2009-2010 Duke Application Thread

[ApoK]

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Uh...grades don't matter anymore. Who cares if you do poorly on some midterms. Live it up a little bit while you still can!

lol, they do at Duke. If I miss the two midterms, the best I can do is a B and that's if I ace everything else (even though I have solid A's at the moment). Duke has the right to rescind if you have grades below C+. And, besides, I'd still like to graduate Summa Cum Laude, FWIW.

It's just unlucky. 🙁 I have a friend who's an M4 though, so I have a good feel for the school and environment. It just sucks if I end up there because SLW is a great way to meet your future classmates!

 

[brooklynblunder]

just take them earlier?

 

[ApoK]

just take them earlier?

Haha, I wish I could do that but one of them is a lab practical... 🙁. I guess I'll check if I can move things around, but I doubt if I'll have any success. Administration/Faculty don't really care about you in a large public university .

 

[PickledPanda]

I, too, have entered the Land of Fragile Hope known as the waitlist. In some ways a rejection is better at this point because you are more sure of your future. The only way a WL would be better is in the small chance that you get called off of it.

However, I did do some calculations that you Waitlisters may find interesting. Given the numbers that were mentioned in that article (possibly different this year), I have determined that gaining a spot on the waitlist improves your odds of gaining an acceptance to higher than the post-interview Odds. They give out 180 acceptances total: 100 at first (last Friday) and around 80 more as people decline offers. If they interviewed 750 people then initially we were competing for 100 spots for 750 students (13% chance). Now that there have been AT LEAST 300 people rejected (this is assuming that everyone who made it to the final round got a waitlist), and assuming that there will again be around 80 ppl off the waitlist, we have a 23% shot of gaining acceptance (80/350). Almost double.

Plus, if we get off the list we get an exciting phone call as opposed to just a letter! Here's to optimism LOL.

It just seems bizarre that they would do that. What if none of them declined offers? I understand a private school could do it if they wish but it just doesn't seem logical.

I checked last years duke thread and not a single person reported being accepted until the mid May deadline at which point there were about as many reported acceptances as there were in march. Not sure if this means much but I figured I would throw my research out there.

Edit: Also, nearly all of the med students I talked to at the interview were accepted off the waitlist. They seemed to indicate that it was more of the exception than the rule to be accepted straight off.

This evidence is why I feel like they accept only around 100 at first.

Jihad, I can understand how you may believe that. But, it's wrong. Almost every school initially overaccepts into their entering class. Every school expects that some people will decline their offers. This began tentatively, with schools unsure of how many people to accept right off the bat. They've been doing this for years. By now, they have an idea of how many people to accept. For the past few years, classes at some schools, like Boston University, have been larger than expected (and larger than the faculty thought was wise) because of too many initial acceptances. If you're unsure about this, you can call up some admissions offices and ask them what their number of initial acceptances was.

 

[Jihad]

Jihad, I can understand how you may believe that. But, it's wrong. Almost every school initially overaccepts into their entering class. Every school expects that some people will decline their offers. This began tentatively, with schools unsure of how many people to accept right off the bat. They've been doing this for years. By now, they have an idea of how many people to accept. For the past few years, classes at some schools, like Boston University, have been larger than expected (and larger than the faculty thought was wise) because of too many initial acceptances. If you're unsure about this, you can call up some admissions offices and ask them what their number of initial acceptances was.

This is true. I confirmed it.

 

[madskillz99]

So do we know how many initial acceptances there were? And how much waitlist movement there will be?

 

[robocop1998]

so still no words for me. anyone else hasnt heard back? I'm gonna call them up at the end of the day if I don't hear back then.

 

[Tatastrophy]

so still no words for me. anyone else hasnt heard back? I'm gonna call them up at the end of the day if I don't hear back then.

Haven't heard back but the lady at the admissions office inadvertently let me know that I am getting a dreaded email.

