<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>My name is Jimmy, and I'm a current Duke freshman. I'm an in-state (I live in Raleigh, 25 minutes from campus) Asian student in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. My intended double major is Economics and Statistics.</p>
<p>If anyone has any questions they want to ask about the application process, campus life, academics, or whatever, feel free to post them here!</p>
<p>~Jimmy</p>
<p>Hi! I have two questions. Atleast, currently they’re two.</p>
<p>1) Any idea how many Indian students enrolled this year?</p>
<p>2) Also, about the Robertson Scholars, what kind of people are they? Are they the ones who’d be generally accepted in the HYP’s and Duke only uses the scholarship to lure them?</p>
<p>I also have questions (if you don’t mind): How much freedom does a Duke Freshman have with course selection? Also how does the workload compare to that of high school?</p>
<p>Hello, I have a question, is there anyone entering Duke with SAT 2100? Thanks.</p>
<p>How difficult are the classes? Are teachers very accessible?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes…10char</p>
<p>Is the mid-year report required for and Early Decision acceptance? On the applicant status website, it says it’s required for an admission decision but the deadline isn’t until Feburary 15th.</p>
<p>Also, if you know, how much does legacy affect admissions at Duke?</p>
<p>Feedback would be much appreciated! ^__^</p>
<p>^Although I’m not the OP, I’m applying ED and I know that for ED applicants they require first-quarter grades…as in the grades that come out in November.</p>
<p>perfectpixie:</p>
<p>About 25% of the Class of 2014 is Asian/Pacific Islander (including Indian). Since I learned this, I’ve found that stat to be very interesting, because it sure seems like there is way more than 25% Asians around! If your concern is having other Indians around, don’t worry, there will be plenty. If your concern is competing with the other Indians, well I can’t say too much since I don’t know your qualifications. You can find a Class of 2014 profile here: [Duke</a> University Admissions: Class of 2013 Profile<a href=“It%20says%202013,%20but%20the%20profile%20is%20updated%20to%202014.”>/url</a></p>
<p>I don’t know any Robertson Scholars, but I do know B.N.'s, A.B.'s, and others on full scholarships. I also know a couple of people who are in a second round of Robertson Scholars judging currently. It’s difficult for me to answer whether or not they’d be HYP. . . there are many incredibly talented people here, and most of them would do phenomenal at an ivy league. I will say, though, that all of the people I know who have or are in the running for these scholarships are incredibly well-rounded. They all have strong qualifications in a broad spectrum of respects (leadership roles, ECs, academics, social skills), and they are able to show them through their activities and their daily conduct. In case you are wondering, social skills do come into play to a degree; many scholarship programs here invite finalists to a Finalists Weekend, and they supposedly observe how each candidate interacts with others.</p>
<p>MW2isawesome:</p>
<p>Duke freshmen have a good deal of freedom in course selection. The official rules are that they cannot enroll in 200 or higher level courses, but these are all incredibly advanced anyway, and not things a freshman would take otherwise. The numbering system of courses is a bit weird, but as a freshmen, you’ll find that you will be able to take courses in pretty much whatever subject and discipline you’d like.</p>
<p>The only thing about course selection that gets people is registration windows. Of course, this isn’t just a Duke-only thing, but as you can probably guess, freshmen register last, and among them, there are three registration windows. I was 1st window for the fall semester, and 3rd for the spring (you move up a window every semester). For the most recent registration, I was unable to get a few courses that I wanted (ARTSVIS 100, PHYSEDU 67, a few others but due to scheduling conflicts), but the ones I missed out on were mostly extra electives that tend to attract upperclassmen anyway. In terms of courses that were going towards my major, I got them all.</p>
<p>The workload will definitely be heavier than what you had in high school. For many of the students here, in fact, this year was the first year they had to really start studying. Many people here put very little effort into high school, because it didn’t require much effort for them. At Duke, it’s not so easy.</p>
<p>One important thing I’ve learned about managing the workload, however, is that no matter how much you have to do, you can do it if you plan out and compartmentalize your time. Some days I might spend the entire day working on a draft for one paper, and other days I might spend the same amount of time typing two final papers, studying for a midterm, going to the gym, and hanging out a bit. As long as you are able to focus when you need to, it’s very manageable. And don’t procrastinate. . . it comes back to bite you. Trust me.</p>
<p>Karry123:</p>
