Why Was My Son Deferred from Duke ED?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

Don’t get me wrong. OP’s kid is awesome, and he can still get in Duke, but getting into top10 would need huge spikes and a lot of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

Don’t get me wrong. OP’s kid is awesome, and he can still get in Duke, but getting into top10 would need huge spikes and a lot of luck.

Maybe I am too accustomed to elite boarding school college placements. several with which I am familiar place about 25% each year at Ivy League schools and about one third to 35% to top 15 universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not looking for sympathy but any insight would be appreciated. My son was told he would be a good candidate for Ivy League/Duke by his school counselor and applied ED to Duke with a 36 ACT, near-perfect GPA, all 5s and 4s on AP exams, two sport athlete and captain of one sport, student body president, editor in chief of school newspaper, head student liaison for arts nonprofit, a summer internship with a congressman, leadership volunteering position at library with book preservation and restoration experience, good awards, etc. My son had multiple people look over his essays, including the optional ones (academic experience and agreements/disagreements prompts) and he received good feedback. We figured maybe there was something else wrong with his application (maybe a recommendation letter was unexpectedly weak) or that he should’ve gone for another school he liked that would be a bit easier to be accepted like Cornell or Johns Hopkins, but over the past few days he was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill with a full scholarship, USC with scholarship pending, and UMich all out of state. He’s still disappointed about Duke but the UNC scholarship is very enticing and he’s still in the running for Duke, although we’re not sure about the chances of being accepted after a deferral. Inputs are welcome!

The simple truth is because while his accomplishments are impressive, everyone applying has equally or even more impressive credentials.

This is not true. Very few are student body president, captain of a sport team,editor-in-chief, and a 36 ACT score. President

OP: The rejection is personal. Not sure why, but I suspect that something in one or more essays negatively affected admissions readers.

There are 10,000+ student body presidents. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 100,000+ team captains. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 10,000+ editors in chiefs. A lot of them apply to Duke.

There are also an infinite number of superlative EC that your kid didn't do that other kids do. A lot of them apply to Duke.

Seriously, if you don't get it, there are hundreds of thousands of kids who have the scores and EC's to be "qualified" to go to these T20 schools. There are only so many seats. As such, there is going to be some disappointment.

I think that you miss the point. OP's child is not just editor-in-chief, student body president, captain of a sports team, and holding a 36 ACT score, OP's child has all four. This is a very well qualified candidate for admission to any elite college or university in the country that offers his preferred course of study.

No, I didn't miss the point. There are hundreds of thousands of highly quailified and worthy applicants applying to these schools. 50 years ago, there were thousands of said applicants. Because GPA and SAT scores are so watered down, on paper, there are simply more applicants for the colleges to choose from. This has nothing to do with "how special" OP's kid is, because at least from my kid's high school, I could think of at least 10-15 applicants who would have just as worthy a list of ECs and activities, to go with the scores and GPA. Carry that 10-15 across all of the public, private and independent schools across the US and then add in the thousands of foreign applicants. There are only so many seats and the idea that any one applicant is entitled to a seat at any one of these schools is simply silly.

Yes, you did miss the point. OP's son has all four qualifications.

No need to argue as we disagree. Until you share a detailed list of equally qualified applicants, I know better and I just do not believe your assertion.

That implies that other applicants didn't have all four. My point is, yes they do. There are hundreds of thousands of "top tier" students applying to these schools. The OP's kid, while sounding great, is not unique amongst the pool of applicants for these schools.

So no, I am not missing the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not looking for sympathy but any insight would be appreciated. My son was told he would be a good candidate for Ivy League/Duke by his school counselor and applied ED to Duke with a 36 ACT, near-perfect GPA, all 5s and 4s on AP exams, two sport athlete and captain of one sport, student body president, editor in chief of school newspaper, head student liaison for arts nonprofit, a summer internship with a congressman, leadership volunteering position at library with book preservation and restoration experience, good awards, etc. My son had multiple people look over his essays, including the optional ones (academic experience and agreements/disagreements prompts) and he received good feedback. We figured maybe there was something else wrong with his application (maybe a recommendation letter was unexpectedly weak) or that he should’ve gone for another school he liked that would be a bit easier to be accepted like Cornell or Johns Hopkins, but over the past few days he was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill with a full scholarship, USC with scholarship pending, and UMich all out of state. He’s still disappointed about Duke but the UNC scholarship is very enticing and he’s still in the running for Duke, although we’re not sure about the chances of being accepted after a deferral. Inputs are welcome!