 

[SwineSue]

so still no words for me. anyone else hasnt heard back? I'm gonna call them up at the end of the day if I don't hear back then.

The nice lady on the phone told me that a decision hasn't been made on my application yet, and I interviewed way back in October. I take this to mean that they gave out all but a few of their initial acceptances, and are still deliberating over the last handful. She said the decision will be made in the next few days

 

[robocop1998]

The nice lady on the phone told me that a decision hasn't been made on my application yet, and I interviewed way back in October. I take this to mean that they gave out all but a few of their initial acceptances, and are still deliberating over the last handful. She said the decision will be made in the next few days

thanks for the encouragement! so i shall keep on waiting. really hope we get accepted!

 

[stnfrdgrl86]

This is my first post on SDN. I just wanted to let tatastrophy, robocop1998, and swinesue know that they are in good company. I also have not heard back yet. I interviewed in October and am pretty sure a decision has been made on my application. I called yesterday afternoon and Jeanine told me that I would hear soon. I am sure she is so tired of people calling her. She was very nice to me, but didn't give me much information aside from this.

 

[Tatastrophy]

This is my first post on SDN. I just wanted to let tatastrophy, robocop1998, and swinesue know that they are in good company. I also have not heard back yet. I interviewed in October and am pretty sure a decision has been made on my application. I called yesterday afternoon and Jeanine told me that I would hear soon. I am sure she is so tired of people calling her. She was very nice to me, but didn't give me much information aside from this.

Hmmm interesting...we seem to be all interviewees from early in the season. End of September for me.

 

[hitsugaaya]

so still no words for me. anyone else hasnt heard back? I'm gonna call them up at the end of the day if I don't hear back then.

Havent heard back either
regional interview in january
called her and she said it will be very soon
*shrugs*

 

[Jihad]

So do we know how many initial acceptances there were? And how much waitlist movement there will be?

Jeanine told me that they don't disclose how many ppl they initially accept, but did say that they don't give acceptance before the May 17th deadline for waitlistee's.

 

[deaninja]

Hey guys, I may be able to shed some light on the situation for people still in limbo. The reason I think some of you haven't gotten your decisions yet are that they haven't finished all their virtual interviews yet. I think there were less than 10 when I called and asked about it because I'm one of the few that haven't had their interview yet (everything possible going wrong). I'm having mine on Friday and that is the last day that they're having them.

I'm guessing that they have held back a few initial acceptance spots to at least give us really late interviewees a legitimate shot (may be very small) at an acceptance. So I'm guessing (emphasis on guessing) that they still have a small group of pretty strong applicants along with the late interviewees that they're considering for those last acceptances or maybe waitlist spots. So I don't know if that cleared up anything but I would think you won't hear anything until at least late Friday. Hope that helps.

 

[FluffyRabbit]

Anyone know if the waitlist is ranked?

 

[robocop1998]

Hey guys, I may be able to shed some light on the situation for people still in limbo. The reason I think some of you haven't gotten your decisions yet are that they haven't finished all their virtual interviews yet. I think there were less than 10 when I called and asked about it because I'm one of the few that haven't had their interview yet (everything possible going wrong). I'm having mine on Friday and that is the last day that they're having them.

I'm guessing that they have held back a few initial acceptance spots to at least give us really late interviewees a legitimate shot (may be very small) at an acceptance. So I'm guessing (emphasis on guessing) that they still have a small group of pretty strong applicants along with the late interviewees that they're considering for those last acceptances or maybe waitlist spots. So I don't know if that cleared up anything but I would think you won't hear anything until at least late Friday. Hope that helps.

umm thats interesting that they are not done with virtual interviews yet. I had my interview on 2/15 on campus. So basically for those of us who haven't heard back, we are still in the run for acceptances?

 

[deaninja]

umm thats interesting that they are not done with virtual interviews yet. I had my interview on 2/15 on campus. So basically for those of us who haven't heard back, we are still in the run for acceptances?

