2014-2015 Duke University Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Did anyone else notice the asymmetry in gender representation at second look? I hope the matriculating cohort is more balanced.
 
Australopithekus said:
Did anyone else notice the asymmetry in gender representation at second look? I hope the matriculating cohort is more balanced.
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ProbablyAPenguin said:
Yupyup. All my friends were guys. 😛
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Scribblers said:
It's funny that you say that. Someone pointed that out right away on the very first day. Maybe it was you!
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Where dem girls at, girls at?

EDIT: Just re-watched the music video to that song 'cause I was considering posting it... Ugh, just, Flo Rida, just, what are you doing
 
Hi everyone! I unfortunately wasn't able to make it to Second Look last weekend and my interview day was a total blur, so I feel really out of the loop with Duke and how well I would fit in there 🙁 I was hoping some current students or anyone who went to Second Look / is better informed than me can help me out with some questions. First, can anyone elaborate on how the grading works throughout the years? I can't seem to find it on the website. How intense is the first year considering the condensed curriculum? Are students still able to have a life / free time? When you do have free time, what kind of things do students do for fun in Durham? I'm from a big city and didn't get a chance to explore Durham, so adjusting to a smaller place is definitely one of my concerns. Where do students tend to live? Is there anything really important that I should know from Second Look? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just trying to get a vibe for the place and I'd really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!
 
popcorn225 said:
Hi everyone! I unfortunately wasn't able to make it to Second Look last weekend and my interview day was a total blur, so I feel really out of the loop with Duke and how well I would fit in there 🙁 I was hoping some current students or anyone who went to Second Look / is better informed than me can help me out with some questions. First, can anyone elaborate on how the grading works throughout the years? I can't seem to find it on the website. How intense is the first year considering the condensed curriculum? Are students still able to have a life / free time? When you do have free time, what kind of things do students do for fun in Durham? I'm from a big city and didn't get a chance to explore Durham, so adjusting to a smaller place is definitely one of my concerns. Where do students tend to live? Is there anything really important that I should know from Second Look? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just trying to get a vibe for the place and I'd really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!
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Hey popcorn, I had a recent interview and then went to second look, which unfortunately had a somewhat uber-boring re-hash of all the interview day logistics. The good news is that now I remember most of this stuff.

(1) The curriculum is true P/F first year, then H/HP/P/F for second and fourth year (third year isn't graded, as far as I'm aware). The curriculum is obviously intense, but since it is strictly pass/fail students study more for themselves than for tests...one student remarked that this past Saturday was the first all year where he had to study (he worked hard during the week and on Sundays...but gave himself Friday nights and Saturdays off). Overall, it's very doable...especially because third year allows you the flexibility to not have to do research during your first two years.

(2) Durham is a growing town, but it's not a bustling metropolis. Being from a Northeastern city, I definitely was a little underwhelmed by Durham, but it's not at all bad...frankly, it's really livable, and I think the lack of extensive social stimuli would allow the class to get really close (which some students reiterated). I don't think you'd be wanting for friends at all at Duke. Dating is slightly different...Durham seems perfect for couples, but slightly less single-person friendly. There are lots of bars and restaurants in town, but none of them are really expansive like you'd find in a city (think a few regular haunts instead of a new place every weekend). That said, Raleigh and Chapel Hill are very close (CH being closer), so you'll have ample opportunity to explore those, as well.

(3) Students live in a variety of housing options. Some closer to campus (walkable), while others opt for slightly cheaper options a 5-10 minute drive to campus. It really depends on what you want. Getting by for under $600 a month on rent is very, very doable with a roommate.

(4) The classmates I met all seemed like really nice people. It was clear Duke really stresses diversity in its admits, because everyone seemed so different (and it wasn't dominated by high stats kids at all). I think Duke selects its class more for personal qualities than scores.

Hope that helps!
 
tenniseagle92 said:
Hey popcorn, I had a recent interview and then went to second look, which unfortunately had a somewhat uber-boring re-hash of all the interview day logistics. The good news is that now I remember most of this stuff.

(1) The curriculum is true P/F first year, then H/HP/P/F for second and fourth year (third year isn't graded, as far as I'm aware). The curriculum is obviously intense, but since it is strictly pass/fail students study more for themselves than for tests...one student remarked that this past Saturday was the first all year where he had to study (he worked hard during the week and on Sundays...but gave himself Friday nights and Saturdays off). Overall, it's very doable...especially because third year allows you the flexibility to not have to do research during your first two years.

(2) Durham is a growing town, but it's not a bustling metropolis. Being from a Northeastern city, I definitely was a little underwhelmed by Durham, but it's not at all bad...frankly, it's really livable, and I think the lack of extensive social stimuli would allow the class to get really close (which some students reiterated). I don't think you'd be wanting for friends at all at Duke. Dating is slightly different...Durham seems perfect for couples, but slightly less single-person friendly. There are lots of bars and restaurants in town, but none of them are really expansive like you'd find in a city (think a few regular haunts instead of a new place every weekend). That said, Raleigh and Chapel Hill are very close (CH being closer), so you'll have ample opportunity to explore those, as well.

