<p>So I know this might come off as extremely ungrateful, selfish, pretentious, and rude, but I have become a little uneasy about my Duke acceptance. Don't get me wrong, I loved knowing that I was going to a top university at the time when most people hadn't even heard back from their colleges yet, and I love pretty much everything about Duke, and I am so happy to be going there, and the weather is amazing, and the academics are incredible, BUT...</p>
<p>The prestige whore in me is screaming "WHAT ABOUT THE IVY LEAGUES???" I applied to Duke ED because I thought it was the absolute best school that I had even a faint chance of getting into (because my dad went to Duke). If I could gain admission to Duke, then which even more highly regarded schools could I have been accepted to? What if I had applied to Princeton early, which is not that much more selective than Duke, and gotten into what many regard as the best school in the country? Now I will never know, because I signed the ED contract. I keep thinking that maybe Early Decision wasn't right for me, and I feel like I screwed up my whole college admissions process...</p>
<p>Someone please make me feel better about this!</p>
<p>I’m not going to say you are pretentious, selfish, rude, an ungrateful. I don’t think you are any of those. I would say this is a normal reaction for any normal person to a reasonable degree. However, I doubt I can comfort you all that much either. </p>
<p>ED is in essence a binding contract that you signed. While hindsight is 20/20, one can only judge whether the decision to enter into that contract is a sound one within the context of the information that one knows at the time. So going back, knowing only what you knew when you decided to go ED, would you do it again? If the answer is yes, then you can rest assured knowing that there was nothing more you could have done. If, upon reflection, the answer is no, then all I can say is that it was a foolish mistake to have agreed to ED.</p>
<p>I would say, at this point, reflect, learn what lesson you could and move on. There’s probably nothing more you can do.</p>
<p>Wow, look what mild panic attacks can do! Thanks for bringing me back to reality. I’ve concluded that Duke is the perfect place for me, the place where I belong. It has everything that I could possibly want from a college: great academics, a relaxed atmosphere, and amazing school spirit. I now remember why i applied ED in the first place: because there is SO much that is great about Duke, and now I realize that there is no better place for me, regardless of what some random rankings website may say. I’m proud that I’m becoming a blue devil, and I will never feel nervous about it again. So, to answer your question: YES, I would do it all over again. Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>Even though I’m a unc fan, I’m glad you’re happy about your decision to go to duke now! It’s a great school so congrats on getting in. Never feel bad about your college decision just because of prestige. That’s what other people see. Don’t live your life looking for approval from others and to impress others. What’s more important is that you go to a school that makes YOU happy. Yes it’s good to say you go to Yale for example but if you hate it there, what did that prove? Other people will be impressed with you during your 5 minute conversation and go back to their happy life while you’re trapped at a school you don’t like and are full of regrets. Enjoy duke (if that’s possible ) and don’t look back. But be careful in the area around duke. Parts of Durham are dangerous. The best parties are in chapel hill and so are the good restaurants. Are you from North Carolina?</p>
<p>My D has two friends who were waitlisted at Duke but got into Ivies…so obviously getting into Duke is huge. Stop second guessing and enjoy your years at Duke.</p>
<p>@duke94, my daughter applied ED to Duke and was accepted. She chose Duke because it was the right school for her, even though she’s a legacy at Princeton… ;)</p>
<p>If you do well at Duke you will be able to do whatever you want to once you graduate. Your options will be virtually unlimited. Go to Duke, enjoy the weather, enjoy the basketball, enjoy the intellectual discourse, do well academically, and go to Harvard for grad school (if you are so inclined!).
This way you have the best of both worlds. You can reap the benefits of going to a prestigious university and still have fun in college. Also, wanting to obtain a grad degree from Harvard gives you something to aspire towards and that is always an excellent motivator.
On a side note, Duke has bundles of lay prestige (for a variety of reasons, foremost amongst which is sporting excellence) so people will definitely be wowed when you tell them where you go to school! ;)</p>
<p>“What if I had applied to Princeton early, which is not that much more selective than Duke”</p>
<p>I don’t think this statement is correct. Here is the ED/EA/SCEA selectivity/admit rates :</p>
<p>School Early Admit Rate
MIT 9.9%
Stanford 11.9%
Yale 14.4%
Princeton 18.3%
Harvard 18.4%
Brown 18.5%
U Pennsylvania 24.9%
Dartmouth 29.5%
Duke 29.6%
Northwestern 33.7%
Johns Hopkins 36.6%
Williams 42.5%</p>
<p>It was much closer last year. Princeton’s EA acceptance rate was 21% and Duke’s was 24%. This year, Duke’s administration made the decision to fill up a larger portion of the class in the early round. The increase in the ED acceptance rate reflects that change.</p>
<p>And also, what if MIT and Yale and Harvard get more applicants than duke? Statistics don’t always tell the whole story. “There’s lies, damned lies, and statistics”</p>
) and don’t look back. But be careful in the area around duke. Parts of Durham are dangerous. The best parties are in chapel hill and so are the good restaurants. Are you from North Carolina?</p>