I would think so but as I said I'd have to believe that the chances are very small as it may be only a few spots (or spot). Don't quote me on that though but I was told that I am not interviewing for just a waitlist spot.

 

[hitsugaaya]

Hey guys, I may be able to shed some light on the situation for people still in limbo. The reason I think some of you haven't gotten your decisions yet are that they haven't finished all their virtual interviews yet. I think there were less than 10 when I called and asked about it because I'm one of the few that haven't had their interview yet (everything possible going wrong). I'm having mine on Friday and that is the last day that they're having them.

I'm guessing that they have held back a few initial acceptance spots to at least give us really late interviewees a legitimate shot (may be very small) at an acceptance. So I'm guessing (emphasis on guessing) that they still have a small group of pretty strong applicants along with the late interviewees that they're considering for those last acceptances or maybe waitlist spots. So I don't know if that cleared up anything but I would think you won't hear anything until at least late Friday. Hope that helps.

hmmmmmm
with this information and assuming (and hoping) its correct, i wonder when our decisions would be out? If you are yet to interview and you do so on friday (goodluck btw), then im assuming we have at least till monday to keep waiting?
*shrugs* thanks for the info tho

 

[SwineSue]

Hey guys, I may be able to shed some light on the situation for people still in limbo. The reason I think some of you haven't gotten your decisions yet are that they haven't finished all their virtual interviews yet. I think there were less than 10 when I called and asked about it because I'm one of the few that haven't had their interview yet (everything possible going wrong). I'm having mine on Friday and that is the last day that they're having them.

I'm guessing that they have held back a few initial acceptance spots to at least give us really late interviewees a legitimate shot (may be very small) at an acceptance. So I'm guessing (emphasis on guessing) that they still have a small group of pretty strong applicants along with the late interviewees that they're considering for those last acceptances or maybe waitlist spots. So I don't know if that cleared up anything but I would think you won't hear anything until at least late Friday. Hope that helps.

so if that's true, it means we who have not yet heard back are the bottom 10 acceptances (acceptances 171-180 or so), and we'll all be getting in unless we are displaced by one of you late interviewees, right?

 

[hitsugaaya]

so if that's true, it means we who have not yet heard back are the bottom 10 acceptances (acceptances 171-180 or so), and we'll all be getting in unless we are displaced by one of you late interviewees, right?

wow putting it that way sounds kinda...well VERY competitive...GOODLUCK TO ALL ANYWAYS...and im hoping to still get an acceptance

 

[SwineSue]

wow putting it that way sounds kinda...well VERY competitive...GOODLUCK TO ALL ANYWAYS...and im hoping to still get an acceptance

sorry, what I meant to say is that everyone will get in, because there are infinite spots, and the admissions committee doesn't have to make any decisions.

 

[robocop1998]

so if that's true, it means we who have not yet heard back are the bottom 10 acceptances (acceptances 171-180 or so), and we'll all be getting in unless we are displaced by one of you late interviewees, right?

hhahaa good hypothesis. i hope you are right tho. i would definitely rather be in that position than getting outright waitlisted/rejected.

 

[deaninja]

so if that's true, it means we who have not yet heard back are the bottom 10 acceptances (acceptances 171-180 or so), and we'll all be getting in unless we are displaced by one of you late interviewees, right?

Haha well that's one way to look at it. If that is the case, I could take bribes to purposefully bomb my interview. 😀

Anyway, I was just trying to give you guys some info on why you may be waiting (instead of being completely in the dark). I obviously have no idea what the chances are of getting an acceptance (for any of us). The main thing is that there is still a chance for all of us and I'm pretty sure they won't decide until late Friday at the earliest. So go out and enjoy your Wednesday and Thursday nights.

 

[MsTaco]

hhahaa good hypothesis. i hope you are right tho. i would definitely rather be in that position than getting outright waitlisted/rejected.

