Help DS Decide: Duke ED or Harvard/Princeton REA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what you guys are smoking but Duke is statistically nearly as as much of a lottery as Harvard and Princeton- in fact more of one from certain schools. They don't like Sidwell for some reason. Duke does favor legacies in ED. Our kids are at a Big 3 school and we saw kids with the exact same stats as the OP's son getting rejected from HYPSM AND Duke and Northwestern. This kid seems like average supersmart kid- a dime a dozen in the DMV. And unless I missed something and the EC's are SUPER SUPER unique or the kid is URM/first gen which was not mentioned, all 3 are a crap shoot and it's ridiculous to try to game this.

Duke binding ED has got to be an easier path to a December yes decision than Harvard/Princeton, merely by the fact that you’re not competing against any of the high-stats gunners who are in the H/P EA pool. The H/P EA route so often results in deferral and then perhaps a fruitless wait list. And H/P are going out of their way to prove that their EA admit pool is not very privileged/white, if that applies to the OP. Maybe Duke isn’t as aggressive in that regard.

Yes I would agree that at least compared to Harvard applying early will be a bit easier for Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what you guys are smoking but Duke is statistically nearly as as much of a lottery as Harvard and Princeton- in fact more of one from certain schools. They don't like Sidwell for some reason. Duke does favor legacies in ED. Our kids are at a Big 3 school and we saw kids with the exact same stats as the OP's son getting rejected from HYPSM AND Duke and Northwestern. This kid seems like average supersmart kid- a dime a dozen in the DMV. And unless I missed something and the EC's are SUPER SUPER unique or the kid is URM/first gen which was not mentioned, all 3 are a crap shoot and it's ridiculous to try to game this.

Have to agree with the part about Duke having feeder schools. My child is at a T3 equivalent in another city and the have only gotten 3 kids into Duke in the past five years or so and all are recruited athletes. Acceptance rates to H/Y/P are definitely notably. higher from our school.

+1 the only school I've seen consistently get kids into Duke from DMV is TJHSST and maybe Gilman/Chevy Chase.

[Anonymous]

Duke ED is hard. I know a 2020 kid, eagle scout, NSF, 1560, 4.8- varsity athlete legacy that got deferred and then rejected.

[Anonymous]

They are all hard admits, but Duke gives more of a boost than others (binding) AND OPs DC has Duke as first choice. ED to Duke for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Duke ED is hard. I know a 2020 kid, eagle scout, NSF, 1560, 4.8- varsity athlete legacy that got deferred and then rejected.

Brutal. Ten years ago that was a sure admit through Duke ED. But Duke's brand has steadily been on the rise so it's not surprising that it's gotten much harder, not to mention the changes caused by COVID. Interestingly among all the undergraduate ranking systems, Duke's worst ranking is from US News (which unfortunately for Duke has the most visibility of the rankings). That surely won't last and it will go up. I would say to OP: getting into Duke now will be a great investment for your kid, the stock of Duke is only going to rise. Even without Coach K their basketball recruiting has been annoyingly strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what you guys are smoking but Duke is statistically nearly as as much of a lottery as Harvard and Princeton- in fact more of one from certain schools. They don't like Sidwell for some reason. Duke does favor legacies in ED. Our kids are at a Big 3 school and we saw kids with the exact same stats as the OP's son getting rejected from HYPSM AND Duke and Northwestern. This kid seems like average supersmart kid- a dime a dozen in the DMV. And unless I missed something and the EC's are SUPER SUPER unique or the kid is URM/first gen which was not mentioned, all 3 are a crap shoot and it's ridiculous to try to game this.

Have to agree with the part about Duke having feeder schools. My child is at a T3 equivalent in another city and the have only gotten 3 kids into Duke in the past five years or so and all are recruited athletes. Acceptance rates to H/Y/P are definitely notably. higher from our school.

+1 the only school I've seen consistently get kids into Duke from DMV is TJHSST and maybe Gilman/Chevy Chase.

It may feel like that, but Duke gets applications from more than 13,000 schools, and they admit about 3,000 students. That means there are at least 10,000 schools where they admit no one.

[Anonymous]

I was interested in and accepted to Duke, and interviewed for the AB Duke Scholarship. When I was walking around I apparently walked too close to a fraternity that at the time was allowed to occupy space in one of the Gothic dorms on the West Campus. Some bro leaned out a window, deliberately poured out a beer cup two feet from where I was walking, and yelled an obscenity at me. Then I got hosed for the scholarship but still invited to attend as a regular admit, by which time I'd already gotten into an Ivy.

