2014-2015 Duke University Application Thread

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Oh! Bottom line... That percentage is even lower. I'm really hoping for better news for many of us tomorrow.
 
innov8 said:
Schools give an initial offer for many more seats than their class can hold.

Michigan, for example, offers about 270 for a class of 120.

Duke, a more prestigious school, initially offers about 180-200 for 109 seats.

Mildly dependable source? http://www.startmedicine.com/app/acceptance.asp

Plus it's just what I've heard at some of my interviews.
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The 2013 data available on the latest USNWR rankings indicates that Duke gave a total of 201 acceptances. Surely some number (a couple dozen?) went to initially waitlisted candidates, so to me it seems more likely that Duke would only accept beyond the class size by a smaller amount, not 200 outright (i.e. pre-wait-list).
 
innov8 said:
Schools give an initial offer for many more seats than their class can hold.

Michigan, for example, offers about 270 for a class of 120.

Duke, a more prestigious school, initially offers about 180-200 for 109 seats.

Mildly dependable source? http://www.startmedicine.com/app/acceptance.asp

Plus it's just what I've heard at some of my interviews.
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This is not necessarily true. Pittsburgh, for example, only accepts its class size initially. Duke may do the same. I'm giving the worst-case numbers.

gettheleadout said:
The 2013 data available on the latest USNWR rankings indicates that Duke gave a total of 201 acceptances. Surely some number (a couple dozen?) went to initially waitlisted candidates, so to me it seems more likely that Duke would only accept beyond the class size by a smaller amount, not 200 outright (i.e. pre-wait-list).
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Duke's website said an anticipated 175 acceptances, I believe.
 
Australopithekus said:
This is not necessarily true. Pittsburgh, for example, only accepts its class size initially. Duke may do the same. I'm giving the worst-case numbers.



Duke's website said an anticipated 175 acceptances, I believe.
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Pittsburgh accepts 220 initially (total reaches around 330-340 post-waitlist)for a class of 147. Was told by the director of Admissions on interview day at Pitt. So most schools accept more than their incoming class.
 
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greatjoe4life said:
Pittsburgh accepts 220 for a class of 147. Was told by the director of Admissions on interview day at Pitt. So most schools accept more than their incoming class.
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You misread my post. They initially accept their class size, then accept from the waitlist for a total of ~220 offers. If Duke does the same, I would expect ~110 initial acceptances. I don't know that they do, but that would be the worst-case-scenario for estimating if more acceptances will be given in the next few days.
 
Australopithekus said:
You misread my post. They initially accept their class size, then accept from the waitlist for a total of ~220 offers. If Duke does the same, I would expect ~110 initial acceptances. I don't know that they do, but that would be the worst-case-scenario for estimating if more acceptances will be given in the next few days.
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Just edited my post...its 330-340 total post-waitlist
 
Commenting from outside the ring: Duke Med Admission really could and should have handled the whole acceptance proceeding with more consideration and grace. Especially after everyone here has put in the effort to write the longest ever secondary.
 
Duke definitely only accepts it's class size, as do all schools, initially. The waitlisted people come off as people decline their acceptances. Hopefully I wake up at 3 to a phone call....but seems unlikely haha
 
DaMedDude said:
Duke definitely only accepts it's class size, as do all schools, initially. The waitlisted people come off as people decline their acceptances. Hopefully I wake up at 3 to a phone call....but seems unlikely haha
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I don't think most schools, even top schools, accept only their class size initially. Duke especially is in a tight position because it's likely that many of the initially accepted applicants, as talented and successful as they are, will also have acceptances to other amazing schools, and it's not a good bet to think that the majority of them will inevitably choose Duke over Stanford/Hopkins/UCSF/Columbia/WashU/Chicago/Michigan/UCLA/Mayo/Vanderbilt (all of the comparable-ish ones that people could have heard from by now), so they would probably lose a significant portion of their initial class to other schools.The waitlist business is even trickier, since its probably less likely that a waitlist acceptance will matriculate (unless its very late in the waitlist season and an applicant hasn't taken themselves off the list by that point in which case it's much more likely). Columbia accepts about 210 for a ~165 person class, and then accepts another 100 or so off the waitlist, so it's likely that Duke would do something similar. As such, I think it's more realistic to expect 130ish initial acceptances and then 70-80 more waitlist offers for a class of ~110. I could be entirely wrong, but I feel like this makes sense.
 