(3) Students live in a variety of housing options. Some closer to campus (walkable), while others opt for slightly cheaper options a 5-10 minute drive to campus. It really depends on what you want. Getting by for under $600 a month on rent is very, very doable with a roommate.

(4) The classmates I met all seemed like really nice people. It was clear Duke really stresses diversity in its admits, because everyone seemed so different (and it wasn't dominated by high stats kids at all). I think Duke selects its class more for personal qualities than scores.

Hope that helps!
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Thank you so much, tenniseagle! It definitely helps. I just didn't want to feel like I was making a decision blindly haha but all of that was very reassuring 🙂
 
I still haven't had any notification that my letter of intent was received... Anyone else in the same boat?
 
innov8 said:
I still haven't had any notification that my letter of intent was received... Anyone else in the same boat?
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I asked at second look and they confirmed mine was. They said they would get around to sending out confirmation emails eventually.
 
Schroedingers_Admission said:
+1 They don't cash it until April 30, though, right? I'm definitely going to Duke, but want to make sure I know when to look for it in my account.
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Believe so! Not sure whether it is precisely Apr 30, but definitely sometime after.

Awesome! 90% sure I'll be there with ya
 
Well, as someone on the waitlist who really wants to stay in Durham, I hope all of you on the fence about Duke get amazing offers elsewhere/get into your top choices................................


.But if you have any questions about Durham, don't hesitate to ask/PM me. I lived in Durham through middle and highschool, and moved back after graduating from college
 
popcorn225 said:
Hi everyone! I unfortunately wasn't able to make it to Second Look last weekend and my interview day was a total blur, so I feel really out of the loop with Duke and how well I would fit in there 🙁 I was hoping some current students or anyone who went to Second Look / is better informed than me can help me out with some questions. First, can anyone elaborate on how the grading works throughout the years? I can't seem to find it on the website. How intense is the first year considering the condensed curriculum? Are students still able to have a life / free time? When you do have free time, what kind of things do students do for fun in Durham? I'm from a big city and didn't get a chance to explore Durham, so adjusting to a smaller place is definitely one of my concerns. Where do students tend to live? Is there anything really important that I should know from Second Look? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just trying to get a vibe for the place and I'd really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!
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Hey, I'm on the waitlist, but I lived in Durham for over a decade before college, and moved back after graduation. I can't speak about Duke med, but I can speak about Durham.

Durham is a small city, but is growing rapidly. It's definitely quiet, especially compared to NYC or Chicago (where I did my undergrad). If you're looking for a busy city or an active nightlife, Durham doesn't really have it. But Cost of Living is very cheap- my roommate and I pay $500 in rent, and even for really nice places, you wont cross $1000. And the town of Chapel Hill and city of Raleigh are close by- Raleigh definitely had much more of a big city feel to it. And Durham itself has really changed in the last 15 years. It used to be a rather rough city- outside of Duke campus, it was quite unsafe. But over the last 8 years, it has become quite gentrified. ANd it now has one of the best food scenes in the country-the food truck scene is especially vibrant here. And stuff like the Durham Performing Arts Center have revitalized parts of town- they often have broadway come through (I've myself seen Wicked and the Lion King here). And the bar scene is pretty cool- I personally love a place called Fullsteam Brewery, while lots of undergrads hang out at Satisfactions and Alivias

So it comes down to what you want. If you must live in a large metropolis, Durham isn't for you. But if you're ok with a small city that is a lot of fun and has many of the amenities of a large city, Durham may be right for you
 
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I got the same rejection again...thanks Duke. But also the letter was marked with the current date, which is odd. Why would they do it twice?
 
I called the admissions office and they said it was legit. So that's cool, but I'm not sure if our odds are good since they didn't want us originally. So strange...

Edit: Just got an email from dean Armstrong confirming that it is legit. Awesome 🙂
 
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Did anyone who was wait listed just now happen to get a rejection earlier this morning?
 
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I was just unrejected by Duke and offered a position on the waitlist...I pretty much froze for a minute and was just getting around to wondering if the email was the real deal when Dr. Armstrong sent out a second email being like yeah, this is real
 
My guess is that they ****ed up the original WL/rejection emails...and they're sending out a correction.
OR...maybe they've done some deliberation since and us now-waitlisters have a glimmer of hope...?!?!?
 
WinterSoldier93 said:
My guess is that they ****ed up the original WL/rejection emails...and they're sending out a correction.
OR...maybe they've done some deliberation since and us now-waitlisters have a glimmer of hope...?!?!?
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I wonder if Duke's victory last night in Indianapolis had anything to do with this?
 
2015med said:
I was just unrejected by Duke and offered a position on the waitlist...I pretty much froze for a minute and was just getting around to wondering if the email was the real deal when Dr. Armstrong sent out a second email being like yeah, this is real
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how was the email from Dean Armstrong phrased? did she offer an explanation? like "sorry we screwed up before"?
 
Lol, this is kinda hilarious...watch them not take anyone off the waitlist now
 
Most schools that have offered me alternate/waitlist positions are usually pretty conservative with their estimations of how much movement will occur, whereas the phrasing here was "We anticipate that there will be a number of opportunities to go to the waitlist as our class comes together". Idk.

Dean Armstrong's phrasing was simply "The email that you received today is the correct status assigned to your application and should be acted on".
 
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