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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Mine, obviously. They used to spend a lot of time finding and reading theorists' writing about the books they were reading, which is when their interest started, and when they noticed that everyone had been or was currently a professor at Duke.

That's pretty cool. Good for them.

Totally use this in that application.

I agree. Maybe I'm naive, but simply saying this,and providing some specific examples of theorists' writings they read and what they thought and also explaining why it is meaningful to them if they can be articulate about that woudl be perfect fora "why duke?" type of essay.

Most schools are trying to keep up their humanities departments these days. Someone with an authetnic interest in the subject for a good reason is a great pick for them.

It really is amazing that the elite universities have to fight so much to preserve their humanities programs. I was surprised to discover that it seems that Yale students primarily major in STEM type subjects now.

Even Liberal arts colleges have become majority or top 3 majors in STEM subjects. It partially has to do with humanities departments refusing to update curriculums- do you really expect modern humanities students are more interested in analyzing Shakespeare or Yeats over Alice Walker, Sandra Cisneros, or Jhumpa Lahiri or that history students want to agonize over the Peloponnesian war versus Cold War ethics or bioweapons across periods. Humanities have also failed to defend why they matter-"it's about being a whole person," is a shit justification for a $360k degree and doesn't really mean much when the curriculum suggests being a whole person is being a snob about "old dead white men." Humanities departments have really isolated themselves off and not made it clear why the average student would have any reason to choose them over social science departments like Anthropology or Econ, who will teach you statistics and sometimes code along with the research/soft skills.

You are seriously underestimating how much humanities departments have repositioned themselves. I just took a look at the English major requirements at an Ivy - and the course offerings and requirements are full of diverse perspectives and readings. Our oldest is only in high school, but most of the readings so far are no longer from the "canon" - and that was the case at all the schools he applied to. Same with the high school history curriculum.

My child attends an ivy for Comparative Literature and history. I myself have studied Classics. The pop classes for people have definitely expanded, but the major courses that matter most-the type of courses like British English I, English Poetry I, or European Literary Tradition- are majority classical literature. Most colleges offering author-specific courses are in classical authors: "Milton," "Virginia Woolf," "Melville" being popular examples. The "diversity" authors typically only count for credit in some type of diversity requirement or elective, never main requirements for understanding literature. Colleges should consider merging modern literature, creative writing, and diversity studies departments together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Mine, obviously. They used to spend a lot of time finding and reading theorists' writing about the books they were reading, which is when their interest started, and when they noticed that everyone had been or was currently a professor at Duke.

That's pretty cool. Good for them.

Totally use this in that application.

I agree. Maybe I'm naive, but simply saying this,and providing some specific examples of theorists' writings they read and what they thought and also explaining why it is meaningful to them if they can be articulate about that woudl be perfect fora "why duke?" type of essay.

Most schools are trying to keep up their humanities departments these days. Someone with an authetnic interest in the subject for a good reason is a great pick for them.

It really is amazing that the elite universities have to fight so much to preserve their humanities programs. I was surprised to discover that it seems that Yale students primarily major in STEM type subjects now.

Even Liberal arts colleges have become majority or top 3 majors in STEM subjects. It partially has to do with humanities departments refusing to update curriculums- do you really expect modern humanities students are more interested in analyzing Shakespeare or Yeats over Alice Walker, Sandra Cisneros, or Jhumpa Lahiri or that history students want to agonize over the Peloponnesian war versus Cold War ethics or bioweapons across periods. Humanities have also failed to defend why they matter-"it's about being a whole person," is a shit justification for a $360k degree and doesn't really mean much when the curriculum suggests being a whole person is being a snob about "old dead white men." Humanities departments have really isolated themselves off and not made it clear why the average student would have any reason to choose them over social science departments like Anthropology or Econ, who will teach you statistics and sometimes code along with the research/soft skills.

Interestingly, Duke is known for being quite edgy in their approach to literary studies, at least relative to other top universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Mine, obviously. They used to spend a lot of time finding and reading theorists' writing about the books they were reading, which is when their interest started, and when they noticed that everyone had been or was currently a professor at Duke.