The simple truth is because while his accomplishments are impressive, everyone applying has equally or even more impressive credentials.

This is not true. Very few are student body president, captain of a sport team,editor-in-chief, and a 36 ACT score. President

OP: The rejection is personal. Not sure why, but I suspect that something in one or more essays negatively affected admissions readers.

There are 10,000+ student body presidents. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 100,000+ team captains. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 10,000+ editors in chiefs. A lot of them apply to Duke.

There are also an infinite number of superlative EC that your kid didn't do that other kids do. A lot of them apply to Duke.

Seriously, if you don't get it, there are hundreds of thousands of kids who have the scores and EC's to be "qualified" to go to these T20 schools. There are only so many seats. As such, there is going to be some disappointment.

I think that you miss the point. OP's child is not just editor-in-chief, student body president, captain of a sports team, and holding a 36 ACT score, OP's child has all four. This is a very well qualified candidate for admission to any elite college or university in the country that offers his preferred course of study.

No, I didn't miss the point. There are hundreds of thousands of highly quailified and worthy applicants applying to these schools. 50 years ago, there were thousands of said applicants. Because GPA and SAT scores are so watered down, on paper, there are simply more applicants for the colleges to choose from. This has nothing to do with "how special" OP's kid is, because at least from my kid's high school, I could think of at least 10-15 applicants who would have just as worthy a list of ECs and activities, to go with the scores and GPA. Carry that 10-15 across all of the public, private and independent schools across the US and then add in the thousands of foreign applicants. There are only so many seats and the idea that any one applicant is entitled to a seat at any one of these schools is simply silly.

Yes, you did miss the point. OP's son has all four qualifications.

No need to argue as we disagree. Until you share a detailed list of equally qualified applicants, I know better and I just do not believe your assertion.

That implies that other applicants didn't have all four. My point is, yes they do. There are hundreds of thousands of "top tier" students applying to these schools. The OP's kid, while sounding great, is not unique amongst the pool of applicants for these schools.

So no, I am not missing the point.

Name one student who has all 4 qualifications besides OP's son. Pretending that you know and actual knowledge are not the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

It doesn't matter. The point is that having the stats and EC's get you a lottery ticket, but that doesn't mean your number will be called. Because there are 100 other applicant with the same lottery ticket and only 1 or 2 will get called. It is just numbers and no reflection of the kid.

College admissions is not a lottery. Referring to it as such is just an excuse for lack of knowledge.

I didn't say it was a lottery. Reading is fundamental.

Having the stats and GPA and EC qualifies one for these elite schools. But even then, they don't have enough seats to accommodate all who apply who have the top tier qualifications and extracurriculars. An analogy someone used last year or the year before...in the pool of applicants, the qualified ones get admitted into the stadium. The stadium is filled with all of the applicant peers with top scores, GPA etc - all things being equal, the school can only take the kids who happened to be sitting on the floor seating of the stadium, despite the qualifications of everyone else in it. So in a sense, the kid who are sitting on the floor seats have won a lottery, but it isn't a random lottery.

Does that help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

Don’t get me wrong. OP’s kid is awesome, and he can still get in Duke, but getting into top10 would need huge spikes and a lot of luck.

Maybe I am too accustomed to elite boarding school college placements. several with which I am familiar place about 25% each year at Ivy League schools and about one third to 35% to top 15 universities.

