2013-2014 Duke University Application Thread

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darkknight9000 said:
In what order does duke review apps? Date, stats, other.
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Good question! I wonder the same thing myself. I've heard that they look at date of secondary submission first then stats. I don't know if anyone's entirely sure though. You know how these things go; it's not always an exact science. I always try to remember that there are human beings on the other side of the applicant portal, and if something stands out to a reviewer, you may get an interview sooner than someone else who submitted before you with higher stats. I imagine looking at a large sorted spreadsheet. I probably wouldn't simply go row-by-row making decisions right off the bat; I might scan many rows at a time and then come back and go through them again. But I really don't know how it's done for certain. Anyone else have any insight?
 
Anyone know if Duke is receptive to post-submission updates? Just got a journal publication (yay!)--already e-mailed them about this lol, but I was just curious if anyone had any history/success with updates? Thanks, ya'll.
 
Seifu2011 said:
Anyone know if Duke is receptive to post-submission updates? Just got a journal publication (yay!)--already e-mailed them about this lol, but I was just curious if anyone had any history/success with updates? Thanks, ya'll.
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Anyone else going to the sunday pre-interview dinner? My vote was for the sushi place 🙂
 
Guys, what's the best way to get to Durham from DC? Any hotel recommendations? Thanks
 
dreamschool18 said:
Guys, what's the best way to get to Durham from DC? Any hotel recommendations? Thanks
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I'm going from Durham to DC for an interview and I'm taking Megabus. The tickets are super cheap (I got them for like $30 total both ways). It's only like a 5 hour trip.
 
ziggyguy23 said:
Email.

Can anybody confirm they interview 500-525? Doesn't really matter right now. I'm just curious.
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I was told at my interview that they interviewed 553 last year. We weren't told how many were accepted, but I am assuming that it stayed the same.
 
Just to confirm, there is no advantage to interviewing earlier because this is a non-rolling school, right? I just got an II (yay!), but have some scheduling concerns with the earlier dates. Don't want to hold off if it will decrease my chances, though.
 
Congrats!! When were you complete/ what was the earliest date?
 
Thank you! I was complete in early August and the earliest date is 11/22.
 
fhg said:
Just to confirm, there is no advantage to interviewing earlier because this is a non-rolling school, right? I just got an II (yay!), but have some scheduling concerns with the earlier dates. Don't want to hold off if it will decrease my chances, though.
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Congrats! Mind providing your stats? Good luck.
 
I would probably do what's best for you schedule. It's my sense that non-rolling schools will give you a full evaluation regardless of your interview date. Your interview is converted to a raw score anyway.
fhg said:
12/2, 12/9, 12/16, 1/6, 1/13.
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God I want an interview here so bad. Easily my top choice overall, even if it's not very realistic.
 
McRunner said:
God I want an interview here so bad. Easily my top choice overall, even if it's not very realistic.
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I didn't expect to get an ii, especially after clearly being passed over initially, so there is definitely hope yet.
 
fhg said:
I didn't expect to get an ii, especially after clearly being passed over initially, so there is definitely hope yet.
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I hope so I spent soooo much time on my essays for here, like well over a month and a half prewrote my. And I only just submitted my secondary at the beg of the month
 
anyone know if duke is receptive to LOI? This is my absolute dream school. I'm below avg. here stats wise though MCAT wise.. 32/3.95+ do you think it could help or no?
 
yoyohomieg5432 said:
anyone know if duke is receptive to LOI? This is my absolute dream school. I'm below avg. here stats wise though MCAT wise.. 32/3.95+ do you think it could help or no?
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I don't know much about their receptiveness to LOI, but I just got an II last night, so they're still coming! I'd say go for it 🙂
 
II here also. complete august - below avg GPA and mcat. earliest is 1/6 and it says they go until 2/20.
 
does anyone know what time the interview day ends? does it really end at 4 pm like the email says? that just seems ridiculously long considering we have to be there by 8 - 830...
 
gcr220 said:
does anyone know what time the interview day ends? does it really end at 4 pm like the email says? that just seems ridiculously long considering we have to be there by 8 - 830...
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Yes. We walked out of the building at 3:55 pm on my interview day. It is pretty long, I agree, but it is very relaxed and interesting throughout, and they feed you both breakfast and lunch while you are there.
 
