The traditional questions for current Duke students thread

<p>I mean, it sort of depends on the class, but usually people are not cut-throat. I know I liked going over general chemistry stuff with friends.</p>

<p>As for the tutors, I have yet to use one (I'm planning on getting one right when I get back to Duke for Orgo II, though), but in order to be a tutor you must have had a B+ or better in the course. It all depends on how much help you need. If you need someone to motivate you and help with the occasional concept, they should work well. If you are completely lost, you're going to want to find a friend or someone who understands the material to work with you for more than the hour per week that tutors meet with students.</p>

<p>I make a habit of always getting a tutor for my hardest class of the semester...if it's free I'm going to take advantage. I've had tutors for Gen Chem 1, Math 103, and Orgo I and all of them were absolutely wonderful. It just helps to get a new perspective on the course, and see how someone else would approach solving problems. Sometimes you can get a bad one, but I've had only excellent experiences with tutors.</p>

<p>

You have to take a seminar and Writ 20 anyway, so it's really only one extra class. My FOCUS was in my major, so I got two major courses out of it. :D</p>

<p>engineers don't need seminars (I think only the 5 humanities req apply for pratt), so for us sometimes it's 2 extra classes.</p>

<p>There's also an Engineering Focus, though it is a department-by-department decision as to how those courses count.</p>

<p>Question for Pratt students - </p>

<p>my d is a sophomore at a strong prep school and wants to follow her Dad into
engineering. My question is what is the typical number and type of math
and science AP's and SAT II's for a Pratt applicant? The average range of
SAT scores? Are there a good number of female engineering students
at Pratt? Thanks, CC'ers, you are always the best!</p>

<p>For the SAT scores:


</p>

<p>Pratt's about 30% women, a number that has been increasing over the years. If I recall correctly, my advisees have had, on average, two to three AP credits, with some having none and others having truckloads.</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

<p>DukeEgr93 - Thanks so much for your reply; here's hoping my d will become
a member of the Class of 2013! Looks wonderful and it's been her top
choice for some time now. Probably a good sign. Thanks again.</p>

<p>I'd say that most people in Pratt start in math103 (having had BC calc in HS). I'd say that the next most common is Physics C credit, and then from there it spreads out to chem, music, us govt, ect. I think Dr. G's assessment of 2-3 credits on average is reasonable.</p>

<p>bsbllallstr8: would my d be at a disadvantage if she does not end up taking
BC calc in hs? It sounds like she would start with math 40/41 instead of
math 103 (assuming she is lucky enough to be accepted to Pratt in the
first place). Just wondering what her advisor should be advising her
from here on in, for junior and senior years.</p>

<p>YOUR DAUGHTER IS A SOPHOMORE IN HS!!!! Why do you know the courses at Duke at all? P.S. It is all down hill if she doesn't take BC calc. she won't be able to go to Duke, not even a US News top 25 school, maybe not even college at all. Push your daughter academically to the absolute limits of human capability. Only the strong survive. LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH HER!</p>

<p>eiffel13, please sit down, take a breather, stop pushing your daughter, and let her live a little. i'm a freshman at duke, and i didn't know the math courses until a few months ago. sophomore year is not the time to be thinking about college. </p>

<p>oh...and let her ADVISORS advise her!</p>

<p>Actually my d is not being pushed very hard at all, and it is not unwise
to get a sense of what a typical college eng. applicant's background would
look like in order to have a general direction for what to take in high
school. My d may not even end up applying to colleges as an engineering
major; she says she may decide on a science instead. Her high school
allows only honors math students to take BC Calc, and she is non-
honors algebra II as a sophomore now. Junior year will be non-honors
pre-calc, and senior year will be Calc AB. In fact, her 4 years of math
were set out for her before she even started her freshman year, in a
letter we received from the department. So you can see why, even
though she is only a sophomore, we are practically obligated
to pay attention to the sequence she is allowed to take.
Her advisor has no power over what course levels
she takes; that decision rests only with the teachers and department
heads. By the way, 96th percentile math SSAT, a few months after
turning 13 in the eighth grade. No PSAT scores yet.</p>

<p>96th percentile in the eigth grade. No dice. Pshh. I finished the iditarod, made the junior olympic speed skating team, medaled in the Betty Crocker Cooking Contest (Cake and Pie Division) and got a 1570 on the SAT when I was 12.</p>

<p>...and that is relevant to this discussion, how? </p>

<p>If her daughter knows what she wants there's nothing wrong with getting an early start on planning.</p>

<p>thank you, bananainpyjamas - my d's thoughts exactly. It is unlike CC'ers
not to be supportive, or at least understanding, something dukieduke
and ungiwawa seem incapable of, at least on this thread.</p>

<p>Sounds like your daughter has a good head on her shoulders, here's to hoping that she's a future member of the Duke class of 2013!</p>

<p>I just have a general question: What is the SSAT? Is that the same as the regular SAT? thanks.</p>

<p>And having only AB Calc would not be a problem, in fact Duke's engineering guide book assumes no AP credit.</p>

<p>What's the party scene like down there</p>

<p>How awesome are goin to bball games</p>

<p>The party scene is here if you seek it out, don't worry. I know this isn't really something Duke students are supposed to really mention, but some students definitely live by the "Work Hard, Play Hard" mentality. Don't worry at all. Of course, if you choose not to partake, there are plenty of other options. I mean, I don't want to get too involved in a discussion.</p>

<p>Basketball games. Golden. You won't be disappointed.</p>