This was true of boarding schools and local "big3" etc but it has been increasing with the Common App, more international applicants and now test optional that it is no longer true. Sorry it isn't 1985 anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not looking for sympathy but any insight would be appreciated. My son was told he would be a good candidate for Ivy League/Duke by his school counselor and applied ED to Duke with a 36 ACT, near-perfect GPA, all 5s and 4s on AP exams, two sport athlete and captain of one sport, student body president, editor in chief of school newspaper, head student liaison for arts nonprofit, a summer internship with a congressman, leadership volunteering position at library with book preservation and restoration experience, good awards, etc. My son had multiple people look over his essays, including the optional ones (academic experience and agreements/disagreements prompts) and he received good feedback. We figured maybe there was something else wrong with his application (maybe a recommendation letter was unexpectedly weak) or that he should’ve gone for another school he liked that would be a bit easier to be accepted like Cornell or Johns Hopkins, but over the past few days he was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill with a full scholarship, USC with scholarship pending, and UMich all out of state. He’s still disappointed about Duke but the UNC scholarship is very enticing and he’s still in the running for Duke, although we’re not sure about the chances of being accepted after a deferral. Inputs are welcome!

The simple truth is because while his accomplishments are impressive, everyone applying has equally or even more impressive credentials.

This is not true. Very few are student body president, captain of a sport team,editor-in-chief, and a 36 ACT score. President

OP: The rejection is personal. Not sure why, but I suspect that something in one or more essays negatively affected admissions readers.

There are 10,000+ student body presidents. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 100,000+ team captains. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 10,000+ editors in chiefs. A lot of them apply to Duke.

There are also an infinite number of superlative EC that your kid didn't do that other kids do. A lot of them apply to Duke.

Seriously, if you don't get it, there are hundreds of thousands of kids who have the scores and EC's to be "qualified" to go to these T20 schools. There are only so many seats. As such, there is going to be some disappointment.

I think that you miss the point. OP's child is not just editor-in-chief, student body president, captain of a sports team, and holding a 36 ACT score, OP's child has all four. This is a very well qualified candidate for admission to any elite college or university in the country that offers his preferred course of study.

No, I didn't miss the point. There are hundreds of thousands of highly quailified and worthy applicants applying to these schools. 50 years ago, there were thousands of said applicants. Because GPA and SAT scores are so watered down, on paper, there are simply more applicants for the colleges to choose from. This has nothing to do with "how special" OP's kid is, because at least from my kid's high school, I could think of at least 10-15 applicants who would have just as worthy a list of ECs and activities, to go with the scores and GPA. Carry that 10-15 across all of the public, private and independent schools across the US and then add in the thousands of foreign applicants. There are only so many seats and the idea that any one applicant is entitled to a seat at any one of these schools is simply silly.

Yes, you did miss the point. OP's son has all four qualifications.

No need to argue as we disagree. Until you share a detailed list of equally qualified applicants, I know better and I just do not believe your assertion.

That implies that other applicants didn't have all four. My point is, yes they do. There are hundreds of thousands of "top tier" students applying to these schools. The OP's kid, while sounding great, is not unique amongst the pool of applicants for these schools.

So no, I am not missing the point.

Name one student who has all 4 qualifications besides OP's son. Pretending that you know and actual knowledge are not the same.

Ya, I am not going to start listing people I know but bottom line, it isn't uncommon for kids to get involved in multiple activities and have leadership in all of them by the time they are applying to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not looking for sympathy but any insight would be appreciated. My son was told he would be a good candidate for Ivy League/Duke by his school counselor and applied ED to Duke with a 36 ACT, near-perfect GPA, all 5s and 4s on AP exams, two sport athlete and captain of one sport, student body president, editor in chief of school newspaper, head student liaison for arts nonprofit, a summer internship with a congressman, leadership volunteering position at library with book preservation and restoration experience, good awards, etc. My son had multiple people look over his essays, including the optional ones (academic experience and agreements/disagreements prompts) and he received good feedback. We figured maybe there was something else wrong with his application (maybe a recommendation letter was unexpectedly weak) or that he should’ve gone for another school he liked that would be a bit easier to be accepted like Cornell or Johns Hopkins, but over the past few days he was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill with a full scholarship, USC with scholarship pending, and UMich all out of state. He’s still disappointed about Duke but the UNC scholarship is very enticing and he’s still in the running for Duke, although we’re not sure about the chances of being accepted after a deferral. Inputs are welcome!

