2010-2011 Duke Application Thread

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GOT PCLT INTERVIEW!!!!!:soexcited: However, my interviewer wants to do it tomorrow! 😱

Slightly terrified, and I will have to do a lot of work today! Its been a bit since I have interviewed!
 
Hi, everyone. I'm really interested in Duke and applying for 2012 matriculation.
The one thing I'm a little worried about is that their website seems to emphasize taking the MCAT early and it needing to be on the AMCAS app before submission. I was planning to take the MCAT in early July (realistically when I'll be very prepared). Is this a huge problem for applying to Duke? Does anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks!
 
GuineaPig12 said:
Hi, everyone. I'm really interested in Duke and applying for 2012 matriculation.
The one thing I'm a little worried about is that their website seems to emphasize taking the MCAT early and it needing to be on the AMCAS app before submission. I was planning to take the MCAT in early July (realistically when I'll be very prepared). Is this a huge problem for applying to Duke? Does anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks!
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Nah, that's not a problem. I sent in my AMCAS a few weeks before I even took my MCAT--so like 6 weeks before scores were released--and I got an interview.
 
I can't seem to find the answer to this, so please don't yell at me if this is somewhere within this thread and I missed it, but....

Does anyone know WHEN Duke notifies accepted applicants (March 1? March 15?) Also, do they notify by phone call? email? snail mail?

Thanks so much. Hoping for good news for everyone come March!
 
PreMedHead said:
I can't seem to find the answer to this, so please don't yell at me if this is somewhere within this thread and I missed it, but....

Does anyone know WHEN Duke notifies accepted applicants (March 1? March 15?) Also, do they notify by phone call? email? snail mail?

Thanks so much. Hoping for good news for everyone come March!
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According to the website posted above, they notify on March 1. Not sure as to how though.
 
PreMedHead said:
I can't seem to find the answer to this, so please don't yell at me if this is somewhere within this thread and I missed it, but....

Does anyone know WHEN Duke notifies accepted applicants (March 1? March 15?) Also, do they notify by phone call? email? snail mail?

Thanks so much. Hoping for good news for everyone come March!
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March 1 is (I think) the tentative date, BUT... we pre-meds love stats. RIGHT?
So...
2008-2009 app cycle- March 13
2009-2010 app cycle- March 6
Big ol' acceptance packet via snail mail.


Oh yea... Thank you, swimerbear! great article.
 
just a random guess, but my sense is that though duke is a non-rolling school, the adcom meetings to assign your "score" is done on a rolling basis. as such, updates past a certain point are probably ineffective in boosting your chances.
 
Sonic008 said:
so does duke accept updates or not?
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In a recent phone call to Duke I was told that they do not accept any letters (update or LOI's).


bleargh said:
just a random guess, but my sense is that though duke is a non-rolling school, the adcom meetings to assign your "score" is done on a rolling basis. as such, updates past a certain point are probably ineffective in boosting your chances.
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Good point.
 
bleargh said:
just a random guess, but my sense is that though duke is a non-rolling school, the adcom meetings to assign your "score" is done on a rolling basis. as such, updates past a certain point are probably ineffective in boosting your chances.
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Yea this is what I was also under the impression..especially based on that DukeMed article (which btw was given in our folders during our interview). I'm pretty sure update letters are welcome though (I submitted mine a couple days after my interview). I'm pretty sure they'll consider them before they assign you your "score."
 
srivastk said:
Interesting. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to call them again tomorrow.
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Called them today and yes they do accept update letters, regardless of when you interviewed. The kind woman on the phone explained that all applications are reviewed and decided on closer to March 1. So if you interviewed months ago you can still update your application and it should be considered in your final review. Hope that helps.
 
srivastk said:
Called them today and yes they do accept update letters, regardless of when you interviewed. The kind woman on the phone explained that all applications are reviewed and decided on closer to March 1. So if you interviewed months ago you can still update your application and it should be considered in your final review. Hope that helps.
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I guess update letters are different from Fall grades because I called about that last month and the lady said they do not accept those
 
Good evenin'. Is second look only for accepted students? Or for waislisted students, too?

I interviewed using skype so I'd love to visit...
 
Droofus said:
Nah, that's not a problem. I sent in my AMCAS a few weeks before I even took my MCAT--so like 6 weeks before scores were released--and I got an interview.
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What about taking the MCAT like in early August? Would that put me in disadvantage?
 
EdLongshanks said:
I probably won't refuse to apply to a school because someone in the office was busy that day.
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Funny... I called to do the same thing, and they set up a student to give me a tour. This was a few years ago, though. When are you applying? This cycle?
 
SpaceDementia said:
Duke's a funny school. They interview a ton of people and seem to reward applicants who submit thoughtful essays, and the secondary serves its purpose of filtering out applicants who don't care much about the school.

