2013-2014 Duke University Application Thread

[rudziutki]

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For the 'place where you grew up' essay, did you guys just talk about racial demographics, or did you highlight other aspects of your communities? I am having a hard time writing anything insightful about my racially homogeneous upper middle class community lol.

 

[oshkoro]

For the 'place where you grew up' essay, did you guys just talk about racial demographics, or did you highlight other aspects of your communities? I am having a hard time writing anything insightful about my racially homogeneous upper middle class community lol.

I was an anthropology nerd before this whole pre-med debacle, so here goes:

Ask yourself...What state/city did you grow up in? Anything unique about the culture there? Any major community events you think were unique? What was the dominant ethnic background (Irish/Italian/Polish/Ukrainian/whatever). How did that influence your experiences? Does your community border another that is urban/rural/of a different ethnic makeup, and has that caused tensions or given you more insight into disparities? Do people generally have more radical (liberal or conservative) political views than the rest of the US?

Although I didn't do this for my essay, I like the idea of describing the main street, or describing a particular place/event (like a town parade) that you think might stand out in your town, and then going from there to talk about culture/values, etc. Many very interesting ethnographies have been written about "racially homogenous upper middle class" communities, so I'm sure you have something to work with 🙂

Hope that helps!

 

[Irish1234]

Does your community border another that is urban/rural/of a different ethnic makeup, and has that caused tensions or given you more insight into disparities?

This is what I did. I think it worked really well.

 

[GoPelicans]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

 

[Amba]

Wait I'm so confused, what happened? What I meant was that I'm scared that it is a glitch, not that I'm joking about my status change to II

What ever happened with this? I see you deleted your post that you got an II.

 

[snowys435]

Would a 2 page essay be too long for one of them, if I try to make my others shorter ( about a page per essay)

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

do we check our application status on the same page that we logged on to do the secondary?

 

[274631]

Yo. I might be crazy but I enjoyed the Duke secondaries. I did PCLT so I wrote a ton. I love how user-friendly the application is - I almost passed how when I saw my course Pre-populated. I think I repeated myself here but that's how serious it is.

How long were your PCLT essays? The secondary does not state a word limit but the website says it should be 150 words. I'm hoping the website just hasn't been updated because 150 is tough.

Also, does anyone know if OB would be included in the PCLT definition of a Primary Care field? It's not included on the website but someone in the 2012-2013 thread said it was.

 

[LisaBrown]

How long did it take for Duke to send you the secondary? I was verified on the 2nd and still no secondary... It's been over ten days...

 

[GoPelicans]

How long did it take for Duke to send you the secondary? I was verified on the 2nd and still no secondary... It's been over ten days...

I got it within 12 hours of being verified 7/22... you should probably call the admissions office.

 

[5lippy]

Current MS1, here. Hope you all apply to Duke. It's a fantastic place, and my classmates are absolutely phenomenal. I know that applying to med school can be quite hectic, so I'll try to answer as much as I can, while I can.

 

[IndianaGirl13]

How long did it take for Duke to send you the secondary? I was verified on the 2nd and still no secondary... It's been over ten days...

Same.

 

[fhg]

I was verified the afternoon of 7/26 and got my secondary on 7/31.

 

[mwharris22]

I see that Duke requires Cell Biology. I haven't taken that class and am now done with school. Would Duke invite someone for an interview if they hadn't taken the class yet?

 

[sh0rtstop34]

II today, made my day...I would love to go here

 

[nemo123]

II today, made my day...I would love to go here

Congrats! When were you complete?

 

[sh0rtstop34]

Congrats! When were you complete?

7/18 ... the first day that the app let you hit submit

 

[274631]

Wow II today...I just submitted this morning and got the interview email like 3 hours later! Talk about a fast turn around.

Secretly scared it was a mistake lol

 

[hosur]

Wow II today...I just submitted this morning and got the interview email like 3 hours later! Talk about a fast turn around.

Secretly scared it was a mistake lol

Ginger, what were your stats?

 

[plumazul]

Ginger, what were your stats?

The user has an MDApps profile. Click on it.

 

[274631]

Ginger, what were your stats?

Pretty sub-par honestly: 3.2sGPA, 3.6cGPA, 3.7gGPA, 34MCAT

 

[azngujuonfire]

Wow II today...I just submitted this morning and got the interview email like 3 hours later! Talk about a fast turn around.