Duke was the first school I then let know I wouldn't be attending. That felt good, although when I visited a friend at Duke during a break freshman year and it was in the low 80s in NC vs. the low 60s at my school I had second thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what you guys are smoking but Duke is statistically nearly as as much of a lottery as Harvard and Princeton- in fact more of one from certain schools. They don't like Sidwell for some reason. Duke does favor legacies in ED. Our kids are at a Big 3 school and we saw kids with the exact same stats as the OP's son getting rejected from HYPSM AND Duke and Northwestern. This kid seems like average supersmart kid- a dime a dozen in the DMV. And unless I missed something and the EC's are SUPER SUPER unique or the kid is URM/first gen which was not mentioned, all 3 are a crap shoot and it's ridiculous to try to game this.

Have to agree with the part about Duke having feeder schools. My child is at a T3 equivalent in another city and the have only gotten 3 kids into Duke in the past five years or so and all are recruited athletes. Acceptance rates to H/Y/P are definitely notably. higher from our school.

+1 the only school I've seen consistently get kids into Duke from DMV is TJHSST and maybe Gilman/Chevy Chase.

It may feel like that, but Duke gets applications from more than 13,000 schools, and they admit about 3,000 students. That means there are at least 10,000 schools where they admit no one.

That’s true, but I was specifically referring to the DMV area. Of course other schools around the country and even the world will send more, especially NCSSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was interested in and accepted to Duke, and interviewed for the AB Duke Scholarship. When I was walking around I apparently walked too close to a fraternity that at the time was allowed to occupy space in one of the Gothic dorms on the West Campus. Some bro leaned out a window, deliberately poured out a beer cup two feet from where I was walking, and yelled an obscenity at me. Then I got hosed for the scholarship but still invited to attend as a regular admit, by which time I'd already gotten into an Ivy.

Duke was the first school I then let know I wouldn't be attending. That felt good, although when I visited a friend at Duke during a break freshman year and it was in the low 80s in NC vs. the low 60s at my school I had second thoughts.

To be fair, I’m pretty sure Duke is trying to get rid of their fraternities, as are many other top schools. It’s certainly more of an academic place now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with some of the PP, I think given what you've said about your son (1580, salutatorian, good leadership, some unique national awards, well-rounded and should have good essays) he has a very good shot at Duke ED. If you want to see the profiles of some people who got into Duke this past admissions cycle, check out https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/.

Here's some kids with similar demographics (non-URM) to start you off:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tvqkjm/asian_boy_clutches_up_after_a_disappointing_early/

Asian male, upper middle class, 1600 SAT, 3.9 GPA, good ECs without much leadership, strong awards, applied early decision but was deferred

Accepted: Duke (committed), Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/u3il9l/rural_new_englander_hits_it_big/

White male, rural middle class, econ major, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Princeton (committed), Stanford, Brown, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, WashU, etc.

3. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/w0vqxp/asian_indecisive_procrastinator_shotgunner_made/

Asian female, first gen low income, econ major, 1540 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn Wharton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

4. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vv3jxi/farm_girl_gets_pleasantly_surprised_ivies_and/

White female, rural low income, 34 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Stanford, Yale, Penn, Brown, Notre Dame, UVA, UNC, etc.

5. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/v5hvor/spikey_asian_male_in_stem_does_well_w_t20s/

Asian male, upper middle class, 36 ACT, valedictorian, good ECs with leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, MIT (committed), Caltech, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, UMich, Georgia Tech, USC, etc.

6. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vmss2e/the_results_of_someone_that_spent_only_3_hours_on/

Asian female, upper middle class, econ major, 1490 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern, UChicago, UMich, USC, etc.

7. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tw3646/southern_boy_with_a_dream_rejected_from_hypsm/

White male, middle class, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn, Brown, Cornell, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, WashU, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Notre Dame, UNC

8. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vgslvm/indian_premed_girl_gets_really_lucky/

Asian female, low income, 36 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Northwestern, Rice, WashU, UMich, UNC, USC, etc.

9. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vqwmz0/big_surprise_for_boring_white_male_from_northeast/

White male, upper middle class, 1570 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Harvard (committed), UChicago, Georgetown, UMich, etc.

10. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/uqftiu/white_guy_in_cs_turns_down_hypsm/

White male, middle class, CS/econ major, 1560 SAT, 4.0 GPA, good ECs with leadership, strong awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Brown, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Georgia Tech, etc.

Ha, didn't know Duke is the #1 school in US. Sounds like HYPSM is no match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with some of the PP, I think given what you've said about your son (1580, salutatorian, good leadership, some unique national awards, well-rounded and should have good essays) he has a very good shot at Duke ED. If you want to see the profiles of some people who got into Duke this past admissions cycle, check out https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/.

