Duke is out...anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has Duke acknowledged the mistake where they sent congratulatory messages to deferred and rejected applicants upon opening notifications? Or are they just pretending that screw up never happened?

PP here. They sent a follow-up email apologizing for the mistake, but otherwise they are pretending it didn't happen. They apparently sent the congratulatory message to everyone - including all deferred and all rejected candidates - so they clearly can't "fix" the mistake by letting the disappointed kids in.

What else do you suggest they do? The kids all got the intended admit/defer/deny letters. No one got an acceptance letter that was then rescinded.

The mistake involved the initial graphic that said congratulations with confetti that then disappeared and revealed the actual letter. Crappy mistake!!!!! My DC was not happy about it.

But again, the admissions letters were accurate as intended, and within an hour, Duke sent a clearly written email explaining what happened (confetti/coratulations graphic accidentally went out to everyone) and confirming that the letters/decisions themselves were accurate.

What exactly are you suggesting they do in addition?

How about not make this type of mistake? Do they not understand how stressful this is for applicants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has Duke acknowledged the mistake where they sent congratulatory messages to deferred and rejected applicants upon opening notifications? Or are they just pretending that screw up never happened?

PP here. They sent a follow-up email apologizing for the mistake, but otherwise they are pretending it didn't happen. They apparently sent the congratulatory message to everyone - including all deferred and all rejected candidates - so they clearly can't "fix" the mistake by letting the disappointed kids in.

What else do you suggest they do? The kids all got the intended admit/defer/deny letters. No one got an acceptance letter that was then rescinded.

The mistake involved the initial graphic that said congratulations with confetti that then disappeared and revealed the actual letter. Crappy mistake!!!!! My DC was not happy about it.

But again, the admissions letters were accurate as intended, and within an hour, Duke sent a clearly written email explaining what happened (confetti/coratulations graphic accidentally went out to everyone) and confirming that the letters/decisions themselves were accurate.

What exactly are you suggesting they do in addition?

How about not make this type of mistake? Do they not understand how stressful this is for applicants?

LOL. Yes, it definitely sucked. My DC was deferred and reading the deferral letter after the initial confetti/congrats graphic definitely caused them an extra jolt of unnecessary stress. (Emotional whiplash, anyone?!)

I'm sure Duke will do their best to get this right next time. And, if they haven't already, other schools will put this on their checklist of things to test before the emails go out.

My question was referring to the comment above. Duke quickly sent out an email with a straightforward explanation and apology. The PP said that after that Duke pretended "it didn't happen".

I don't understand what that means. Did they somehow deny it in the press or elsewhere? I'm genuinely curious what else people think Duke should have done after the explanatory/apologetic email?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accepted. 1500/4.0/top rigor at private. We're celebrating of course!

Congrats! So exciting. They're going to love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was deferred. Valedictorian of a suburban public school, 12 APs (mostly 5s), 1560. The "ugly" part is that the initial screen had a blue banner that said "Congratulations" and then included information for an admitted students zoom call. But below that was a link to an official letter that said my kid was deferred. After my kid emailed the admissions email address, kid received an email saying that the Congratulations message was a mistake and my kid was deferred not accepted.

As an alum, this makes me furious! I'm so sorry that happened.
I hope your DC knows they are amazing and will do great things! You don't need Duke! Their loss!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is in!

We are in NOVA public. Two sport athlete, debate team captain, 2 years of part time work, volunteer at animal shelter all through HS. High stats.

Not legacy and no hooks. We did not have a lot of expectations going in.

Congrats!! That's awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4.8, 16 APs, 2 sport captain, part time job, many ECs, several leadership roles, TO (1490), fluent in 3 languages, CERT certified (community emergency response team-basically trained to react in an emergency. Tip 5% in class (they do not rank). NIH internship. Also received the congratulations email that turned into a rejection. Can’t describe how upset we all were. Eff Duke.

Your kid sounds amazing, and it pains me that we live in a world where 1490 is better to be TO than report it. That's a very good score.

Sadly, it's not. Should have reported it. Not saying that would have resulted in acceptance, but, chances would be better IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4.8, 16 APs, 2 sport captain, part time job, many ECs, several leadership roles, TO (1490), fluent in 3 languages, CERT certified (community emergency response team-basically trained to react in an emergency. Tip 5% in class (they do not rank). NIH internship. Also received the congratulations email that turned into a rejection. Can’t describe how upset we all were. Eff Duke.

Your kid sounds amazing, and it pains me that we live in a world where 1490 is better to be TO than report it. That's a very good score.

Sadly, it's not. Should have reported it. Not saying that would have resulted in acceptance, but, chances would be better IMHO.

I have been hearing from college consultants that even though it claims to be TO Duke REALLY wants to see the test scores. The PP with the 1490 kid was given horrible advice. It sucks that they were rejected because if deferred I’d recommend sending in the scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

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

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

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

Wake Forest is full of your type!

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

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

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

Do, but something is very wrong with you.

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I interviewed two qualified but typical suburban boys for Duke ED this year (one is the sibling of a current student) and they were both rejected.

Brutal.

Wonder if you interviewed my DS? (No sibling at Duke). He fits the "qualified but typical suburban" stereotype - white, public FCPS, full-pay, IB student, 35 ACT, sports captain plus other ECs, etc. - and was outright rejected. Good thing he knew it was a lottery, and is now looking forward to all the January EA notices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was deferred. Valedictorian of a suburban public school, 12 APs (mostly 5s), 1560. The "ugly" part is that the initial screen had a blue banner that said "Congratulations" and then included information for an admitted students zoom call. But below that was a link to an official letter that said my kid was deferred. After my kid emailed the admissions email address, kid received an email saying that the Congratulations message was a mistake and my kid was deferred not accepted.

This is a terrible thing to do to kids. Mistakes like this shouldn't happen

[Anonymous]

Florida did the same thing a few years ago—put decisions in portals early, and then changed them a few days later. So, some small segment of kids were told they were accepted and then two days later, rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

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

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

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

Wake Forest is full of your type!

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

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

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

Do, but something is very wrong with you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

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

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

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

Wake Forest is full of your type!

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

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

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

Do, but something is very wrong with you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

You are the douchebag, just to clarify. No wink wink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Florida did the same thing a few years ago—put decisions in portals early, and then changed them a few days later. So, some small segment of kids were told they were accepted and then two days later, rejected.

I think Penn did the same thing a few years back. And I think Ohio State, too (only a small number were affected, but our friend's DS was one of them.)

NONE of this is ok, obviously!

But for me, there is a huge difference between a misleading initial graphic (confetti/congrats) that requires an apology and a flat-out wrong decision letter that literally rescinds an offer of acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

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

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

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

Wake Forest is full of your type!

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

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

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

Do, but something is very wrong with you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

You are the douchebag, just to clarify. No wink wink.

LOL