<p>When I went to an info session at Duke the Admissions counselor that talked to us said we could send in an essay on a different topic from another school if we wanted to. Anybody done this or have any comments about this?</p>
<p>On another note, have prompts been released for Duke yet?</p>
<p>
Prompts have been up. Look at the Duke Admissions website.</p>
<p>" The following questions are optional—and yes, they truly are optional! If you choose not to answer them, your chance of admission will not be affected.</p>
<ol>
<li>(For Arts and Sciences Applicants Only) If you are applying to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular at Duke that attracts you? (Please limit your response to one to three paragraphs.)</li>
<li>If you have participated in any significant research activity outside of school, please provide a brief description and limit this response to one or two paragraphs.</li>
<li>We seek to understand and appreciate you as an individual. If there is a parent, sibling, other relative, or friend of yours who you think could help us do that, we would be happy to receive a one-page letter from one of them. 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.
"</li>
</ol>
<p>So I could write 1 and have my brother write about me in number 3 and send both in? Even though 3 isn’t “formally evaluated” could it still help my chances?</p>
<p>Btw, thanks for telling me those were up.</p>
<p>yes you could send both. The letter from your brother could help, but not much. It basically just helps the adcom get to know you a little better. If you use the letter from a friend/family make sure it is in good taste and add something of value to the application.</p>
<p>Yes. Your can write 1 and have your brother write 3.</p>
<p>And no. Essay three will not help your chance. They will not evaluate your essay three in a way to boost your application. They probably will read it last after they evaluated your entire application because so they can get all the important things done.</p>
<p>Is the statement actually true: “If you choose not to answer them, your chance of admission will not be affected”? By writing the extra essays, wouldn’t you be showing the admission office that you actually REALLY want to go to Duke?</p>
<p>Yes, it’s true. The general consensus on CC is that not writing them will not hurt you but writing them will help you. Think of it like extra credit on a test or something. </p>
<p>Realistically speaking (and this is my speculation), I would imagine that admissions has some sort of point system by which they rate an applicant. So if that’s true, your writing (or not writing) the essay will not add or lose points for you. But it will help the adcoms form a more complete picture of you or put the rest of your app (which counts) into a more complete context by which to make a decision. [/speculation]</p>
<p>SBR: I believe that there is a point system too. </p>
<p>t3mp: Yes if you don’t answer them, your chances will not be affected. However, I believe that if you do write one (and it is good) then it will help. Crappy one, well it won’t.
And yes writing it shows that you have a good interest in Duke (that is if you write a good essay)</p>
<p>I know some (if not most) med schools have point systems so maybe that can be said for college admissions. But then again, med school admissions is a lot more numbers-driven.</p>