Duke University Admissions: Does having a strong interest in literary criticism help or hurt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

[Anonymous]

DC is about to go to Duke in fall. DC applied ED which we believe made a difference. DC also had activities that showed interest in the area they interred to study (stem). I do think this helped. Know your dc is interested in different field but hopes this helps. I think demonstrated interest can really help
a student and distinguish from others. Good
Luck to your DC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

Thank you PP, I'm the other PP. You put it perfectly.

[Anonymous]

So your high schooler has written some killer lit crit?

OK, then…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

Your average republican upperclass finance bro will claim to be steeped in lit crit, that is Harold Bloom and his anti-wokies nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

A simple google search shows this not to be possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

Are you thinking of literature like 50 Shades of Gray?

When people talk about literature, what do think that activity is called?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

Are you thinking of literature like 50 Shades of Gray?

When people talk about literature, what do think that activity is called?

Lol, I really hope they respond with an answer because it's going to be hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is about to go to Duke in fall. DC applied ED which we believe made a difference. DC also had activities that showed interest in the area they interred to study (stem). I do think this helped. Know your dc is interested in different field but hopes this helps. I think demonstrated interest can really help
a student and distinguish from others. Good
Luck to your DC!

Thank you and good luck with move-in this fall!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

Yeah ... no way. I have a grad degree in English so I've spent way too much time around way too many people who are "interested ... in literary criticism," and I don't buy this. Nope.

I don't believe you have a grad degree in English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So your high schooler has written some killer lit crit?

OK, then…

Tween lit crit; it’s the latest craze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What 16/17yo has been interested "for years" in literary criticism?

It's called "enjoying reading." Some teens aren't terminally online.

I'm the PP who asked. I have one teenager who reads obsessively (no fiction, only a certain period of American history.) I've never heard of a teenager who has been passionate about literary criticism for years. Or an adult for that matter. And I'm an academic. So it sounded like a parental fantasy. Either way I doubt it makes a meaningful difference in an application to a school as competitive as Duke.

Wait, you're an academic and you can't readily identify an adult who is passionate about literary criticism?

Not this PP. But I am the PP with a grad degree in English and I know many academics/scholars ... and I don't know anyone "passionate about literary criticism." Passionate about literature? Yes. Lit crit? No, lol. Those people surely exist, but you can spend a life in academia and not meet one.

Your average republican upperclass finance bro will claim to be steeped in lit crit, that is Harold Bloom and his anti-wokies nonsense.

?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academics always love to hear that a young student is willing to pay lots of money to keep their unprofitable scholarship humming along.

Sure, it might be a hook given that he's a male interested in the humanities.

Is any scholarship profitable?