both are possible - and #s in between. This goes back to NPCs.
-
Visit schools you can’t get to when open
-
Have fun !!! That’s important
Someone said it b4 - but where you go has less relevance on your future than you do. Whether it’s Duke, Dickinson, Depaul, Depauw, Duquesne or Delaware, your success or failure in life will depend on you!!!
You’ve got a great record and should be proud. A school does not validate or invalidate your accomplishments.
Good luck
6 Likes
Okay…I know nothing whatsoever about Duke admissions, so please understand my remarks are speculative and take them with a grain of salt.
Why Duke? I’m curious. You may actually stand out a bit in the applicant pool because as far as I know the only type of debate Duke offers is BP, so it’s not as popular with debaters as other top colleges.
I assume when you say you’ll get a LOR from your coach you mean your debate coach.
Do you have any verification that you speak 4 languages fluently? AP scores? CLEP scores? It IS an impressive accomplishment and having some verification of your claim might help. There are some CLEP exams available this summer. If you have other verification of your abilities that isn’t necessary; I’m just suggesting it if you don’t.
The best thing you can do is get great grades 1st semester. Duke may ask for any first quarter grades if your school gives them. Plus, it’s possible you’ll get deferred and Duke will wait to see your first semester grades before making a final decision on your application. Frankly, I think that due to your Bs in junior year, that’s the most likely outcome for your ED app. That doesn’t mean don’t do it; you’re sending the message Duke is your first choice. But be prepared for being deferred and keep your grades up first semester!
Good luck!
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.