The simple truth is because while his accomplishments are impressive, everyone applying has equally or even more impressive credentials.

This is not true. Very few are student body president, captain of a sport team,editor-in-chief, and a 36 ACT score. President

OP: The rejection is personal. Not sure why, but I suspect that something in one or more essays negatively affected admissions readers.

There are 10,000+ student body presidents. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 100,000+ team captains. A lot of them apply to Duke.
There are 10,000+ editors in chiefs. A lot of them apply to Duke.

There are also an infinite number of superlative EC that your kid didn't do that other kids do. A lot of them apply to Duke.

Seriously, if you don't get it, there are hundreds of thousands of kids who have the scores and EC's to be "qualified" to go to these T20 schools. There are only so many seats. As such, there is going to be some disappointment.

I think that you miss the point. OP's child is not just editor-in-chief, student body president, captain of a sports team, and holding a 36 ACT score, OP's child has all four. This is a very well qualified candidate for admission to any elite college or university in the country that offers his preferred course of study.

No, I didn't miss the point. There are hundreds of thousands of highly quailified and worthy applicants applying to these schools. 50 years ago, there were thousands of said applicants. Because GPA and SAT scores are so watered down, on paper, there are simply more applicants for the colleges to choose from. This has nothing to do with "how special" OP's kid is, because at least from my kid's high school, I could think of at least 10-15 applicants who would have just as worthy a list of ECs and activities, to go with the scores and GPA. Carry that 10-15 across all of the public, private and independent schools across the US and then add in the thousands of foreign applicants. There are only so many seats and the idea that any one applicant is entitled to a seat at any one of these schools is simply silly.

Yes, you did miss the point. OP's son has all four qualifications.

No need to argue as we disagree. Until you share a detailed list of equally qualified applicants, I know better and I just do not believe your assertion.

That implies that other applicants didn't have all four. My point is, yes they do. There are hundreds of thousands of "top tier" students applying to these schools. The OP's kid, while sounding great, is not unique amongst the pool of applicants for these schools.

So no, I am not missing the point.

Name one student who has all 4 qualifications besides OP's son. Pretending that you know and actual knowledge are not the same.

Look around. How about Valedictorian, editor in chief, perfect ACT score, winner of prestigious science research competition scholarship dollars. Does that kid a spot? or Sports team captain, student body president, editor in chief and salutatorian. That kid? Or perfect ACT, published author, Valedictorian and sports team captain. That kid? It goes on and on and on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

Don’t get me wrong. OP’s kid is awesome, and he can still get in Duke, but getting into top10 would need huge spikes and a lot of luck.

Maybe I am too accustomed to elite boarding school college placements. several with which I am familiar place about 25% each year at Ivy League schools and about one third to 35% to top 15 universities.

This was true of boarding schools and local "big3" etc but it has been increasing with the Common App, more international applicants and now test optional that it is no longer true. Sorry it isn't 1985 anymore.

I just (today) reviewed a few boarding schools' college matriculation lists for the most recent 5 years. Apparently it is still 1985 for some schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

Don’t get me wrong. OP’s kid is awesome, and he can still get in Duke, but getting into top10 would need huge spikes and a lot of luck.

Maybe I am too accustomed to elite boarding school college placements. several with which I am familiar place about 25% each year at Ivy League schools and about one third to 35% to top 15 universities.

This was true of boarding schools and local "big3" etc but it has been increasing with the Common App, more international applicants and now test optional that it is no longer true. Sorry it isn't 1985 anymore.

I just (today) reviewed a few boarding schools' college matriculation lists for the most recent 5 years. Apparently it is still 1985 for some schools.

Sure, Andover, Exeter and maybe one or two others. However, given this website is DC Urban Moms, the main focus is DC families and schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar stats kids from our high school who got into top 10 usually have national awards, or published on well known journals, or nominated for presidential scholar, etc. I don’t see this in OP’s post.