That's pretty cool. Good for them.

Totally use this in that application.

I agree. Maybe I'm naive, but simply saying this,and providing some specific examples of theorists' writings they read and what they thought and also explaining why it is meaningful to them if they can be articulate about that woudl be perfect fora "why duke?" type of essay.

Most schools are trying to keep up their humanities departments these days. Someone with an authetnic interest in the subject for a good reason is a great pick for them.

It really is amazing that the elite universities have to fight so much to preserve their humanities programs. I was surprised to discover that it seems that Yale students primarily major in STEM type subjects now.

Even Liberal arts colleges have become majority or top 3 majors in STEM subjects. It partially has to do with humanities departments refusing to update curriculums- do you really expect modern humanities students are more interested in analyzing Shakespeare or Yeats over Alice Walker, Sandra Cisneros, or Jhumpa Lahiri or that history students want to agonize over the Peloponnesian war versus Cold War ethics or bioweapons across periods. Humanities have also failed to defend why they matter-"it's about being a whole person," is a shit justification for a $360k degree and doesn't really mean much when the curriculum suggests being a whole person is being a snob about "old dead white men." Humanities departments have really isolated themselves off and not made it clear why the average student would have any reason to choose them over social science departments like Anthropology or Econ, who will teach you statistics and sometimes code along with the research/soft skills.

You are seriously underestimating how much humanities departments have repositioned themselves. I just took a look at the English major requirements at an Ivy - and the course offerings and requirements are full of diverse perspectives and readings. Our oldest is only in high school, but most of the readings so far are no longer from the "canon" - and that was the case at all the schools he applied to. Same with the high school history curriculum.

My child attends an ivy for Comparative Literature and history. I myself have studied Classics. The pop classes for people have definitely expanded, but the major courses that matter most-the type of courses like British English I, English Poetry I, or European Literary Tradition- are majority classical literature. Most colleges offering author-specific courses are in classical authors: "Milton," "Virginia Woolf," "Melville" being popular examples. The "diversity" authors typically only count for credit in some type of diversity requirement or elective, never main requirements for understanding literature. Colleges should consider merging modern literature, creative writing, and diversity studies departments together.

When I was in school all the books we read in English were unbelievably boring. I really think I would have gotten a lot more out of it if we were assigned more current selections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Mine, obviously. They used to spend a lot of time finding and reading theorists' writing about the books they were reading, which is when their interest started, and when they noticed that everyone had been or was currently a professor at Duke.

That's pretty cool. Good for them.

Totally use this in that application.

I agree. Maybe I'm naive, but simply saying this,and providing some specific examples of theorists' writings they read and what they thought and also explaining why it is meaningful to them if they can be articulate about that woudl be perfect fora "why duke?" type of essay.

Most schools are trying to keep up their humanities departments these days. Someone with an authetnic interest in the subject for a good reason is a great pick for them.

It really is amazing that the elite universities have to fight so much to preserve their humanities programs. I was surprised to discover that it seems that Yale students primarily major in STEM type subjects now.

Even Liberal arts colleges have become majority or top 3 majors in STEM subjects. It partially has to do with humanities departments refusing to update curriculums- do you really expect modern humanities students are more interested in analyzing Shakespeare or Yeats over Alice Walker, Sandra Cisneros, or Jhumpa Lahiri or that history students want to agonize over the Peloponnesian war versus Cold War ethics or bioweapons across periods. Humanities have also failed to defend why they matter-"it's about being a whole person," is a shit justification for a $360k degree and doesn't really mean much when the curriculum suggests being a whole person is being a snob about "old dead white men." Humanities departments have really isolated themselves off and not made it clear why the average student would have any reason to choose them over social science departments like Anthropology or Econ, who will teach you statistics and sometimes code along with the research/soft skills.