Secretly scared it was a mistake lol

That is insane haha, congrats though. I'll be lucky if they even look at my app lol

 

[McRunner]

Pretty sub-par honestly: 3.2sGPA, 3.6cGPA, 3.7gGPA, 34MCAT

This gives me hope. My AMCAS isn't verified yet but I'm 3.54 cGPA, 3.50 sGPA, 34 MCAT. This is by far my top pick/dream school/I'd chop off my foot to go here 🙂

 

[Espadaleader]

II! App complete earliest date possible. 3.67, 3.59, 33

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

II! App complete earliest date possible. 3.67, 3.59, 33

do you have a lot of research/publications?

 

[Soulstice]

Pretty sub-par honestly: 3.2sGPA, 3.6cGPA, 3.7gGPA, 34MCAT

Wow - that's impressive, then! What do you think did it?

 

[NA19]

Does Duke send secondaries once they receive your verified primary from AMCAS to all students? Or do they send it after screening through the applicants?

 

[Thrillhouse]

Does Duke send secondaries once they receive your verified primary from AMCAS to all students? Or do they send it after screening through the applicants?

After AMCAS verification. I got mine before my MCAT score was released.

 

[274631]

This gives me hope. My AMCAS isn't verified yet but I'm 3.54 cGPA, 3.50 sGPA, 34 MCAT. This is by far my top pick/dream school/I'd chop off my foot to go here 🙂

for you. I have been surprised with the two II I have so far. Thought I was way below their stats but goes to show that the process is unpredictable sometimes.

Wow - that's impressive, then! What do you think did it?

I have no idea. Maybe good essays? Or my public health background? Or just lucky timing that my app was submitted around the time they were reviewing?

 

[ResearchtoMD]

Can someone commend about the requirement for PCLT? Does the requirement similar with regular MD admission in term of GPA and MCAT score? Thanks.

 

[274631]

Can someone commend about the requirement for PCLT? Does the requirement similar with regular MD admission in term of GPA and MCAT score? Thanks.

I think stats wise there aren't any differences. You just have to write different essays.

 

[ResearchtoMD]

Thanks. GingerGirls27. Does anyone willingly share the question(s) for these essays? Thanks.

 

[274631]

Thanks. GingerGirls27. Does anyone willingly share the question(s) for these essays? Thanks.

There are 2 essays in addition to the normal Duke essays (which you can find on the first couple pages of this thread). From their website:

Describe a group that is in need of advocacy in the health care system. How would you work to address the problems they face?

Describe a goal that you have pursued despite obstacles, and what that pursuit taught you.

Note: Limited to 150 words per essay.

Here's the link: http://dukemed.duke.edu/modules/ooa_myedu/index.php?id=38

 

[Cambover]

I'll be interviewing in Winston-Salem around mid-September. Think I should send an in-the-area email or wait it out?

 

[snowys435]

Hey so I just finished writing my essays but I was having doubts how I interpreted the question...
The question is:

Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics. What core values did you receive and how will these translate into the contributions that you hope to make to your community as a medical student and to your career in medicine?

In my essay I talked about spending a lot of time in my father's village in a foreign country ( so I guess counts as ethnicity in terms of a demographic) and talked a lot about cultural practices...I didn't describe any specific "demographics" or anything but I guess the community and the culture there that i was exposed to with my relatives and how that influenced my core values....would that not answer the question? I totally overlooked it when I was working on it and now im not sure if it would be seen as off topic...

 

[yellowfish]

I'll be interviewing in Winston-Salem around mid-September. Think I should send an in-the-area email or wait it out?

I would send one, but that's just my opinion. To me, it could only help or expedite the decision if it's a decent in-the-area letter.

 

[Cambover]

I would send one, but that's just my opinion. To me, it could only help or expedite the decision if it's a decent in-the-area letter.

I think I will.

Edit: I did. I'll let you know how it goes. I sent it to the medadmins email that sends the initial emails. I couldn't find another place to send it to.

 

[pandaBear42]

Hi, you guys!!

MS1 here. I'm taking a study break by lurking here. I just want to re-emphasize how fan-freakin-tastic my classmates and the school/curriculum/faculty/staff are. Definitely apply (although I'm probably preaching to the choir here). Writing essays sucked, but I had (shocking!!) a lot of fun at the interview. A handful of people from my interview day (in December) are my classmates now, and plenty of others I talked to are from January. SO if you're reading these posts and freaking out about all the gunners (jk!) who've already gotten IIs, don't worry! Pretty sure I submitted my secondary in October, AFTER I'd already heard back from another school.

Welp, hope that helps? inspires? whatever. Just anything that doesn't kill your motivation.