Here's some kids with similar demographics (non-URM) to start you off:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tvqkjm/asian_boy_clutches_up_after_a_disappointing_early/

Asian male, upper middle class, 1600 SAT, 3.9 GPA, good ECs without much leadership, strong awards, applied early decision but was deferred

Accepted: Duke (committed), Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/u3il9l/rural_new_englander_hits_it_big/

White male, rural middle class, econ major, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Princeton (committed), Stanford, Brown, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, WashU, etc.

3. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/w0vqxp/asian_indecisive_procrastinator_shotgunner_made/

Asian female, first gen low income, econ major, 1540 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn Wharton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

4. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vv3jxi/farm_girl_gets_pleasantly_surprised_ivies_and/

White female, rural low income, 34 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Stanford, Yale, Penn, Brown, Notre Dame, UVA, UNC, etc.

5. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/v5hvor/spikey_asian_male_in_stem_does_well_w_t20s/

Asian male, upper middle class, 36 ACT, valedictorian, good ECs with leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, MIT (committed), Caltech, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, UMich, Georgia Tech, USC, etc.

6. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vmss2e/the_results_of_someone_that_spent_only_3_hours_on/

Asian female, upper middle class, econ major, 1490 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern, UChicago, UMich, USC, etc.

7. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tw3646/southern_boy_with_a_dream_rejected_from_hypsm/

White male, middle class, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn, Brown, Cornell, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, WashU, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Notre Dame, UNC

8. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vgslvm/indian_premed_girl_gets_really_lucky/

Asian female, low income, 36 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Northwestern, Rice, WashU, UMich, UNC, USC, etc.

9. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vqwmz0/big_surprise_for_boring_white_male_from_northeast/

White male, upper middle class, 1570 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Harvard (committed), UChicago, Georgetown, UMich, etc.

10. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/uqftiu/white_guy_in_cs_turns_down_hypsm/

White male, middle class, CS/econ major, 1560 SAT, 4.0 GPA, good ECs with leadership, strong awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Brown, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Georgia Tech, etc.

Ha, didn't know Duke is the #1 school in US. Sounds like HYPSM is no match.

Writer of that comment here. Not exactly, plenty of URMs turned down Duke for HYPSM, I just shared the acceptances and choices of white/asian people as I figured they would be more relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with some of the PP, I think given what you've said about your son (1580, salutatorian, good leadership, some unique national awards, well-rounded and should have good essays) he has a very good shot at Duke ED. If you want to see the profiles of some people who got into Duke this past admissions cycle, check out https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/.

Here's some kids with similar demographics (non-URM) to start you off:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tvqkjm/asian_boy_clutches_up_after_a_disappointing_early/

Asian male, upper middle class, 1600 SAT, 3.9 GPA, good ECs without much leadership, strong awards, applied early decision but was deferred

Accepted: Duke (committed), Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/u3il9l/rural_new_englander_hits_it_big/

White male, rural middle class, econ major, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Princeton (committed), Stanford, Brown, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, WashU, etc.

3. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/w0vqxp/asian_indecisive_procrastinator_shotgunner_made/

Asian female, first gen low income, econ major, 1540 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn Wharton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

4. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vv3jxi/farm_girl_gets_pleasantly_surprised_ivies_and/

White female, rural low income, 34 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Stanford, Yale, Penn, Brown, Notre Dame, UVA, UNC, etc.

5. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/v5hvor/spikey_asian_male_in_stem_does_well_w_t20s/

Asian male, upper middle class, 36 ACT, valedictorian, good ECs with leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, MIT (committed), Caltech, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, UMich, Georgia Tech, USC, etc.

6. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vmss2e/the_results_of_someone_that_spent_only_3_hours_on/

Asian female, upper middle class, econ major, 1490 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern, UChicago, UMich, USC, etc.

7. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tw3646/southern_boy_with_a_dream_rejected_from_hypsm/

White male, middle class, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn, Brown, Cornell, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, WashU, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Notre Dame, UNC

8. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vgslvm/indian_premed_girl_gets_really_lucky/

Asian female, low income, 36 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Northwestern, Rice, WashU, UMich, UNC, USC, etc.

9. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vqwmz0/big_surprise_for_boring_white_male_from_northeast/

White male, upper middle class, 1570 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Harvard (committed), UChicago, Georgetown, UMich, etc.

10. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/uqftiu/white_guy_in_cs_turns_down_hypsm/

White male, middle class, CS/econ major, 1560 SAT, 4.0 GPA, good ECs with leadership, strong awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Brown, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Georgia Tech, etc.