You are seriously underestimating how much humanities departments have repositioned themselves. I just took a look at the English major requirements at an Ivy - and the course offerings and requirements are full of diverse perspectives and readings. Our oldest is only in high school, but most of the readings so far are no longer from the "canon" - and that was the case at all the schools he applied to. Same with the high school history curriculum.

My child attends an ivy for Comparative Literature and history. I myself have studied Classics. The pop classes for people have definitely expanded, but the major courses that matter most-the type of courses like British English I, English Poetry I, or European Literary Tradition- are majority classical literature. Most colleges offering author-specific courses are in classical authors: "Milton," "Virginia Woolf," "Melville" being popular examples. The "diversity" authors typically only count for credit in some type of diversity requirement or elective, never main requirements for understanding literature. Colleges should consider merging modern literature, creative writing, and diversity studies departments together.

When I was in school all the books we read in English were unbelievably boring. I really think I would have gotten a lot more out of it if we were assigned more current selections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I'm a professor in a different humanities field, and all the English/lit professors I know are indeed primarily interested in theory and criticism. I mean, they mostly also enjoy literature, but they think of their work as doing theory, and are passionate about that.

[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.

Reading with a super-critical eye takes a lot of the joy out of reading. It’s like going on a fishing trip with an Captain Ahab. Or having sex with a gynecologist. Or going out for a light meal with Gordon Ramsay. Or asking Ansel Adams to take a quick snapshot of you at the Grand Canyon. Or asking Christian Barnard to carve the Thanksgiving turkey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I'm a professor in a different humanities field, and all the English/lit professors I know are indeed primarily interested in theory and criticism. I mean, they mostly also enjoy literature, but they think of their work as doing theory, and are passionate about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

Seinfeld's kids, Springstreet kids or spoiled rich brats of NYC banking elite attending Duke does not mean much because we all know how those kids got in. If Seinfeld or Springstreet went there that is more noteworthy. Can you name a few of these "wow" people, except for a couple I dont see anyone that amazing that attended the school for undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

Seinfeld's kids, Springstreet kids or spoiled rich brats of NYC banking elite attending Duke does not mean much because we all know how those kids got in. If Seinfeld or Springstreet went there that is more noteworthy. Can you name a few of these "wow" people, except for a couple I dont see anyone that amazing that attended the school for undergrad.

Jeff Zients, Liddy Dole, Adam Silver, Judy Woodruff, David Rubenstein, Ken Jeong, Retta, JB Pritzker all come to mind as pretty well known former Duke undergrads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

Seinfeld's kids, Springstreet kids or spoiled rich brats of NYC banking elite attending Duke does not mean much because we all know how those kids got in. If Seinfeld or Springstreet went there that is more noteworthy. Can you name a few of these "wow" people, except for a couple I dont see anyone that amazing that attended the school for undergrad.

Jeff Zients, Liddy Dole, Adam Silver, Judy Woodruff, David Rubenstein, Ken Jeong, Retta, JB Pritzker all come to mind as pretty well known former Duke undergrads.

Couple more famous people (not children of famous people/politicians/ royalty) off the top of my head; not a good list but I'll let someone else maker a better list. Musician/rapper Mike Posner(!), The former President of Chile (can't remember his name). Acclaimed indian documentary filmaker Dhruv Dhawan. That journalist whose name I can't remember but wrote about things like that lady who did the silicon valley fraud. The CEO of Apple whose name I can't remember but went there only for business school I think; Melinda Gates went for ug and business school though I wouldn't call her a wow person. Sheikha Al Thani (sp?) (Qatar royalty so not self-made obviously but big in the art world). that guy on Dynasty, that guy on Desperate Housewives. British actor Jared Harris. That actress on Days of Our Lives. That other actress who was in literally everything but I can't remember right now. That other actress who played a lesbian on that tv show. That CIA lady. A bunch of alumni are famous scholars or intellectuals or scientists but that doesn't count since this is DCUM. A bunch of politicians/governors/etc but I can't remember politicians names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

Seinfeld's kids, Springstreet kids or spoiled rich brats of NYC banking elite attending Duke does not mean much because we all know how those kids got in. If Seinfeld or Springstreet went there that is more noteworthy. Can you name a few of these "wow" people, except for a couple I dont see anyone that amazing that attended the school for undergrad.