Best of luck to everyone!! Hope to see you soon for interviews/second look/orientation!!
(Oh! You can always ask me questions in a reply or PM me. Can't guarantee I'll answer, but if I remember, I will check back.)

OPTIONAL READING BELOW (and like the optional essay(s), truly optional - I didn't write any more than I had to. Actually, now that I think of it, I don't think any of my essays were longer than half a page, definitely not longer than a whole page):

My 2 cents: don't embellish your essays to try to say all the right things. You might think it'll get you into a school, but ultimately, admissions staff will know, your fellow interviewees will know, and you'll probably find that you won't mesh well with your classmates. And really, it's not about getting into a school that you THINK will fit you but that will ACTUALLY fit you. A school's attitude and atmosphere permeates throughout, so who the school looks for is who makes up the school - if you're wearing a mask that matches what the school looks for, they'll think you fit, but you might actually be miserable for the next 4+ years.

And the best way to avoid misery is to be who you are (and not drive on snowy days so you can avoid Kathy Bates). Even if you're kind of a jerk sometimes (which I am. I think I actually admitted that in one of my essays? Not in those exact terms, obvs, but definitely made it relevant to one of the prompts and made sure to emphasize that I knew that about myself).

 

[mariambaby3]

So I've seen some people on this thread try to aim for 300 and some aiming for 400 words; would you say that that is a good guideline? Somewhere between 300-400 words?

 

[pandaBear42]

So I've seen some people on this thread try to aim for 300 and some aiming for 400 words; would you say that that is a good guideline? Somewhere between 300-400 words?

So I just checked on the 4 essays I wrote for Duke. For 3 of them, I came in at just under 400 words. For the other, I was at 200 words.

BUT you shouldn't take my essay lengths to be the end-all; write as much as you need to in order to answer the prompts to your satisfaction. You're writing them to show admissions what kind of person you are, not to fulfill some arbitrary word count requirement. If you're naturally concise, great. That shows you don't mince words or sugar coat things. If you're a descriptive writer and like to use lots of adjectives, also great. That shows you're probably a very eloquent person and know how to use words well. (If you're curious, I consider myself the former, hence the 200-word response. When I was done answering that question, I was done. Whoever read my essay also probably appreciated not having to dig their way through what would most likely have been word garbage.)

 

[Narmerguy]

My essays were pretty long, all over 700+. I doubt the word count matters so much as painting a useful, interesting picture of yourself. In my case, I felt that the questions were difficult to answer and required a fair bit out of me to answer thoroughly, whereas others may find them more straightforward and requiring less.

 

[dagnieh]

This. Even though they explicitly state not to send LORs before an II, I doubt they'll toss your app if you do. You could always email/call them if this is a concern. Link to where this info is found:

http://dukemed.duke.edu/modules/ooa_applicant/index.php?id=6

That was from before Duke used the AMCAS letter service (I think this is the first year). They didn't want people sending in piles of letters if there was no point. They probably just forgot to remove it from the website.

 

[plumazul]

MSTP II,

 

[jeghaber]

MSTP II,

You're on a roll plumazul! Congrats!! 😀

 

[Leoz M Jiliums]

.

 

[fhg]

Guys, I'm having a bunch of trouble with first question. My family moved around a lot and I lived in 6 cities in multiple countries over my childhood. The longest we've ever stayed in one place is 5 years (my first 5 years of life) and all the other cities we only stayed 2-3 years. I didn't spend the majority of my childhood anywhere really.



I'm soo lost.....

I am sure it is totally acceptable to write about how growing up in so many different places defined your values. That is certainly as influential as any single place is on people who had more steady experiences.

 

[jeghaber]

Guys, I'm having a bunch of trouble with first question. My family moved around a lot and I lived in 6 cities in multiple countries over my childhood. The longest we've ever stayed in one place is 5 years (my first 5 years of life) and all the other cities we only stayed 2-3 years. I didn't spend the majority of my childhood anywhere really.



I'm soo lost.....

That's essentially identical to my situation (6 cities, 3 continents, max 6 years) 😛 I ended up tweaking my diversity essay I had written for other schools and elaborating more on a few specific periods I thought contributed more to my development than others. Best of luck! 👍

 

[Leoz M Jiliums]

Are we twins, lol? I also wrote about this as my diversity essay!

 

[JackyLin]

Anyone coming in on oct 6 for the interview next day? Want to plan something?

 

[TotalDomination]

Is there a place I can go (website) where I can see all the different activities students are involved in? It would be really helpful to get a sense of the type of things students do!