Ha, didn't know Duke is the #1 school in US. Sounds like HYPSM is no match.

Well based on this Harvard and MIT are both 1-0 against Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with some of the PP, I think given what you've said about your son (1580, salutatorian, good leadership, some unique national awards, well-rounded and should have good essays) he has a very good shot at Duke ED. If you want to see the profiles of some people who got into Duke this past admissions cycle, check out https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/.

Here's some kids with similar demographics (non-URM) to start you off:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tvqkjm/asian_boy_clutches_up_after_a_disappointing_early/

Asian male, upper middle class, 1600 SAT, 3.9 GPA, good ECs without much leadership, strong awards, applied early decision but was deferred

Accepted: Duke (committed), Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/u3il9l/rural_new_englander_hits_it_big/

White male, rural middle class, econ major, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Princeton (committed), Stanford, Brown, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, WashU, etc.

3. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/w0vqxp/asian_indecisive_procrastinator_shotgunner_made/

Asian female, first gen low income, econ major, 1540 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn Wharton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, UNC, etc.

4. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vv3jxi/farm_girl_gets_pleasantly_surprised_ivies_and/

White female, rural low income, 34 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Stanford, Yale, Penn, Brown, Notre Dame, UVA, UNC, etc.

5. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/v5hvor/spikey_asian_male_in_stem_does_well_w_t20s/

Asian male, upper middle class, 36 ACT, valedictorian, good ECs with leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, MIT (committed), Caltech, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, UMich, Georgia Tech, USC, etc.

6. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vmss2e/the_results_of_someone_that_spent_only_3_hours_on/

Asian female, upper middle class, econ major, 1490 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern, UChicago, UMich, USC, etc.

7. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tw3646/southern_boy_with_a_dream_rejected_from_hypsm/

White male, middle class, 35 ACT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Penn, Brown, Cornell, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, WashU, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Notre Dame, UNC

8. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vgslvm/indian_premed_girl_gets_really_lucky/

Asian female, low income, 36 ACT, valedictorian, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Northwestern, Rice, WashU, UMich, UNC, USC, etc.

9. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/vqwmz0/big_surprise_for_boring_white_male_from_northeast/

White male, upper middle class, 1570 SAT, 4.0 GPA, decent ECs with some leadership, average awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke, Harvard (committed), UChicago, Georgetown, UMich, etc.

10. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/uqftiu/white_guy_in_cs_turns_down_hypsm/

White male, middle class, CS/econ major, 1560 SAT, 4.0 GPA, good ECs with leadership, strong awards, applied regular decision

Accepted: Duke (committed), Princeton, Brown, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Georgia Tech, etc.

Ha, didn't know Duke is the #1 school in US. Sounds like HYPSM is no match.

Well based on this Harvard and MIT are both 1-0 against Duke.

However, rather impressively, Duke won 2-1 against Princeton and 2-0 against Yale. Winning 3-0 against Penn and Brown as well as 2-0 against Dartmouth is also impressive. But of course this isn't a fair sample size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what you guys are smoking but Duke is statistically nearly as as much of a lottery as Harvard and Princeton- in fact more of one from certain schools. They don't like Sidwell for some reason. Duke does favor legacies in ED. Our kids are at a Big 3 school and we saw kids with the exact same stats as the OP's son getting rejected from HYPSM AND Duke and Northwestern. This kid seems like average supersmart kid- a dime a dozen in the DMV. And unless I missed something and the EC's are SUPER SUPER unique or the kid is URM/first gen which was not mentioned, all 3 are a crap shoot and it's ridiculous to try to game this.

Have to agree with the part about Duke having feeder schools. My child is at a T3 equivalent in another city and the have only gotten 3 kids into Duke in the past five years or so and all are recruited athletes. Acceptance rates to H/Y/P are definitely notably. higher from our school.

+1 the only school I've seen consistently get kids into Duke from DMV is TJHSST and maybe Gilman/Chevy Chase.

It may feel like that, but Duke gets applications from more than 13,000 schools, and they admit about 3,000 students. That means there are at least 10,000 schools where they admit no one.

That’s true, but I was specifically referring to the DMV area. Of course other schools around the country and even the world will send more, especially NCSSM.

This year, 3 TJ graduates went to Duke (1 AB Duke, 1 Robertson). In the summer, they had parties for the DMV students headed to Duke, and we saw at least 40 students there (from various DMV schools).

[Anonymous]

Go for Harvard. You would forever second guess yourself if your son got into Duke ED and locked himself out. Duke's yield rate, even with ED, is on par with Cornell.