<p>There are students here with lower than 2100, so don’t stress about it too much. In fact, one girl here has an 18something. The important thing to remember is that your test scores do not decide your admission. While it is a factor, it’s not as important as a holistic view of your application, which considers your strengths, weaknesses, passions, dedication, and personality. For more about this, check out this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1036276-all-2015-applicants-note-about-applying.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1036276-all-2015-applicants-note-about-applying.html](<a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2013profile.html]Duke”>http://admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2013profile.html)</a></p>
<p>TangentQueen:</p>
<p>I’m not quite sure how to answer your first question. The courses here will be more difficult than those at a typical university, and will definitely be more difficult than those in high school. However, they are not so difficult as to be unmanageable. In fact, many of the difficult courses ultimately come down to how much work you’re willing to put in. If you come to Duke, you’ll hear about the weedouts (Chem 31, Econ 51, Math 103, etc.) and you’ll see for yourself what they’re like. Expect more work than you’ve probably had to put in ever before. But don’t expect it to kill you.</p>
<p>The plus side is that professors are very accessible. They want you to succeed, and will often go out of their way to help you. The day before my Math 103 midterm, for instance, the professor had office hours from 5pm till midnight. He was willing to stay as long as there were students in his office, asking questions. Other professors of mine have been willing to take extra steps to assist students. For a FOCUS course (MESS focus, in case you were wondering), I have to create an Agent-Based Model for my final project, and my professor offered to send my code to some colleagues for help with the programming. Another time, I saw a professor in a common room offering help with difficult material.</p>
<p>The main point is that if you have a question for a professor, and are willing to seek them out/ask them for the extra time, they will do their best to grant your request. Students who do this show a lot of dedication and motivation, and professors will be more than happy to assist students like that.</p>
<p>misspandaz:</p>
<p>I applied RD, but I think I can still answer your question. The mid-year report is to be sent after acceptance. The same goes for the end-of-year report for RD (and ED too, I believe). Don’t worry too much about it. It’s mostly just insurance for Adcom; they want to make sure you haven’t started slacking off and dropping grades after you’ve been accepted. This doesn’t mean going from an A to a B. My 2nd semester of high school, I got 2 B’s after a first semester full of A’s. Slacking means something like going from an A to a C, which is questionable, or from an A to a D, which is very likely to garner a student a letter from Adcom.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about legacy at Duke. A visit to Duke’s admissions page may help:
[Duke</a> University Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/]Duke”>http://admissions.duke.edu/)</p>
<p>Good questions guys! Feel free to ask more, and don’t feel limited to application process type questions. . . anything about campus life or the like is welcome!</p>
<p>~Jimmy</p>
<p>Jimmy,</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I had a quick follow up regarding free time (if it exists). You mentioned that the work load is much more brutal than that of high school and I was wondering if Duke students typically spend their weekends and holidays writing papers and whatnot or if days off are truly days off. In high school I typically do nothing academic on Saturday and on holiday breaks but will often spend a large portion of my typical Sunday doing homework/studying.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot DrJamesDaAZN! Happy Thanksgiving Day!</p>
<p>MW2isawesome,</p>
<p>I wouldn’t exactly say that the workload is brutal. . . it’s definitely manageable. However, you shouldn’t going in expecting to be able to take it easy like you might’ve been able to in high school. It also depends, of course, on the courses you take and the extracurricular activities you involve yourself in.</p>
<p>As for the weekends/holiday, well, let me split that into two parts. You will definitely have work to do on the weekends, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to have free time as well. For me, I typically do little work on Friday/Saturday and get cracking on Sunday. Duke does have a good social scene that makes itself very clear on Thurs-Sat, so you will be able to get involved in that. Or, if you’re in a chill mood, you will have time for that as well. So what you said about doing nothing academic on Saturday and working on Sunday sounds pretty accurate for me.</p>
<p>Of course, my workload this semester isn’t as high as most students (thanks to FOCUS), but most people in my dorm party on Fri/Sat, and a handful go out on Thursdays too. Occasionally, someone will have to skip a night for work, but it’s not too bad.</p>
<p>On holidays, well I’m on Thanksgiving break right now and I haven’t done much work so far. On Tuesday I did no work. On Wednesday, I did a bit tweaking on a final paper for Writing 20 (spent like 1.5hrs on that). And today, I’m about to get cracking on another final paper.</p>
<p>You should expect less work over breaks (since there’s no class time to get more work during), but you will still have it. Ultimately, it comes down to how much time you want to devote to schoolwork during holidays. . . that’s a personal call for everyone.</p>
