<p>I'm a senior trying to decide where to ED. I'll be applying to most of my schools Regular Decision. I know my chances at Duke are very low but since their ED acceptance rate is higher than comparable schools I was thinking maybe I should just say a prayer and ED there anyways. So what I'm really asking is would I just be completely wasting my ED? My freshman and sophomore year grades were bad but I've improved a lot since then. And I got a great ACT score. </p>
<p>GPA: 3.79 UW
ACT: 35
6 AP's done by graduation.
Senior course load: AP Calc AB, AP Lang & Comp, AP Physics, AP Psych, AP Spanish, and my school's required Theology course.
I know for a fact that 1 of my teacher recommendations is amazing. The other and my guidance councilor's should be pretty good.
I do have good EC's for my school, but nothing that special: Track Team 4 years for 2 seasons each. Captain for Junior and Senior year. Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD Club) officer and treasurer. Then I'm part of a couple more clubs but not in leadership positions for them.
And my Dad is an alumni. </p>
<p>I know my GPA is low for a school like Duke, and up until this year my courses weren't that challenging either. But with my ACT score, if I nail my essays, do I have a shot? Would I just be wasting my ED?
Thanks for any advice! </p>
<p>Yes, you have a chance. Strong ACT, decent grades, Team captain and legacy. Just nail the essays, and you have a solid chance.</p>
<p>Duke is more selective than Dartmouth, Cornell and Penn CAS. </p>
<p>Kualakoala, thanks for the input! I think they are all around 25-30% ED acceptance rate. And with legacy I would think the small percentages Duke’s is lower would probably be negated?</p>
<p>What is confusing me is that you seem somewhat indifferent about Duke. If it is truly your first choice school, and you can definitely afford it, then apply ED. If you have any qualms about the school or have multiple schools you are keenly interested in, then don’t. I understand there is always strategy involved, but why lock yourself into a school you aren’t 100% (or close to that) sure of simply because “everyone is applying ED” or Duke is exceptionally competitive and you just want to see if you would get in? If your application is solid and you pulled together a good list of schools to apply to, you will have good choices in April. </p>
<p>Thanks poohbah29, I think you’re basically right. Part of my hesitance is because I received my ACT scores very late for some reason. I found out only 3 days ago. My previous scores were significantly lower so it’s caused me to reconsider my entire college search on such short notice. And yes, I’m sure it’s my first choice. </p>
<p>If you like Duke, go ED for Duke. If you compare the stats from the past 3 years, Duke is actually easier to get in than all the ivies, including Cornell, Dartmouth & Brown etc, and Chicago. One of the main reasons is the fact that the ivies and Chicago are advertising more and more especially at overseas seminars. As a results, they have a huge number of applicants these days, and as a result, much lower acceptance rate and a higher ranking.</p>
<p>Besides, Duke is comparable to any of the ivies academically, although not as internationally known. In fact, Duke is in a much stronger athletic conference than the Ivy league. </p>
<p>^ I don’t know why this website allows posters to provide incorrect information without verification. Duke was more selective than Dartmouth, Cornell and Penn CAS last year and has historically been more selective than Chicago (until its acceptance rate plummeted because of aggressive marketing). </p>
<p>Also, Duke has been more selective than Cornell for eons. It is also often more selective than Penn as whole (including Wharton) and almost always more selective than Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences. Last year, for the first time in a while, Duke was more selective than Dartmouth (in spite of the fact that Dartmouth is a much smaller school). </p>