I hope duke admissions looks at this thread and realizes how neurotic they are making some of their future physicians. Hopefully those emails come out today! Best of luck to you all!
 
Hey guys,

Current student here. I have absolutely nothing to do with admissions so I don't know their process or who is gonna call who when or email when. What I will say is this. A couple of years ago Duke had a slight overenrollment so they are much more cautious with initial acceptances is my understanding. I don't know specific numbers but a good portion of the MS1 class came of the waitlist.

To those of you accepted, welcome to the Duke family and congratulations. To those still waiting, I completely understand the anxiety and stress waiting for a decision. I was the same way. Last year, decisions were delayed several times due to severe weather (we've had weather-related closures this year too) and I about threw my phone across the room every time somebody else called me or emailed me that week! 🙂 But know that even if you don't hear the news you want to hear right now, don't lose hope. The med school admissions game, as tedious as it is, is far from over at pretty much every school in the nation. Good luck!

P.S. Duke is on a delayed start today due to snow, so go exercise or do something to get your mind of med school this morning!
 
Perhaps, it is foolish for a current Duke Med student who has no hand in the admissions process to wander on to a forum of anxious applicants, but I will anyway.

Just because there are a few people who got phone calls, don't assume you're out of the running!

When I was waiting to hear back from Duke, I saw on the forums how other applicants were getting acceptance phone calls and assumed that I was going to be rejected or, at least, wait listed. It was not true! I was accepted via email a day or two later.

My classmates and I were just talking about you all (meaning the current applicants) yesterday and about how tough the wait is. Most of us were accepted via email, not phone calls.

We are almost as excited to hear who was accepted as you are to find out, and we can't wait to meet many of you at 2nd look. Hang in there!

P.S. As much as I wish that Duke could accept all of the great candidates who apply, I know that isn't going to happen. Great doctors come out of all kinds of med schools. I am rooting for all you--not just that you get into Duke, but more generally that you find a school where you can thrive and grow into a great physician. Good luck!
 
2018Duke said:
Hey guys,

Current student here. I have absolutely nothing to do with admissions so I don't know their process or who is gonna call who when or email when. What I will say is this. A couple of years ago Duke had a slight overenrollment so they are much more cautious with initial acceptances is my understanding. I don't know specific numbers but a good portion of the MS1 class came of the waitlist.

To those of you accepted, welcome to the Duke family and congratulations. To those still waiting, I completely understand the anxiety and stress waiting for a decision. I was the same way. Last year, decisions were delayed several times due to severe weather (we've had weather-related closures this year too) and I about threw my phone across the room every time somebody else called me or emailed me that week! 🙂 But know that even if you don't hear the news you want to hear right now, don't lose hope. The med school admissions game, as tedious as it is, is far from over at pretty much every school in the nation. Good luck!

P.S. Duke is on a delayed start today due to snow, so go exercise or do something to get your mind of med school this morning!
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Just saw this after I posted....I agree with everything @2018Duke said! 🙂
 
GoBlueDevils said:
Perhaps, it is foolish for a current Duke Med student who has no hand in the admissions process to wander on to a forum of anxious applicants, but I will anyway.

Just because there are a few people who got phone calls, don't assume you're out of the running!

When I was waiting to hear back from Duke, I saw on the forums how other applicants were getting acceptance phone calls and assumed that I was going to be rejected or, at least, wait listed. It was not true! I was accepted via email a day or two later.