Who knows, there may actually be some truth to this. You guys may actually be sort of on the borderline, which either way seems like it could be good news. Even if you do get bumped, you'd presumably be bumped to a waitlist position, and a high one at that, and not a rejection. Id be interested to see if that theory pans out...Taty you might have been asked your email address only in case you got bumped...there may still be hope. I'm pulling for you guys, this is quite the ordeal. Congrats on making it this far 🙂

 

[frostedflakes]

Which school did you end up going to if I may ask?

UT Southwestern. I like it quite a bit. How about you? I see you were waitlisted. Any idea where you might end up if things don't work out with Duke?

 

[EmbellisMaVie]

First, congrats to all the 2014 acceptances! Hope to see you all at Second Look!

I'm a student interviewer on the admissions committee now, and I just wanted to make a few comments. I remember, way back when, checking the Duke thread religiously, and being ridiculously stressed out about every little detail of the admissions process up until I finally got that fat yellow envelope, then sympathizing with other SDN'ers (and now current classmates!) who got ridiculously stressed out about the waitlist. So hopefully I can say a few things to alleviate some anxiety, or at least clear up some misconceptions.

As someone else noted, there were about 1200 interviews (including MSTP) this year. I think the DukeMed Alumni News article took data from previous years, which is why the quoted 750 interviews there is a little lower than this year's numbers.

As with most other medical schools, Duke does initially accept more students than there are slots, knowing that people will, for whatever reason, decline to attend. I don't know that I can give specific numbers on admissions/wait list for this year's admissions cycle, but I would say that the percentage of interviewees accepted this year is about the same as it has been in previous years (see article above).

In determining who to accept/waitlist/reject, I would absolutely refute whoever made the claim that Duke is just a "stat *****". (Trust me, I do have classmates who had abysmal grades or MCAT scores < 30, but are just really awesome people.) It's true that Duke does heavily emphasize grades and MCAT scores, but that's probably because, like most other top med schools, they can afford to. However, more than that, I've always felt that Duke truly does want to find students who can be outstanding academically, while also being capable of outstanding humanism, and I feel even more sure of that after having served on the admissions committee. Everyone I interviewed who got in was outstanding and definitely deserved an admit. On the flip side, I interviewed some excellent candidates who I thought would be accepted, but they were waitlisted for things like less-than-stellar grades or MCATs. My point is, it's a really competitive field, and we get so many more qualified applicants than we have available slots.

As for the wait list, it is extremely variable from year to year. I think my class pulled ~10 off the waitlist, whereas the class above mine had ~30. If you're on the wait list and still truly interested in Duke, I don't think it hurts to send an update letter proclaiming your continued love and affection. As far as I know, the wait list is not ranked. However, I have heard that the admissions committee tries to make a "balanced" class, so that if an admit declines, they try to pull someone off the waitlist with similar qualities. For example, if someone who declines happens to be a Midwesterner from a small liberal arts college who majored in particle physics and likes global health, the admissions committee will likely pull another Midwestern particle physicist who likes global health off the waitlist. Of course, that's all hearsay, but either way the committee works really hard to craft a dynamic class that gets along with each other pretty well.

Lastly, to offer some hope for those still waiting to hear, I think there are actually a few decisions yet to be made. Not sure of the specifics there, but nothing is set in stone!

That's all I've got to say for now. Best wishes for everyone who's been following Duke!

 

[FluffyRabbit]

I know for a fact that they don't like LOIs. I was talking with Jeanine Holland, the admissions secretary after my interview about an LOI and she showed me a big pile of them that will never be read. She strongly encouraged me not to send one. They assume if you haven't withdrawn you are interested in Duke still.

If you're on the wait list and still truly interested in Duke, I don't think it hurts to send an update letter proclaiming your continued love and affection.

How exactly are LOIs treated, in that case? I'm pretty confused now...

Also, do you know what the rough percentages are for post-interview accept/reject/waitlist? Thanks!

 

[rlndl310]

EmbellisMaVie, you did a very nice thing tonight. I hope that the folks that are still waiting get some comfort in the good information (and hopefully reduced speculation).