<p>Of course, winter break is exempt since it’s between semesters.</p>
<p>~Jimmy</p>
<p>Jimmy, the part of the Duke supplement at the end which states:</p>
<p>“We seek to understand and appreciate you as an individual. If there is a parent, sibling, other relative, or friend who you think could help us do that, we would be happy to receive a one-page letter from one of them. (It must be mailed to our office by January 2, 2010.) This optional information will be considered in our understanding of you as a person, but will not be formally evaluated as part of your application.”</p>
<p>Did you by any chance submit this? I am thinking about having my mom or career counselor do it, but I’m not sure if this is necessary?</p>
<p>TangentQueen,</p>
<p>When I applied I sent only the recommendations asked for. This extra letter is entirely up to you. If you believe it can add something to your application, then by all means go for it. It can only help you, after all. If you’re not sure whether or not it’ll add something, it doesn’t hurt to try and send it anyway. As long as you don’t go overboard with letters (as in more than like 2 or 3 extra, I’d say), you won’t incur any sort of negative consequences from an extra letter.</p>
<p>So to answer your question, it’s not necessary. But it can’t hurt, so if you’re able to get one, I’d recommend sending it in.</p>
<p>~Jimmy</p>
<p>Jimmy–</p>
<p>I’m also interested in economics and statistics. What is the workload like if I were to major in one or both of these? Also, is it hard to get a good grade in these areas (relative to other majors)? Thanks!</p>
<p>Jimmy,
Can you elaborate on teh social scene at Duke? What do you with your time outside of class (besides going to basketball games obviously)?</p>
<p>How is the actual campus and the surrounding area? I haven’t gotten to visit it yet but I have heard that it’s very nice. (This is coming from a potential botany major who would actually prefer a quieter, more natural environment)</p>
<p>May be helpful</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/894881-duke-student-s-taking-questions.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/894881-duke-student-s-taking-questions.html</a></p>
<p>lawdertrain:</p>
<p>Well I can’t say too much yet since I’m just a freshman and did FOCUS first semester. This next semester I’m getting into my Econ/Stat classes. I can say that having a social sciences major makes your schedule a lot easier to manage since you don’t have labs and such. Next semester, I have class from 1:15-4:05pm each day, and that’s it. This schedule includes 3 courses required for my majors. . . Econ 51, Math 104, and Math 135.</p>
<p>From what I’ve been told, however, it is not incredibly difficult to get high grades, compared to the other majors. I’ve definitely not been told that it’s a relatively hard track to follow. But honestly, I don’t really know myself. . . I’ll have to wait until next semester to start getting a taste.</p>
<p>OoovooO:</p>
<p>The social scene here actually surprised me when I first heard about/experienced it. Duke students really do live by the mantra “Work hard, play hard”. Here’s how it goes in my dorm:</p>
<p>M-W: Study, chill in the common room, go to basketball games
Th: Some go out to clubs, most repeat the previous 3 days
F: Dorm empty. . . everyone’s at parties/clubs
Sat: Dorm 1/3 to 1/2 full. . . same deal as yesterday
Sun: STUDY</p>
<p>Repeat.</p>
<p>If you’re not into parties and whatnot, however, don’t worry. There are people in the same boat as you, and you will be able to spend time with them doing whatever you want. There’s also a group called Devils After Dark that organizes events on Thurs-Sat nights.</p>
<p>If you are considering the FOCUS program, I’d say the biggest advantage is the close-knit community you get. My dorm is a FOCUS dorm, and everyone in our FOCUS is incredibly tight. The downside is that you will be a bit behind in your major and such (see response to lawdertrain above), but if you’re looking for a closer community, try FOCUS. Be aware, however, that this is not apparently the case for all FOCUS’s. . . definitely is for mine.</p>
<p>krmh11:</p>
<p>The campus is incredibly nice. The surrounding area. . . debatable.</p>
<p>A lot of people who visit Duke for the first time say it looks like Hogwarts. That is definitely the case for West Campus. West is just absolutely beautiful. . . the Chapel, the architecture, the enormous trees, etc. East Campus isn’t nearly as nice, but it’s not bad either. I like the way it’s laid out, and the quad is nice and open.</p>
<p>The phrase quiet, natural environment describes Duke very well. Unlike some schools I’ve been to, Duke has a really relaxed kind of atmosphere. On the other hand, the surrounding area isn’t really anything special. In fact, it can be quite dangerous. Duke is almost like an oasis in Durham.</p>
<p>Honestly, you really have to visit to see for yourself. You’ll love it, trust me.</p>
<p>~Jimmy</p>
<p>Hey prospies! Just thought I’d join in the discussion and offer myself as another resource/question answerer. I’m a freshman as well, considering a Cultural Anthropology and Biology double major (the bio major is 90% definite). I’m pre-med, from New England, and Asian, and I’m part of the Genome Revolution Focus. So if you have any questions, shoot me a message or post here and I’ll be happy to answer them!</p>