My classmates and I were just talking about you all (meaning the current applicants) yesterday and about how tough the wait is. Most of us were accepted via email, not phone calls.

We are almost as excited to hear who was accepted as you are to find out, and we can't wait to meet many of you at 2nd look. Hang in there!

P.S. As much as I wish that Duke could accept all of the great candidates who apply, I know that isn't going to happen. Great doctors come out of all kinds of med schools. I am rooting for all you--not just that you get into Duke, but more generally that you find a school where you can thrive and grow into a great physician. Good luck!
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Thanks to you and @2018Duke, you guys are awesome, not foolish at all! This is what I was seeing on previous years' forums that people were accepted via email, not phone call. Thanks for thinking of us!
 
Dean Armstrong gave a talk at Vandy a few months ago, and she said they accept 2x their class size.
 
WinterSoldier93 said:
Dean Armstrong gave a talk at Vandy a few months ago, and she said they accept 2x their class size.
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This number sounds about right, but I think that is eventual acceptances (initial offers + waitlist), not initial acceptances. Again, I don't know for sure so don't quote me!
 
+1 on the waitlist comment from one of my classmates. A good number of our MS1 class came off the waitlist (including me), and a big reason for that is how conservative Duke is in handing out initial acceptances. For those of you still waiting I would expect to have an answer by the end of the week (but I'm not part of the process so don't hold me to that!). Last year people heard on Friday / Saturday about acceptances and I had to wait until Monday to get my waitlist email, so I totally feel your pain.

Lastly, please remember that all of you waiting to hear back will honestly go on to do amazing things regardless of the outcome. This process truly is a strange one, and where you get accepted / rejected / waitlisted may at times have you wondering how in the world the selection process even works. You have all made the courageous decision to head into a field riddled with years of intense, hard work because you know that what is on the other side is absolutely worth it. That decision alone makes you someone worthy of a great deal of respect and admiration. I know it is hard to see now, but you will all end up in a great place in life no matter what your call / email / portal from Duke (or any other school, for that matter) says. Keep your heads up and keep moving forward -- you all have it in you to be incredible doctors someday!

I'm happy to answer questions you all may have, and it seems like there are also plenty of other students hanging around here as well, so fire away.
 
Any ideas of how many people do get on the waitlist? Does duke also do post-interview rejections?
 
ithd said:
Any ideas of how many people do get on the waitlist? Does duke also do post-interview rejections?
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Unfortunately I don't know how many total waitlist offers go out, sorry! I also don't recall anyone posting about post-interview rejections, but that doesn't mean they don't happen. I guess I'm not as helpful as I thought!
 
Hmm... the mystical Penguin's magic seems to wearing off.....Come on Duke... Just accept me and we could put all this ugliness behind us
kissing-penguin-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
puddingbrainnation said:
Any chance you want to wander over to admissions and see what's up? 🙂 Because of course you're not busy or anything
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We actually have no scheduled class today (one of the perks of a flipped classroom model) so I'm nowhere near the school! I'll keep my ears open, though!
 
Any idea why they ended up calling students (when they said they wouldn't this year)? Just out of curiosity.

Are updates accepted for students on the wait list? I interviewed in October and a lot has happened since then! (Edit: I haven't heard anything back, just asking in case)

Finally - is your class a pretty good mix of students with regards to mcat scores? I ask because those accepted by phone have some stellar numbers (props to you guys!) so I'm sort of wondering once again why I was even invited to interview way back when because my mcat doesn't even compare!

Thanks for chiming in current students. Helps to remember that at the end of the day, an MD is an MD whether it's from duke or not 🙂
 
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Pedsmdplease said:
Finally - is your class a pretty good mix of students with regards to mcat scores? I ask because those accepted my phone have some stellar numbers (props to you guys!) so I'm sort of wondering once again why I was even invited to interview way back when because my mcat doesn't even compare!
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lol LM 65 here, I don't think anyone is as amazed by their II as I am!!
 