Good luck everyone!

 

[FutureDoc17]

First, congrats to all the 2014 acceptances! Hope to see you all at Second Look!

I'm a student interviewer on the admissions committee now, and I just wanted to make a few comments. I remember, way back when, checking the Duke thread religiously, and being ridiculously stressed out about every little detail of the admissions process up until I finally got that fat yellow envelope, then sympathizing with other SDN'ers (and now current classmates!) who got ridiculously stressed out about the waitlist. So hopefully I can say a few things to alleviate some anxiety, or at least clear up some misconceptions.

As someone else noted, there were about 1200 interviews (including MSTP) this year. I think the DukeMed Alumni News article took data from previous years, which is why the quoted 750 interviews there is a little lower than this year's numbers.

As with most other medical schools, Duke does initially accept more students than there are slots, knowing that people will, for whatever reason, decline to attend. I don't know that I can give specific numbers on admissions/wait list for this year's admissions cycle, but I would say that the percentage of interviewees accepted this year is about the same as it has been in previous years (see article above).

In determining who to accept/waitlist/reject, I would absolutely refute whoever made the claim that Duke is just a "stat *****". (Trust me, I do have classmates who had abysmal grades or MCAT scores < 30, but are just really awesome people.) It's true that Duke does heavily emphasize grades and MCAT scores, but that's probably because, like most other top med schools, they can afford to. However, more than that, I've always felt that Duke truly does want to find students who can be outstanding academically, while also being capable of outstanding humanism, and I feel even more sure of that after having served on the admissions committee. Everyone I interviewed who got in was outstanding and definitely deserved an admit. On the flip side, I interviewed some excellent candidates who I thought would be accepted, but they were waitlisted for things like less-than-stellar grades or MCATs. My point is, it's a really competitive field, and we get so many more qualified applicants than we have available slots.

As for the wait list, it is extremely variable from year to year. I think my class pulled ~10 off the waitlist, whereas the class above mine had ~30. If you're on the wait list and still truly interested in Duke, I don't think it hurts to send an update letter proclaiming your continued love and affection. As far as I know, the wait list is not ranked. However, I have heard that the admissions committee tries to make a "balanced" class, so that if an admit declines, they try to pull someone off the waitlist with similar qualities. For example, if someone who declines happens to be a Midwesterner from a small liberal arts college who majored in particle physics and likes global health, the admissions committee will likely pull another Midwestern particle physicist who likes global health off the waitlist. Of course, that's all hearsay, but either way the committee works really hard to craft a dynamic class that gets along with each other pretty well.

Lastly, to offer some hope for those still waiting to hear, I think there are actually a few decisions yet to be made. Not sure of the specifics there, but nothing is set in stone!

That's all I've got to say for now. Best wishes for everyone who's been following Duke!

Thanks, Embellis! Your post definitely helped to calm my nerves - at least temporarily, as I find myself in waitlist limbo for the next few months.

 

[Tatastrophy]

First, congrats to all the 2014 acceptances! Hope to see you all at Second Look!

I'm a student interviewer on the admissions committee now, and I just wanted to make a few comments. I remember, way back when, checking the Duke thread religiously, and being ridiculously stressed out about every little detail of the admissions process up until I finally got that fat yellow envelope, then sympathizing with other SDN'ers (and now current classmates!) who got ridiculously stressed out about the waitlist. So hopefully I can say a few things to alleviate some anxiety, or at least clear up some misconceptions.

As someone else noted, there were about 1200 interviews (including MSTP) this year. I think the DukeMed Alumni News article took data from previous years, which is why the quoted 750 interviews there is a little lower than this year's numbers.

As with most other medical schools, Duke does initially accept more students than there are slots, knowing that people will, for whatever reason, decline to attend. I don't know that I can give specific numbers on admissions/wait list for this year's admissions cycle, but I would say that the percentage of interviewees accepted this year is about the same as it has been in previous years (see article above).

