<p>just wondering. if you had to rank the parts of an application, how would you rank them?
(grades, standardized test scores, essays, teacher and counselor recs, ecs)</p>
<p>That’s like saying if you had to rank your body parts how would you rank them…</p>
<p>No perverted jokes please…</p>
<p>^ True, but you do hear a lot of schools emphasize one’s “high school academic record” above everything else, which I guess sort of combines GPA/transcript with one’s course difficulty and school difficulty in general…the whole “how do you compare to your peers” thing…</p>
<p>Duke separates the application into six distinct parts and all are weighted equally.</p>
<p>1.) Academic achievement/grades (9-12 only)
2.) Strength of curriculum (vs. applicant pool as a whole & what is available at your particular school)
3.) Standardized test scores (take highest)
4.) School Recommendations/Alumni Interview
5.) Extracurriculars (*impact *& accomplishments)
6.) Essay</p>
<p>Each application is read by at least 2 (or is it 3?) people who gives scores based on the six factors. If you are a legacy, your application automatically gets read an additional time. They then place you in a pile of very likely admit, reject, and in the middle (most get placed in the middle). Guttentag reads the likely admits and signs off on them. A committee then discusses the middle pile. That’s at least the general gist, but I may be wrong about a few details.</p>
<p>They gather how many times you’ve contacted them, visited, expressed interest, etc, but don’t factor it in the admissions decision like some other schools. However, expressing interest by applying ED is a factor.</p>
<p>^ School recommendations and the (<em>cough</em>joke<em>cough</em>) “interview” are absolutely NOT as important as four years’ worth of academic effort. That’d be absurd, and Duke admissions is certainly not absurd. Whether they claim as such on their website or not, I’d be extremely skeptical of such a comment.</p>
<p>what are you talking about</p>
<p>I don’t even remember singing in when i visited</p>
<p>I doubt they keep track of the number of times you called. I’ve called like 12 times, never spoken my name</p>
<p>I’m just relaying what Guttentag, the Dean of Admissions, said less than a month ago. Believe it if you want, or don’t. I think by weighted equally he meant that gives the point value score (each factor is alloted like 6 points, let’s say), which then goes into the appropriate pile. Then they consider the application as a whole if it’s in the “middle pile” a make a decision based on their impressions. With that evaluation, I’d say you’re definitely right that your academic grades are more important but for the “initial screening” they’re apparently weighted equally.</p>