Just how many students from this high school had all four qualifications: 36 ACT or 1600 SAT, two varsity sports including captain of one, editor-in-chief of student newspaper, and president of student body ? (I will answer for you = none.) Are you willing to name the high school ?

Most admitted students to top 10 schools do not have national awards, presidential scholar nomination, or published in a well known journal.

I do not discount the possibility that this thread is less than accurate--a troll thread--as OP's son would be easy to identify and no one has posted knowledge of this situation.

Don’t get me wrong. OP’s kid is awesome, and he can still get in Duke, but getting into top10 would need huge spikes and a lot of luck.

Maybe I am too accustomed to elite boarding school college placements. several with which I am familiar place about 25% each year at Ivy League schools and about one third to 35% to top 15 universities.

This was true of boarding schools and local "big3" etc but it has been increasing with the Common App, more international applicants and now test optional that it is no longer true. Sorry it isn't 1985 anymore.

I just (today) reviewed a few boarding schools' college matriculation lists for the most recent 5 years. Apparently it is still 1985 for some schools.

Sure, Andover, Exeter and maybe one or two others. However, given this website is DC Urban Moms, the main focus is DC families and schools.

And several others.

Many students from the DC area attend boarding schools.

[Anonymous]

To the PPs talking about feeder schools, the top boarding schools still hold a lot of sway, although I agree it’s less than say 20+ years ago. Here’s an example of someone who was accepted Duke ED this year - perhaps slightly less impressive than OP’s son on paper but seems well connected which may have pushed him over the edge. Copy and pasted from another college forum:

“Accepted

Demographics: White Male, Upper Class, Top Private Boarding School in Northeast (Feeds into Ivies, Stanford, Duke)

Areas of Interest: Math/Stats/Classical Studies

GPA: We have a different scale but it translates to ~3.95/4.0 UW, top 5% of class

SAT: 1590 (800 Math)

Coursework: Most rigorous (goes beyond scope of AP/IB), 5s on the AP exams I took

ECs:

1. School Based Non-Profit Co-Founder
2. Math Team Co-Head
3. President of Investment Club
4. Varsity Squash Captain
5. Varsity Soccer
6. Hedge Fund Paid Summer Intern
7. Student Council
8. Peer Tutor
9. Classics Club

Awards:

1. AIME Qualifier/Multiple AMC Awards/Local Math Competition Awards
2. Early Cum Laude Inductee/Various School Academic Honors
3. Multiple Coaches’ Awards for Athletics
4. Multiple School Awards for Non-Profit
5. NMSF/AP Scholar with Distinction

LORs: Math Teacher should be very strong, Classics Teacher should also be strong, Counselor should be above average.

Essays: Common App wasn’t very groundbreaking but I was told it’s well written. Why Duke was authentic and I tried to avoid cliche topics. For optional essays I chose Questioning Beliefs and Best Academic Experience. I thought Questioning Beliefs was okay, and Best Academic Experience was my strongest along with Why Duke.

Very glad the process is over, and even more excited to spend the next four years at Duke. I almost applied to Yale early but the more I learned about Duke, the more I realized it was my top choice. Good luck to everyone else!”

However I can’t say this student didn’t deserve to get in either, the academics seem top notch for him too. Bottom line, the applicant pool was likely very competitive this year for early decision, with lots of top students showing they really want to go to Duke. Unfortunately not much else you can do but wait OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PPs talking about feeder schools, the top boarding schools still hold a lot of sway, although I agree it’s less than say 20+ years ago. Here’s an example of someone who was accepted Duke ED this year - perhaps slightly less impressive than OP’s son on paper but seems well connected which may have pushed him over the edge. Copy and pasted from another college forum:

“Accepted

Demographics: White Male, Upper Class, Top Private Boarding School in Northeast (Feeds into Ivies, Stanford, Duke)

Areas of Interest: Math/Stats/Classical Studies

GPA: We have a different scale but it translates to ~3.95/4.0 UW, top 5% of class

SAT: 1590 (800 Math)

Coursework: Most rigorous (goes beyond scope of AP/IB), 5s on the AP exams I took