In determining who to accept/waitlist/reject, I would absolutely refute whoever made the claim that Duke is just a "stat *****". (Trust me, I do have classmates who had abysmal grades or MCAT scores < 30, but are just really awesome people.) It's true that Duke does heavily emphasize grades and MCAT scores, but that's probably because, like most other top med schools, they can afford to. However, more than that, I've always felt that Duke truly does want to find students who can be outstanding academically, while also being capable of outstanding humanism, and I feel even more sure of that after having served on the admissions committee. Everyone I interviewed who got in was outstanding and definitely deserved an admit. On the flip side, I interviewed some excellent candidates who I thought would be accepted, but they were waitlisted for things like less-than-stellar grades or MCATs. My point is, it's a really competitive field, and we get so many more qualified applicants than we have available slots.

As for the wait list, it is extremely variable from year to year. I think my class pulled ~10 off the waitlist, whereas the class above mine had ~30. If you're on the wait list and still truly interested in Duke, I don't think it hurts to send an update letter proclaiming your continued love and affection. As far as I know, the wait list is not ranked. However, I have heard that the admissions committee tries to make a "balanced" class, so that if an admit declines, they try to pull someone off the waitlist with similar qualities. For example, if someone who declines happens to be a Midwesterner from a small liberal arts college who majored in particle physics and likes global health, the admissions committee will likely pull another Midwestern particle physicist who likes global health off the waitlist. Of course, that's all hearsay, but either way the committee works really hard to craft a dynamic class that gets along with each other pretty well.

Lastly, to offer some hope for those still waiting to hear, I think there are actually a few decisions yet to be made. Not sure of the specifics there, but nothing is set in stone!

That's all I've got to say for now. Best wishes for everyone who's been following Duke!

Thanks for posting. Hard to accept that I am still in territory unknown but it is good to hear some insight from someone who actually knows some of what happens behind the scenes.

 

[madskillz99]

How exactly are LOIs treated, in that case? I'm pretty confused now...

Also, do you know what the rough percentages are for post-interview accept/reject/waitlist? Thanks!

I think LOIs are suitable for WLers, especially now that decisions have been made. Who should we be directing a LOI to by the way? Richard Wallace? And by email?

I would also like to hear an answer to the second question quoted above. The fact that about 1200 individuals were interviewed leads me to believe the odds post-interview were a lot worse than I was thinking. I guess I don't feel as bad now. I would like to get some sense of my odds from the WL though, especially if only ~10-30 people do get accepted off of it (at most).

 

[p1nk ice]

I think LOIs are suitable for WLers, especially now that decisions have been made. Who should we be directing a LOI to by the way? Richard Wallace? And by email?

I would also like to hear an answer to the second question quoted above. The fact that about 1200 individuals were interviewed leads me to believe the odds post-interview were a lot worse than I was thinking. I guess I don't feel as bad now. I would like to get some sense of my odds from the WL though, especially if only ~10-30 people do get accepted off of it (at most).

So Duke typically sends out around 200 acceptances for 100 spots, due to the number of overlapped acceptances that a lot of these people get. I asked what happens if greater than 100 ppl accept, but that has never happened here, again, likely due to the multiple options. In terms of the waitlist, I don't think that it's drastically high, but I know that some movement occurs every year.

If I were to send a letter, I would address it to either Richard Wallace (assistant directors of admissions) and Brenda Armstrong (director of admissions) Good luck to everyone out there!

 

[LIDO]

I think LOIs are suitable for WLers, especially now that decisions have been made. Who should we be directing a LOI to by the way? Richard Wallace? And by email?

I would also like to hear an answer to the second question quoted above. The fact that about 1200 individuals were interviewed leads me to believe the odds post-interview were a lot worse than I was thinking. I guess I don't feel as bad now. I would like to get some sense of my odds from the WL though, especially if only ~10-30 people do get accepted off of it (at most).