Pedsmdplease said:
Any idea why they ended up calling students (when they said they wouldn't this year)? Just out of curiosity.

Are updates accepted for students on the wait list? I interviewed in October and a lot has happened since then! (Edit: I haven't heard anything back, just asking in case)

Finally - is your class a pretty good mix of students with regards to mcat scores? I ask because those accepted by phone have some stellar numbers (props to you guys!) so I'm sort of wondering once again why I was even invited to interview way back when because my mcat doesn't even compare!

Thanks for chiming in current students. Helps to remember that at the end of the day, an MD is an MD whether it's from duke or not 🙂
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Hey -- since I was accepted off the waitlist I can't say I ever got a phone call so I don't know why they do that (and agree its annoying when they say they will not call).

Updates were accepted last year, and I sent a big one in right after getting waitlisted (since they weren't accepted after my interview at the time, I had a few waiting to go). Who knows if it helped or not!

I don't really know the details of my classmates' MCAT scores, but I know mine certainly isn't stellar. If I had to guess, though, I would say that Duke far prefers substance, character, and life story over stats. Obviously those with great numbers have a leg up, but by no means does a "less than average" MCAT score make you a bad candidate for Duke or for medicine in general. That test is bogus (in my opinion), and in the end your knowledge of organic chemistry and physics won't make you a better doctor.

All I know is that my classmates all have incredible life stories and come from unique backgrounds. I really love how the admissions committee put together such a diverse (in many interpretations of the word) class, as I'm sure they are doing for this class as well!
 
Duke2018 said:
Hey -- since I was accepted off the waitlist I can't say I ever got a phone call so I don't know why they do that (and agree its annoying when they say they will not call).

Updates were accepted last year, and I sent a big one in right after getting waitlisted (since they weren't accepted after my interview at the time, I had a few waiting to go). Who knows if it helped or not!

I don't really know the details of my classmates' MCAT scores, but I know mine certainly isn't stellar. If I had to guess, though, I would say that Duke far prefers substance, character, and life story over stats. Obviously those with great numbers have a leg up, but by no means does a "less than average" MCAT score make you a bad candidate for Duke or for medicine in general. That test is bogus (in my opinion), and in the end your knowledge of organic chemistry and physics won't make you a better doctor.

All I know is that my classmates all have incredible life stories and come from unique backgrounds. I really love how the admissions committee put together such a diverse (in many interpretations of the word) class, as I'm sure they are doing for this class as well!
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Thanks for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate it.
 
Sending good vibes to everyone still waiting to hear back! With the way the weather is in Durham right now, I'm betting the penguin avatars will be better luck than ever before. :cold::penguin:
 
8-12 inches of snow expected in Durham tonight, so I wouldn't bother to contact the office tomorrow.
 
CTU Surgeon said:
I've decided that if Duke doesn't accept me, I will retaliate by predicting that they loose in the first round of all the NCAA basketball tournament brackets that I create. That oughta teach em.
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They were eliminated 2nd round last year right? Or am I misremembering?

Anyways, no bad vibes until I hit the wait list haha
 
How long will 8-12 inches last in Durham? Will they be closed all week?
 
Willy38 said:
maybe they will rush and release decisions electronically before the storm hits.... "Winter is coming"
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Duke should be operating normally today from 11:00 am - close, so if you have questions perhaps try today.

You'd be surprised how poorly the snow is handled down here in the south -- who knows what 8-12 inches could do to this place! Although I somehow doubt that much will actually fall, but who knows.
 
Ecologyman said:
How long will 8-12 inches last in Durham? Will they be closed all week?
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It's supposed to get above freezing during the day, which will cause some melting, but then get below freezing overnight which could make things dangerously icy. My guess is closed Thursday and definitely delayed, if not closed outright, Friday.
 
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