For anyone who has interviewed here, did you interact with the raters at all or was it more like a monologue? If it was just you talking, did you find that you expressed your thoughts before time was up and leave or did you just keep on talking until it was time to move on?
 
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Anyone know the best place to send post-interview updates?
 
ziggyguy23 said:
Email.

Can anybody confirm they interview 500-525? Doesn't really matter right now. I'm just curious.
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USNews reports ~750 interviews out of ~4700 applicants

I was complete for this school early September and haven't heard anything... definitely reassuring to know there are people in August still getting II's haha
 
I am little confused about how to handle each MMI station. I know we have 8 min/station, but are you expected to talk continuously for the whole 8 minutes? That seems pretty difficult unless you ramble. How did anyone who did an MMI do it? I think a 3-4 min response would be sufficient and then wait for follow up questions.
 
metview said:
I am little confused about how to handle each MMI station. I know we have 8 min/station, but are you expected to talk continuously for the whole 8 minutes? That seems pretty difficult unless you ramble. How did anyone who did an MMI do it? I think a 3-4 min response would be sufficient and then wait for follow up questions.
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I'm not the best person to ask because I'm still waiting for an II from Duke, but from my NYU MMI experience, I've found that it's impossible to talk for the entire 8 minutes. Your MMI interviewer person is human too so they'll generally ask follow up questions and try to have a conversation with you on the question once you stop talking (or they can just interject in the middle). Or you can just talk about random things like I did in one of my stations because the interviewer had no follow up questions (tried to click with her as much as possible).
 
Does a committee letter packet assigned using amcas fulfill the lor requirement?
 
neilpryde21 said:
Interesting. I'm not really sure what's going on then. I called them about 3 weeks ago regarding update letters to make sure since not every school will accept pre-interview updates but the woman in the admissions office told me they would definitely accept it and just gave me her address and after I sent it, she emailed me back to inform me that it was added to my file. 😕
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I called and was told they weren't accepting updates. I have a publication I want to update them about. Are people just sending in the updates anyway? Not sure why there are differences in responses for different people regarding whether sending an update letter is appropriate or not.
 
TotalDomination said:
I called and was told they weren't accepting updates. I have a publication I want to update them about. Are people just sending in the updates anyway? Not sure why there are differences in responses for different people regarding whether sending an update letter is appropriate or not.
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I sent an update mid-October and got a reply the next day saying it had been added to my file. Maybe they've become inundated now and won't accept them anymore? I think it'd still worth sending an email just in case the answer you got was just a miscommunication error of sorts.
 
DoctorWhoo said:
USNews reports ~750 interviews out of ~4700 applicants

I was complete for this school early September and haven't heard anything... definitely reassuring to know there are people in August still getting II's haha
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These data are for the entering class of 2012. For the entering class of 2013, they interviewed just over 500 (I learned this from a current MS1). I was told by this current student that the reduction in interviews from about 750 to about 500 was due to the space/time requirements of the new MMI format of interviews. Since they're continuing the MMI, they will most likely interview about 500 or so this year, just like last year.
 
nemo123 said:
I'm not the best person to ask because I'm still waiting for an II from Duke, but from my NYU MMI experience, I've found that it's impossible to talk for the entire 8 minutes. Your MMI interviewer person is human too so they'll generally ask follow up questions and try to have a conversation with you on the question once you stop talking (or they can just interject in the middle). Or you can just talk about random things like I did in one of my stations because the interviewer had no follow up questions (tried to click with her as much as possible).
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I've heard this same thing about Duke's MMI. I don't think they'll leave you hanging there in an awkward silence. But you never know. If you encounter a silent interviewer, just relax and have a conversation or dialogue with yourself. They really want to see your thought process. I think 8 minutes will go by faster than you think.
 