I think they specifically stated not to send any LOIs. I would imagine that we each have a predetermined place on the wait list. I know it is hard to swallow....but I think we need to sit tight and keep our fingers crossed

 

[FluffyRabbit]

I think they specifically stated not to send any LOIs. I would imagine that we each have a predetermined place on the wait list. I know it is hard to swallow....but I think we need to sit tight and keep our fingers crossed

Where was this stated? Is their waitlist really ranked?

 

[EmbellisMaVie]

Where was this stated? Is their waitlist really ranked?

There's a difference between a letter of interest and/or update and a letter of intent. Also there's a difference between sending one before a decision is made, and sending one after you've gotten waitlisted. It may not make or break a final admissions decision, but I don't think it's true that they completely ignore update letters from waitlisters, and regardless, it can't hurt. Particularly if you have compelling new information (e.g., you just won a MacArthur grant or saved an African village or something).

Like I said, I think the waitlist is unranked. Judging from the number of people waitlisted, I doubt it would be strictly ranked (don't ask me how many are on the waitlist, I can't say). I mean this in the sense that there is probably not a definite #1, 2, and 3, but that the waitlisters probably fall somewhere along a spectrum of "more likely to receive admission" and "less likely to receive admission". Where a particular person falls is anyone's guess... probably only the executive committee really knows. Anyway, the caveat is that I don't know for sure, and this is mostly just "what I've heard" from a variety of sources around here.

For what it's worth, the MSTP waitlist is definitely ranked, but it's a lot smaller than the regular MD waitlist, so in their case it would be reasonable to have a ranked waitlist. Also, my boyfriend (an elderly MSTP) told me that he e-mailed the program and asked where he was on the waitlist, and they gave him a pretty good idea. Keep in mind that this was for the MSTP only, and it was years ago, so I don't know how that's handled now.

 

[hitsugaaya]

Why so quiet everyone? Anyone have any new news?

 

[ApoK]

There's a difference between a letter of interest and/or update and a letter of intent. Also there's a difference between sending one before a decision is made, and sending one after you've gotten waitlisted. It may not make or break a final admissions decision, but I don't think it's true that they completely ignore update letters from waitlisters, and regardless, it can't hurt. Particularly if you have compelling new information (e.g., you just won a MacArthur grant or saved an African village or something).

Like I said, I think the waitlist is unranked. Judging from the number of people waitlisted, I doubt it would be strictly ranked (don't ask me how many are on the waitlist, I can't say). I mean this in the sense that there is probably not a definite #1, 2, and 3, but that the waitlisters probably fall somewhere along a spectrum of "more likely to receive admission" and "less likely to receive admission". Where a particular person falls is anyone's guess... probably only the executive committee really knows. Anyway, the caveat is that I don't know for sure, and this is mostly just "what I've heard" from a variety of sources around here.

For what it's worth, the MSTP waitlist is definitely ranked, but it's a lot smaller than the regular MD waitlist, so in their case it would be reasonable to have a ranked waitlist. Also, my boyfriend (an elderly MSTP) told me that he e-mailed the program and asked where he was on the waitlist, and they gave him a pretty good idea. Keep in mind that this was for the MSTP only, and it was years ago, so I don't know how that's handled now.

I've been fortunate enough to receive an acceptance. Unfortunately, the Second Look weekend occurs during a fairly busy time for me. I'd like to go but only for Friday and Saturday. Do you think anyone would mind if I attended but took a flight home on Saturday evening?

Thanks

 

[robocop1998]

Why so quiet everyone? Anyone have any new news?

nope. nothing here. i wonder how many of us are still in the limbo?