The problem is they interview about half of the people (~1200) who submit the secondary (~2500, since many never go ahead with it) and only accept about 200 when it's all said and done. It's a nice school, but interviewing half of your applicants for a class of 100 ends up entangling lots of people who don't realistically have a chance.
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It could be that they just have an incredibly large pool of competitive applicants, and they want to make sure they don't overlook any good ones by not having enough interview spaces. Also note that many of the interviews are done via Skype now, allowing the adcom to get the rest of the story on many, many more applicants...
 
praesto7 said:
Good evenin'. Is second look only for accepted students? Or for waislisted students, too?

I interviewed using skype so I'd love to visit...
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Second look is for accepted applicants only. If you did a regional interview and want to come for a tour, that seems reasonable. If you did a regional interview, I imagine you are coming quite a distance, though. Email Mr. Wallace to see what he says. If that doesn't work, PM me, and we can try to set something up.
 
washupremedSV said:
Yea this is what I was also under the impression..especially based on that DukeMed article (which btw was given in our folders during our interview). I'm pretty sure update letters are welcome though (I submitted mine a couple days after my interview). I'm pretty sure they'll consider them before they assign you your "score."
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It seems like this quesiton got resolved but I figure I'd throw my thoughts into the ring.

When I interviewed at Duke the lady said that they do accept update letters but they ask that we hold of sending them until mid february (until they get done with all the interviews).
 
So people were saying acceptances were happening in early March (via snail mail), but I feel like I remember Dr. Armstrong saying that her favorite part is the excitement she hears over the phone? I interviewed way back in September though, so maybe I'm mixing it up with another school... It would just be nice to know if I'm gonna have to stay glued to the phone again
 
NYBills987 said:
So people were saying acceptances were happening in early March (via snail mail), but I feel like I remember Dr. Armstrong saying that her favorite part is the excitement she hears over the phone? I interviewed way back in September though, so maybe I'm mixing it up with another school... It would just be nice to know if I'm gonna have to stay glued to the phone again
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I'm almost positive that Duke sends final decisions via snail mail only.
 
DoC352 said:
I'm almost positive that Duke sends final decisions via snail mail only.
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Nope. MD rejections get a monster of an email, just like the original secondary invitation email (I know this as a fact). Waitlists are probably by snail mail. Acceptances I'd bet a penny on being phone calls.

MSTP decisions correspondence are by snail mail, though.
 
kevinlu said:
Nope. MD rejections get a monster of an email, just like the original secondary invitation email (I know this as a fact). Waitlists are probably by snail mail. Acceptances I'd bet a penny on being phone calls.

MSTP decisions correspondence are by snail mail, though.
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from https://admissions.duhs.duke.edu/pas/dashboard

My DukeMed Status:

Interview Complete

Your application is complete and is awaiting a final decision from the Committee on Admissions. All decisions for applicants who have interviewed for admission to the 2010 entering class are sent via the U.S. Postal Service and will be mailed from the Office of Admissions during the month of March 2010. To insure your privacy and to protect the integrity of the admission process, decisions will not be given over the telephone. We appreciate your interest in the Duke University School of Medicine and wish you the best of luck!
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I'll believe you if you say the decisions come by email, but that's certainly not what their website says.
 
DoC352 said:
from https://admissions.duhs.duke.edu/pas/dashboard



I'll believe you if you say the decisions come by email, but that's certainly not what their website says.
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Mine doesn't say the bit about the US postal service... makes me think e-mail is a possibility, but its weird we dont have the same message!

Your application is complete and is awaiting a final decision from the Committee on Admissions. To insure your privacy and to protect the integrity of the admission process, decisions will not be given over the telephone. We appreciate your interest in the Duke University School of Medicine and wish you the best of luck!
 
Previously, maybe as recently as two days ago, my status included the bit about the US mail. Today, I looked and it was changed to the status without the mail part. Its either a rejection, conspiracy, or they received a lot of calls and changed it! :scared:
 
And the countdown begins... Although I'm sure it already has for most of us, but I"ll make it official on SDN wooooo.

17 days
 
swimerbear said:
Previously, maybe as recently as two days ago, my status included the bit about the US mail. Today, I looked and it was changed to the status without the mail part. Its either a rejection, conspiracy, or they received a lot of calls and changed it! :scared:
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lol me too.
 
from the email post-interview..

"Our timetable for the remainder of our admission season is as follows: interviews will conclude in late February with a target date for mailing decision letters at the end of February through the first week of March 2010. Duke does not roll. "

urgh yet another thing to get neurotic about...
 
bleargh said:
from the email post-interview..

"Our timetable for the remainder of our admission season is as follows: interviews will conclude in late February with a target date for mailing decision letters at the end of February through the first week of March 2010. Duke does not roll. "

urgh yet another thing to get neurotic about...
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Wait.. that means that they could mail decisions Feb 16th onwards cause thats technically closer to the end than the beginning.. and they removed postal service, so its definitely coming by owl.. I figured it out! You're welcome everyone.
 
Mine changed to exclude the line about the U.S. Post but it may have been because that line used to say March 2010, which is the wrong year. Then again, I may be just trying to convince myself I didn't get rejected.
 
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