<p>I was just wondering because Im a bit nervous on whether or not Im good enough for Duke.
I have an unweighted GPA of 3.892 and a weighted GPA of 4.417. Im in the top 1% of my class and I am in all APs this year. I have taken a 3 ap Exams and have recieved a 5 on two of them. I am heavily involved in many extracurricular activities and have 32 ACT composite score, and a 2000 SAT three-score. I am also bilingual. I almost always get A's and always take on a difficult course load. I really want to go to Duke but I doubt I'd get in.</p>
<p>Only submit the ACT score. A 2000 on the SAT won’t help you. I’d say it’s a mid reach.</p>
<p>What about everything else? Are they decent too?</p>
<p>Could you get in with those grades? Most certainly! </p>
<p>However, It’s not about being in a lot of activities. It’s about what you get from those activities. Your essays must convey passion in a way that makes you more interesting than 9/10 applications that they read. College applications to top schools aren’t a test of knowledge or experience. You can’t just “pass” into Duke. They are a competition. There are thousands of other students who want to go to Duke just as badly as you do (I’m one of them), and some of them are more qualified. Borderline applicants like you and me have to stand out somehow. Write something that will make somebody wrinkle their brow and want to know you personally.</p>
<p>I have written about one EC that I think will make me stand out a bit. Its a small, completely student-led club. Basically, every other week, we go to some of the local middle schools, do fun science projects with them. We also do a little powerpoint for the kids. We basically use the things we learn in high school and teach it to these kids. And the topics are pretty cool too and is something most people won’t even learn about unless they take advanced courses. We do have to scale it down but the kids don’t seem to have a problem learning it. I feel like very few people do something similar to this.</p>
<p>That sounds pretty unique. Exploit it!</p>
<p>I wrote about my passion for musical performance and compostion. I don’t know if it’s common, but I think it was decent.</p>
<p>Have you already submitted your application?</p>
<p>Yea I submitted it on on the 17th I think. I heard that applying earlier (not just for early decision/action) helps a bit. I’m not sure if that’s true though.</p>
<p>^It doesn’t. </p>
<p>Just stay hopeful and have a backup plan. So many qualified applicants are rejected at top schools like Duke, but they all will find their way (as long as they don’t stay bitter and realize the opportunities they’ll have with a steady head on shoulders).</p>
<p>Yea, I have two backup schools that I am 99.9% sure I’d get accepted to. I also have a few other schools in mind. Again, some of those are reach like duke and some are target.</p>
<p>You seem like a strong applicant overall. We actually have the same test scores, lol. </p>
<p>I hope we can both get in!</p>
<p>A strong applicant? That’s awesome! What are you planning on majoring in? I’m planning on majoring in Biomedical Engineering, but I also kinda want to study Physics and Civil Engineering.</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in BME as well!</p>
<p>Do you think that they will be very selective with their prospective BME majors because of how good it is?</p>
<p>Yes. They accepted more than usual in the early decision round, so alot of the incoming class is already filled out. I’m guessing the regular decision acceptance rate will be <10% for Pratt applicants.</p>