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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not sure if anyone else is making (or has already made) the same choice with their family with some combination of these schools. DS is the oldest and going to be the first one we send off to college, so it's our first crack at the egg. DS is a great kid and has become more than we could have hoped for, and his current plan is to study economics/public policy to go alongside something more quantitative (perhaps statistics). I know it's more than likely he'll change his mind at least once in college, as often happens, so we're focusing more on his general likes and dislikes. His guidance counselor says DS would have a chance (of course no guarantees) at any school: for context he has a 1580 on his SAT, currently on track to be salutatorian of his class, captain of a varsity sport and playing another, spends his time volunteering generously, is very active in clubs at school, and has multiple national level awards. We have run financial aid estimates at his top choice schools and we feel comfortable with the cost, and we expect he'll be working in some capacity at least during the summers.

He likes Duke for many reasons: great academics, great school spirit, and a competitive club sports culture. We made a last-minute visit with him last month and he was in love with the campus and enjoyed the students he talked with very much. It overall seems like "the best" fit for him, which is why he is considering early decision there. We'd be more than happy to send him there as well, the alumni network seems very strong.

On the other hand, Harvard and Princeton were his longtime dream schools, and although Duke has caught up for him it is still a "newer" school for us, as he has mentally been preparing to try for Harvard or Princeton for a few years now.

We're unsure if he should be limiting himself to just one choice by doing early decision, or if he should keep his options more open. Another big factor is from what we've read, Duke early decision seems to provide an advantage for getting accepted, while Harvard and Princeton restrictive early action don't seem to help compared to regular decision. We would hate to see the difference between a Duke acceptance and rejection come down to whether he did early decision or not, and we know regular decision at Duke is incredibly competitive.

Any thoughts/similar experiences would be much appreciated![/quote]

I think you are underestimating how difficult getting into Duke ED will be. You have to remember that out of all the ED schools, Duke is probably the biggest one for athletics. So out of their ~850 ED acceptances every year, generally at least 100 will be for recruited athletes. Then another 100 will be for legacies with strong ties to Duke. Then another 50 will be for super rich/influential people who want their children to have the Duke brand, who Duke will accept in exchange for the connections and future fundraising they will get from the parents. Then another 100 will be for North Carolina kids that Duke will need to accept because interestingly they have chosen to keep a certain percentage of each class as North Carolina natives (although these kids nowadays are probably extremely qualified as well). There will be another 50 spots going to genius kids who just happen to have Duke as their first choice who Duke cannot say no to. Yet another 50 spots will go to niche interests needed to fill in the school (such as instrument players where Duke has holes in their marching band, theater kids who will run school productions, kids who have done specific research that aligns with Duke, etc.). Then, you have another 100 spots going to URM/low income kids. So, that leaves ~300 spots for regular white/asian kids from good public and private schools battling it out for a spot at Duke. It's not going to be easy even with your son's 1580 and 4.0 GPA, but he definitely will have a good chance if they like his essays and recommendations.[/quote]

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