Jeff Zients, Liddy Dole, Adam Silver, Judy Woodruff, David Rubenstein, Ken Jeong, Retta, JB Pritzker all come to mind as pretty well known former Duke undergrads.

Couple more famous people (not children of famous people/politicians/ royalty) off the top of my head; not a good list but I'll let someone else maker a better list. Musician/rapper Mike Posner(!), The former President of Chile (can't remember his name). Acclaimed indian documentary filmaker Dhruv Dhawan. That journalist whose name I can't remember but wrote about things like that lady who did the silicon valley fraud. The CEO of Apple whose name I can't remember but went there only for business school I think; Melinda Gates went for ug and business school though I wouldn't call her a wow person. Sheikha Al Thani (sp?) (Qatar royalty so not self-made obviously but big in the art world). that guy on Dynasty, that guy on Desperate Housewives. British actor Jared Harris. That actress on Days of Our Lives. That other actress who was in literally everything but I can't remember right now. That other actress who played a lesbian on that tv show. That CIA lady. A bunch of alumni are famous scholars or intellectuals or scientists but that doesn't count since this is DCUM. A bunch of politicians/governors/etc but I can't remember politicians names.

savage by true

[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.

I am an alum - a double major in history and Econ. I agree with the statement above. It is simply a difficult school to get into and a strategy of pursuing a niche interesting likely won’t be compelling. I might add that I obtained admission to the history honors program and it was incredibly rigorous. That experience changed my life and future endeavors very manageable. My suggestion is to be open to majors and interests.

Is the history honors program just writing a senior thesis? I can't imagine a school like Duke would have a whole separate department/classes for "honors" students.

+1

I’m an alum and I’ve never heard anything about admissions to a particular department, let alone an honors program.

You’re either admitted to Trinity A&S or the Engineering school. There are definitely merit scholarships (AB Duke etc.) that come with or soon after admittance.

And there are departmental honors at graduation. My friend did a history thesis and graduated with departmental honors. But no upfront Duke admissions to an “honors program”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

Seinfeld's kids, Springstreet kids or spoiled rich brats of NYC banking elite attending Duke does not mean much because we all know how those kids got in. If Seinfeld or Springstreet went there that is more noteworthy. Can you name a few of these "wow" people, except for a couple I dont see anyone that amazing that attended the school for undergrad.

Jeff Zients, Liddy Dole, Adam Silver, Judy Woodruff, David Rubenstein, Ken Jeong, Retta, JB Pritzker all come to mind as pretty well known former Duke undergrads.

My personal favorite. Smart and talented in multiple disciplines. (Was pre-med at Duke a few years ahead of me and then earned his MD at UNC.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Say hi to the Seinfelds.

Doesn't Bruce Springsteen's daughter go there also? In terms of VIPS, I knew a lot of the NYC banking elite have been sending their kids to Duke for the last few decades, along with the family that invented M&Ms (I think). But in terms of self-made people, I think Duke has one of the most impressive alumni lists of any university I know. A lot of "wow, I didn't realize *he* went to Duke."

Seinfeld's kids, Springstreet kids or spoiled rich brats of NYC banking elite attending Duke does not mean much because we all know how those kids got in. If Seinfeld or Springstreet went there that is more noteworthy. Can you name a few of these "wow" people, except for a couple I dont see anyone that amazing that attended the school for undergrad.

Jeff Zients, Liddy Dole, Adam Silver, Judy Woodruff, David Rubenstein, Ken Jeong, Retta, JB Pritzker all come to mind as pretty well known former Duke undergrads.

My personal favorite. Smart and talented in multiple disciplines. (Was pre-med at Duke a few years ahead of me and then earned his MD at UNC.)