Duke is out...anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My private high school in Richmond had 3, and it's not a big school. I do think Duke loves certain high schools as feeders and you have very little chance if you aren't from one of those or don't have some kind of hook (legacy, mega donor, athlete).

one of those is a recruited athlete and another has legacy connection

Correct. Not many private schools in RVA. Those who know know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a white alum who came from a good UMC suburban HS and was very smart, well-rounded but not super pointy, my type no longer exists at Duke, and it is very unfortunate. Duke has always been known as being more fratty than its peer schools, but at its core were a lot of smart, friendly but not phony, well-rounded kids who liked the occasional party and could hold their own in lots of different situations.

Duke is now three communities:
1. Rich legacies/children of the rich and famous who join frats, go to parties in fields, and use connections to get great jobs.
2. FGLI and other minorities to make Duke feel good about itself, especially after some undeserved bad press a few years ago. There are a lot of kids from the Carolinas in this bucket
3. Nerdy Asian/Indian kids who never set foot in Cameron, Wally Wade, etc.

My kid is very similar to who I was and I am struggling with whether to even have them apply. I am fairly active and give a decent amount but probably not enough to move the needle.

I am also very curious to see the impact of the new admissions director. So far I have been underwhelmed, particularly with the late rush of wait list admits last summer which was a really bad look.

As a white alum from the 90s who knows many varied races of alums from those years, to be blunt on average Duke students were not as smart then as now. The deans have said it and there isSAT percentile data. The top25% then are equivalent to the top 75% now, before TO. Most legacy kids do not get in. The ones that do almost all had parents who were definitely in that top 1/4, went on to top law or top med. The progeny of the average alums almost never get in. They would not succeed there now if they did: it is much more competitive with regard to the talent of the student body

[Anonymous]

^I have one there. Those who have had one get in and go know howmuch smarter the average student is now. And frats are not that popular anymore either

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white alum who came from a good UMC suburban HS and was very smart, well-rounded but not super pointy, my type no longer exists at Duke, and it is very unfortunate. Duke has always been known as being more fratty than its peer schools, but at its core were a lot of smart, friendly but not phony, well-rounded kids who liked the occasional party and could hold their own in lots of different situations.

Duke is now three communities:
1. Rich legacies/children of the rich and famous who join frats, go to parties in fields, and use connections to get great jobs.
2. FGLI and other minorities to make Duke feel good about itself, especially after some undeserved bad press a few years ago. There are a lot of kids from the Carolinas in this bucket
3. Nerdy Asian/Indian kids who never set foot in Cameron, Wally Wade, etc.

My kid is very similar to who I was and I am struggling with whether to even have them apply. I am fairly active and give a decent amount but probably not enough to move the needle.

I am also very curious to see the impact of the new admissions director. So far I have been underwhelmed, particularly with the late rush of wait list admits last summer which was a really bad look.

Wake Forest is full of your type!

Visit when school is in session so you and your DC can see the kids out and about. You’ll love it. Definitely Duke-in-the-90s vibes there now.

It’s an easier admit than Duke but selective enough to scratch that competitive itch. Plus, you’ll love meeting the other parents at drop off and parents weekends.

I think Wake does rolling ED decisions, so you’ll be done by October if you get the ED application in by September. So no having to wait around until December like everyone else. Your type loves that, too.

Do, but something is very wrong with you.

I guess the douche baggy reputation of Duke remains well earned.

Yep. The PP is indeed a cliche douche baggy Duke alum.

At least he recognizes that this is why he's now unhappy with Duke. They indeed accept far fewer of his stereotypical racist "type" these days.

Following his lead, I suggested he look elsewhere for his DC. My sense is that he and his "type" tend to flock together in larger numbers at Wake.

You do you, PP who sees value in stereotyping 6,000 kids into three buckets. Personally, I'm team Duke 1995 AND Duke 2025. Cheers to them for moving forward with fewer of the entitled, UMC, white racists.

(Apologies PP if you are female, not male. I felt some serious frat bro energy coming at me in your post. But, I certainly recognize I might be wrong on that front. If so, sorry if it feels like I stereotyped you incorrectly. )

The lack of self awareness displayed here truly stuns. She stereotypes an entire university while complaining about stereotypes.

If this is the product Duke puts out, those who were rejected should take solace.

Ugh. Sorry. I really botched this!!! I should know better by now . . . don't respond impulsively . . . don't respond impulsively . . . don't respond impulsively . . . .

I feel awful about stereotyping Wake! I was so offended by the anti-Asian sentiment in PP's post, that I reacted without thinking it through.

Here's the ridiculous part: We love Wake! We visited last year, and DC liked it so much they got their RD application in good and early this fall. It's an amazing place, both academically and socially, and we'd be thrilled if DC went there.