ECs:

1. School Based Non-Profit Co-Founder
2. Math Team Co-Head
3. President of Investment Club
4. Varsity Squash Captain
5. Varsity Soccer
6. Hedge Fund Paid Summer Intern
7. Student Council
8. Peer Tutor
9. Classics Club

Awards:

1. AIME Qualifier/Multiple AMC Awards/Local Math Competition Awards
2. Early Cum Laude Inductee/Various School Academic Honors
3. Multiple Coaches’ Awards for Athletics
4. Multiple School Awards for Non-Profit
5. NMSF/AP Scholar with Distinction

LORs: Math Teacher should be very strong, Classics Teacher should also be strong, Counselor should be above average.

Essays: Common App wasn’t very groundbreaking but I was told it’s well written. Why Duke was authentic and I tried to avoid cliche topics. For optional essays I chose Questioning Beliefs and Best Academic Experience. I thought Questioning Beliefs was okay, and Best Academic Experience was my strongest along with Why Duke.

Very glad the process is over, and even more excited to spend the next four years at Duke. I almost applied to Yale early but the more I learned about Duke, the more I realized it was my top choice. Good luck to everyone else!”

However I can’t say this student didn’t deserve to get in either, the academics seem top notch for him too. Bottom line, the applicant pool was likely very competitive this year for early decision, with lots of top students showing they really want to go to Duke. Unfortunately not much else you can do but wait OP.

Mommy or daddy runs a hedge fund. This kid will be just fine wherever he or she goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PPs talking about feeder schools, the top boarding schools still hold a lot of sway, although I agree it’s less than say 20+ years ago. Here’s an example of someone who was accepted Duke ED this year - perhaps slightly less impressive than OP’s son on paper but seems well connected which may have pushed him over the edge. Copy and pasted from another college forum:

“Accepted

Demographics: White Male, Upper Class, Top Private Boarding School in Northeast (Feeds into Ivies, Stanford, Duke)

Areas of Interest: Math/Stats/Classical Studies

GPA: We have a different scale but it translates to ~3.95/4.0 UW, top 5% of class

SAT: 1590 (800 Math)

Coursework: Most rigorous (goes beyond scope of AP/IB), 5s on the AP exams I took

ECs:

1. School Based Non-Profit Co-Founder
2. Math Team Co-Head
3. President of Investment Club
4. Varsity Squash Captain
5. Varsity Soccer
6. Hedge Fund Paid Summer Intern
7. Student Council
8. Peer Tutor
9. Classics Club

Awards:

1. AIME Qualifier/Multiple AMC Awards/Local Math Competition Awards
2. Early Cum Laude Inductee/Various School Academic Honors
3. Multiple Coaches’ Awards for Athletics
4. Multiple School Awards for Non-Profit
5. NMSF/AP Scholar with Distinction

LORs: Math Teacher should be very strong, Classics Teacher should also be strong, Counselor should be above average.

Essays: Common App wasn’t very groundbreaking but I was told it’s well written. Why Duke was authentic and I tried to avoid cliche topics. For optional essays I chose Questioning Beliefs and Best Academic Experience. I thought Questioning Beliefs was okay, and Best Academic Experience was my strongest along with Why Duke.

Very glad the process is over, and even more excited to spend the next four years at Duke. I almost applied to Yale early but the more I learned about Duke, the more I realized it was my top choice. Good luck to everyone else!”

However I can’t say this student didn’t deserve to get in either, the academics seem top notch for him too. Bottom line, the applicant pool was likely very competitive this year for early decision, with lots of top students showing they really want to go to Duke. Unfortunately not much else you can do but wait OP.

+1 OP you should see what happened with Duke on other posts/sites that talk about college admissions to get a sense of what the competition is like, and from what I’ve seen it’s pretty brutal. Some very qualified ED applicants similar to your son were outright rejected. Nowadays outside of HPSM and Caltech, it’s hard to find a place tougher to get accepted at than Duke.

[Anonymous]

Somebody else from your kids HS probably got a spot because they were more highly ranked in the class or had another edge.