Does anyone know how to submit a lunch request? The interview confirmation says to submit your preference on "DukeMed Interactive Web Site Personal Account System (PAS)," but I can't figure out where this form is. Thank you!
 
Congrats Cambover! What is the earliest date available currently?
 
Hey all, I just wanted to ask you guys about your opinion in regards to a weird issue I have regarding admissions.

First off, I was complete Aug 27 at Duke and haven't heard from them since. I have a 3.8/38 and pretty cookie cutter application otherwise so I did not expect to hear back. This morning (Saturday morning) I received an email with an interview invitation in my school email address. At first I was extremely excited, and checked my application site which gave me the ability to schedule an interview (dates range from Jan 30-February 16).

Ok here is where things get weird. I get an email later today from amcas notifying me for the third time that I never sent my letter of recommendations to Duke. If I remember correctly Duke requests that you send in the letters separately and NOT to send them in until asked. Is this correct? I am asking because I checked on their website and the policy seems to have changed.

I have verified across interfolio and amcas -I have never even attempted to send my letters of recommendation to Duke, but was given an interview anyways. I am slightly worried (as crushing as it is to admit) that I may have been mixed up with somebody else.

Thanks for reading, I really want feedback!
 
FindingVeritas said:
Hey all, I just wanted to ask you guys about your opinion in regards to a weird issue I have regarding admissions.

First off, I was complete Aug 27 at Duke and haven't heard from them since. I have a 3.8/38 and pretty cookie cutter application otherwise so I did not expect to hear back. This morning (Saturday morning) I received an email with an interview invitation in my school email address. At first I was extremely excited, and checked my application site which gave me the ability to schedule an interview (dates range from Jan 30-February 16).

Ok here is where things get weird. I get an email later today from amcas notifying me for the third time that I never sent my letter of recommendations to Duke. If I remember correctly Duke requests that you send in the letters separately and NOT to send them in until asked. Is this correct? I am asking because I checked on their website and the policy seems to have changed.

I have verified across interfolio and amcas -I have never even attempted to send my letters of recommendation to Duke, but was given an interview anyways. I am slightly worried (as crushing as it is to admit) that I may have been mixed up with somebody else.

Thanks for reading, I really want feedback!
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Congrats on the invite!

I think I read somewhere that they only review your letters after you interview. I'd go ahead and assign them now.
 
FindingVeritas said:
Hey all, I just wanted to ask you guys about your opinion in regards to a weird issue I have regarding admissions.

First off, I was complete Aug 27 at Duke and haven't heard from them since. I have a 3.8/38 and pretty cookie cutter application otherwise so I did not expect to hear back. This morning (Saturday morning) I received an email with an interview invitation in my school email address. At first I was extremely excited, and checked my application site which gave me the ability to schedule an interview (dates range from Jan 30-February 16).

Ok here is where things get weird. I get an email later today from amcas notifying me for the third time that I never sent my letter of recommendations to Duke. If I remember correctly Duke requests that you send in the letters separately and NOT to send them in until asked. Is this correct? I am asking because I checked on their website and the policy seems to have changed.

I have verified across interfolio and amcas -I have never even attempted to send my letters of recommendation to Duke, but was given an interview anyways. I am slightly worried (as crushing as it is to admit) that I may have been mixed up with somebody else.

Thanks for reading, I really want feedback!
Click to expand...

They changed the admissions process this year... If you read that giant email that Duke sent us about accessing our secondaries, somewhere in there, since they are now accepting LORs through AMCAS now, it says to add LORs with your secondary. And they haven't update the website yet with that info.
 
Duke is definitely a top choice for me. The option to have a full year to do research and still graduate in 4 is amazing. Though, I do have questions about the first year : how have current students found the condensed curriculum? How tough is it to handle? Have you felt prepared for the boards?
 
II this morning!! This definitely made my day/week. Complete first week of August. The dates are all early February...yikes
 
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