Absolutely ED Duke.
1. This has gotten harder since Covid so some of the Naviance stats from years past (pre-2021) may not apply.
2. I went to Harvard undergrad. People mostly don’t like it. Duke is more than prestigious enough.
3. ED is a big leg up at Duke - I think 20 percent admit rate. Harvard is 7 percent - a big difference. I think Princeton won’t even say it’s so bad.
4. RD is ridiculous these days - esp post COVID. You might get in to none.
5. Make sure his essay is interesting and says something about who he is. Too many students write the same things and that contributes to them all seeming similar.

Congrats to your son.

It is just me or are we going to see alot of bitter posts from these recent posters come April?

Anonymous wrote:These are all lottery schools. Just let your kid decide which one he likes best.

Duke ED is not a lottery in view of this student's status because it is binding. Harvard/Princeton truly is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duke. Better chance there with ED and he loves it. Not sure what his national awards are (could be game changer depending on what they are) but sports that aren’t at recruitment level won’t be that helpful in admissions process.

Some of his national awards are generic (like AP Scholar) but some are quite unique and competitive - his written award winning essays and entered national (maybe even international, not entirely sure) economics competitions and done well, among other things. He is not at the level of being recruited for sports, certainly not by Duke, but he still puts a lot of time into them.

The time he spent on sports speaks to his commitment, leadership, and discipline - and his ability to earn top grades even with that time commitment. But it doesn’t add much to campus life given the colleges already take so many athletes, including through the recruitment process. It’s not as big of a plus as many parents think based on the huge level of commitment it required of their family.

Anonymous wrote:What do you think might be his plan if he is deferred to the RD round (regardless of which ED he chooses)? Deferrals were very common last year for sure. No matter how high the stats. Tons of great candidates. Just wondering if you have thought about that.

If he is deferred to regular decision then he has a list of 15 or so schools that he will try for, including state school.

He should pick his first choice but you should also be managing expectations that while he definitely might get in and could certainly succeed at any of these schools, hundreds of kids with equally impressive applications are rejected. They really are, and it doesn’t sound like you know there is a good chance your son could be too, great as he is.

Anonymous wrote:Former Duke grad here - had such a great time. Beautiful weather and campus. Amazing peers. I'd be ecstatic if my DS could go there too.

That's great to hear! How did you feel Duke helped you after graduation, if at all?

Anonymous wrote:It matters what high school he is in. Is it public (magnet, top public, regular public), private (top or regular)? Also, is him white, Asian, or URM?

It's a good public school that generally sends kids to top schools each year. For reference, valedictorians and salutatorians (he is on track for salutatorian) in the past few years have gotten into schools like Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and University of Pennsylvania. We are white.

Anonymous wrote:Duke. Better chance there with ED and he loves it. Not sure what his national awards are (could be game changer depending on what they are) but sports that aren’t at recruitment level won’t be that helpful in admissions process.

Some of his national awards are generic (like AP Scholar) but some are quite unique and competitive - his written award winning essays and entered national (maybe even international, not entirely sure) economics competitions and done well, among other things. He is not at the level of being recruited for sports, certainly not by Duke, but he still puts a lot of time into them.

What do you think might be his plan if he is deferred to the RD round (regardless of which ED he chooses)? Deferrals were very common last year for sure. No matter how high the stats. Tons of great candidates. Just wondering if you have thought about that.

Anonymous wrote:100% Duke ED.

+1

Anonymous wrote:If Duke is truly his first choice, ED to Duke. If it's not his first choice, he should not ED there.

At this point it's his top choice.

Former Duke grad here - had such a great time. Beautiful weather and campus. Amazing peers. I'd be ecstatic if my DS could go there too.

Anonymous wrote:Are you worried that Duke isn't as prestigious as Princeton or Harvard? It sounds like he really loves Duke.

I think subconsciously yes. It's his choice but since his sophomore year he told us he wanted to get into Harvard or Princeton, so I think that's been my mindset for him as well. But ever since we visited Duke last month and he started liking it more than Harvard and Princeton, it was a bit of a surprise. However, I'm now seeing that Duke is more than prestigious enough and would not hold him back in any way. It's also entirely possible that he does not even get into Duke ED since it's such a competitive school, so I was also perhaps being presumptuous anyways.

It matters what high school he is in. Is it public (magnet, top public, regular public), private (top or regular)? Also, is him white, Asian, or URM?