I was just being unnecessarily and inappropriately snarky. Sorry.

And, for what it's worth (which may not be much), my research and observation from our visit indicated that yes, Wake does seeem to have a higher proportion of UMC white kids than Duke does these days, along with fewer Asian students, which seems to fit PP's priorities. I think the demographic stats confirm that. Plus Wake has Greek life on campus, which PP also mentioned with nostalgia.

To be clear, the demographic stats are not at all an important factor to us, and I feel awful about suggesting that the entire school fit that "type". That absolutely isn't true, and I know it well. And I'm not even against Greek life. I loved my Greek experience in college, and my DC is interested in schools with vibrant Greek life, too. I'm all for it if they feel it's a good fit.

So what should I have said instead? Absolutely NOTHING.

But if I had to say something, it should have been that we loved Wake and they might want to check it out. No snark required. Sorry, all.

[Anonymous]

Yes, holton arm

[Anonymous]

Duke needs more middle class kids who have drive instead of these so called elite privates with people gaming the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been baffled by the fact dcum celebrates Duke while openly criticizing any SEC or southern school as havens for MAGA frat bros. I mean, Duke has always skewed white, privileged, and conservative.

I know it’s a “better” school in terms of stats, but come on, people. The lack of self-awareness coupled with the mental gymnastics needed to distinguish this conservative enclave as something it is not is very odd.

If forced to choose between them, I’d much prefer that my kid go to UGA or UNC over Duke.

[Anonymous]

^lol if a kid is deciding between Duke, UGA, and Bill Belichick U. More likely Duke, Dartmouth, and Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white alum who came from a good UMC suburban HS and was very smart, well-rounded but not super pointy, my type no longer exists at Duke, and it is very unfortunate. Duke has always been known as being more fratty than its peer schools, but at its core were a lot of smart, friendly but not phony, well-rounded kids who liked the occasional party and could hold their own in lots of different situations.

Duke is now three communities:
1. Rich legacies/children of the rich and famous who join frats, go to parties in fields, and use connections to get great jobs.
2. FGLI and other minorities to make Duke feel good about itself, especially after some undeserved bad press a few years ago. There are a lot of kids from the Carolinas in this bucket
3. Nerdy Asian/Indian kids who never set foot in Cameron, Wally Wade, etc.

My kid is very similar to who I was and I am struggling with whether to even have them apply. I am fairly active and give a decent amount but probably not enough to move the needle.

I am also very curious to see the impact of the new admissions director. So far I have been underwhelmed, particularly with the late rush of wait list admits last summer which was a really bad look.

As a white alum from the 90s who knows many varied races of alums from those years, to be blunt on average Duke students were not as smart then as now. The deans have said it and there isSAT percentile data. The top25% then are equivalent to the top 75% now, before TO. Most legacy kids do not get in. The ones that do almost all had parents who were definitely in that top 1/4, went on to top law or top med. The progeny of the average alums almost never get in. They would not succeed there now if they did: it is much more competitive with regard to the talent of the student body

Fellow 90's alum, and my Duke friends with current Duke undergrads are not the smartest. They're the richest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been baffled by the fact dcum celebrates Duke while openly criticizing any SEC or southern school as havens for MAGA frat bros. I mean, Duke has always skewed white, privileged, and conservative.

I know it’s a “better” school in terms of stats, but come on, people. The lack of self-awareness coupled with the mental gymnastics needed to distinguish this conservative enclave as something it is not is very odd.

You're an idiot. Duke is a very, very liberal place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duke needs more middle class kids who have drive instead of these so called elite privates with people gaming the system.

These days, all of the top schools are basically filled with FGLI, ultra-rich/connected prep school kids, and recruited athletes.

There are few spots for the regular-excellent middle class or upper middle class public school kid, unless you are from Idaho or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duke needs more middle class kids who have drive instead of these so called elite privates with people gaming the system.

These days, all of the top schools are basically filled with FGLI, ultra-rich/connected prep school kids, and recruited athletes.

There are few spots for the regular-excellent middle class or upper middle class public school kid, unless you are from Idaho or something.

That is true, but not likely to change anytime soon. Especially in the current environment.

[Anonymous]

Middle-class kids from public schools get shafted from top private schools like Duke. Wasn’t that way 25 years ago.

[Anonymous]

I know of many qualified alumni kids who got rejected bc parents are not big donors. Duke only wants the $$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle-class kids from public schools get shafted from top private schools like Duke. Wasn’t that way 25 years ago.

My friend got in 25 years ago from a public high school but ultimately couldn't afford it and went to state flagship instead. How are these kids affording this today when it's 4x as much?