 

[hitsugaaya]

nope. nothing here. i wonder how many of us are still in the limbo?

good question, going from what someone said earlier, all interviews shd be done by 2mrw (hopefully) and we should be getting our decisions by early next week or earlier (me being hopeful again)
*shrugs* its funny i wake up each morning expecting to see a rejection email...i shd be more optimisitic

 

[Tatastrophy]

nope. nothing here. i wonder how many of us are still in the limbo?

good question, going from what someone said earlier, all interviews shd be done by 2mrw (hopefully) and we should be getting our decisions by early next week or earlier (me being hopeful again)
*shrugs* its funny i wake up each morning expecting to see a rejection email...i shd be more optimisitic

The three of us appear to be the "SDNers in Duke Limbo". I would venture a guess maybe there are around 15-20 all together.
That is of course, if this theory is true. Nobody denied it or confirmed it definitively.

I am still expecting a rejection email but I would cry tears of joy if the Duke dream would actually come true. So &to us.

 

[robocop1998]

Same thing here. I wake up every morning thinking I would see a rejection email. I really hope Duke would just get back to us soon. And yes, I would cry tears of joy and maybe even get an arrhythmia if I somehow miraculously get accepted. Good luck to us all!

 

[hitsugaaya]

Did anyone else in limbo status page change from interview confirmed to interview complete today or yesterday? Cos mine did and they said its awaiting a final decision from the comitteee. Thats really weird because i did my regional interview in january, does that mean my interviewer JUST got back to them? Maybe it means nothing at all...

 

[Tatastrophy]

Did anyone else in limbo status page change from interview confirmed to interview complete today or yesterday? Cos mine did and they said its awaiting a final decision from the comitteee. Thats really weird because i did my regional interview in january, does that mean my interviewer JUST got back to them? Maybe it means nothing at all...

Mine has been at complete since.....September.

 

[robocop1998]

Mine has been at complete since.....September.

mine has been complete since the day after I interviewed. your comment raises a good point tho. Maybe we are still in a limbo because our interviewers just got back to the committee? i'm not really sure. i know for a fact that one of my interviewers is on the voting committee because there is a picture of her sitting in the committee in the Duke Alumni news thing.

 

[EmbellisMaVie]

I've been fortunate enough to receive an acceptance. Unfortunately, the Second Look weekend occurs during a fairly busy time for me. I'd like to go but only for Friday and Saturday. Do you think anyone would mind if I attended but took a flight home on Saturday evening?

Thanks

That's definitely not a problem. We'd still love to have you, even if it's only for part of the time. Besides, most of the events are on Friday and Saturday anyways. Sunday is usually just an early brunch. Best wishes, and hope to see you then!

 

[EmbellisMaVie]

mine has been complete since the day after I interviewed. your comment raises a good point tho. Maybe we are still in a limbo because our interviewers just got back to the committee? i'm not really sure. i know for a fact that one of my interviewers is on the voting committee because there is a picture of her sitting in the committee in the Duke Alumni news thing.

Yeah, unfortunately some of the interviewers submit their evaluations late, so it's quite possible that the interviewer just jotted down notes at the time of the interview but didn't submit a final eval to the committee until much later. Applicants can't be presented to the executive committee until both interview evaluations are received.

 

[Tatastrophy]

Yeah, unfortunately some of the interviewers submit their evaluations late, so it's quite possible that the interviewer just jotted down notes at the time of the interview but didn't submit a final eval to the committee until much later. Applicants can't be presented to the executive committee until both interview evaluations are received.

oh man...i really hope that is not the case with me. i'm pretty spectacular...but how many people that you spoke to 6 months ago does anyone remember very well. 🙁

 

[stnfrdgrl86]

Has anyone who did a virtual interview today (by the way, a retro-active good luck) been told an estimate for when they would hear back?

 

[deaninja]

Finished the virtual interview (pretty cool experience but definitely a bit harder for me compared to interviewing with someone in person) and Dr. Armstrong said that decisions should come out either Monday or Tuesday for the rest of the interviewees. I think she mentioned that there were 40-50 interviewees being considered for the acceptances (this may be the total number of people in limbo including recent interviewees). Anyway, good luck to everyone and I hope you all have a great weekend (and hopefully an even better Monday or Tuesday).