Duke Secondary

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bump bump..who's calling?? 👍

Okay, I called the admissions office. They firmly stand by their character limits (i.e. they did not make a mistake). However, the lady I spoke to said that the character limit is not extremely strict. In other words, you can go over the character limit a bit. How much? She couldn't give me an exact answer, but she hypothesized about 100 characters. Has anyone tried to submit an essay that was longer than the specified character limits?

 

[LRmed2003]

ummm

i'm still waiting to receive the email...

🙁 😕 😱 👎

 

[NubianPrincess]

Be sure to check your junk mail for some of these secondaries peeps 🙂

 

[deuist]

I still have not gotten the Duke secondary.

 

[bugger]

They do not screen! I called them yesterday to ask...so they are probably processing them or something. They certainly aren't doing it alphabetically though.

 

[calstudent]

still waiting too!

 

[gobblety_gook]

Relax guys...

I'm pretty sure the Duke secondary system is automated...I got one a few seconds after my app was d/led by them...so everyone who was processed should get one sometime this week. The system is probably going through a few bugs, but I'm sure you all will get this monster of a secondary 👍

 

[bigbassinbob]

For my own curiosity...what are Duke's ranges of number whorery?

I don't think anyone has answered this yet... their average MCAT is around 36 and average GPA a 3.7-3.8. Also, they don't screen their secondaries, they apparently want people to screen themselves -- thus the extremely long application. Last year, I talked to a 3rd year student there who participated in the admissions committee or whatever, and she said the members weigh what you write in that secondary very heavily. So put some serious thought into 1)whether or not you really want to spend the 100 dollars to apply there with those high numbers they have, and 2)whether or not you can really put the time into their application to write the strong essays the application requires.

 

[LRmed2003]

I was processed on 6/13 and still waiting on this one..

 

[blz]

I was processed 8/4 and got the secondary on 8/9. By the way, my last name is towards the end of the alphabet (T).

 

[LRmed2003]

hmmm..

i may call them b/c i still haven't received anything...

~LR

 

[Ranger47]

Anyone else struggling with the "difficult moral or ethical situation" question? What are you writing about?

 

[NubianPrincess]

I figured out what to write about (it's pretty personal...regarding a medical decision/right to refuse treatment) but 250 words? Good gawd

Oooh, I am sorry. I am thinking the Pitt moral/ethical dilemma question. 🙄 What are the character limits for the Duke version?

 

[Ranger47]

I figured out what to write about (it's pretty personal...regarding a medical decision/right to refuse treatment) but 250 words? Good gawd

Oooh, I am sorry. I am thinking the Pitt moral/ethical dilemma question. 🙄 What are the character limits for the Duke version?

1000 characters, equally as bad.

 

[LRmed2003]

hey new strategy


as we receive the Duke secondaries, can we post the day we received it and the day we were processed? i.e.

received: 8/10
processed: 8/4

so we can kind of track how they're progressing in back logging in all of our AMCAS apps..

what do we think about this?

 

[Jason110]

Still waiting... weeee....

Jason

 

[NubianPrincess]

1000 characters, equally as bad.

Wait, I read this as a thousand words

Isn't a thousand characters pretty short? Really short isn't such a good thing, consdering the subject matter 😱

 

[LRmed2003]

Still waiting... weeee....

Jason

Jason..when were you processed? we're trying to get a trend going so we can see how soon or how late we'll get them...

 

[Jason110]

Jason..when were you processed? we're trying to get a trend going so we can see how soon or how late we'll get them...

AMCAS processed 6/10. If they're doing it by AMCAS processed dates, I'm surprised I have yet to receive one.

Jason

 

[LRmed2003]

AMCAS processed 6/10. If they're doing it by AMCAS processed dates, I'm surprised I have yet to receive one.

Jason

J..

we've figured out that it's in reverse order. so the later processed folks are getting their secondaries first..crzy right? anywho...we're trynig to figur eout what is the earliest later date that folks have submitted and received secondaries..so far,,i think it's like.. folks processed on 8/5, 8/4, 8/2, 7/13, have gotten it so it looks like they're moving from the back to the front.. soo...hurry up and wait 🙂

 

[LRmed2003]

bump...

so what's the earliest date that someone was verified and has received a duke secondary?

 

[Scrubz67]

bump...

so what's the earliest date that someone was verified and has received a duke secondary?

I was processed 6/22

Don't worry it will come! 🙂

 

[LRmed2003]

hopefully..they're just slow i guess.

L~R

 

[bidster]

Hey everyone....For anyone who has the secondary--how many and what kind (i.e. science/nonscience) of letters of rec is Duke requesting? Even though I don't have the secondary, I figured I could go ahead and put in a recommendation packet request to my school's career center since it takes them about a week to process requests and get the packet sent out. Thanks! 🙂

 

[LRmed2003]

and do they require a special Duke form or are we just allowed to send the letters???

 

[j0ker918]

J..

we've figured out that it's in reverse order. so the later processed folks are getting their secondaries first..crzy right? anywho...we're trynig to figur eout what is the earliest later date that folks have submitted and received secondaries..so far,,i think it's like.. folks processed on 8/5, 8/4, 8/2, 7/13, have gotten it so it looks like they're moving from the back to the front.. soo...hurry up and wait 🙂

My AMCAS was processed on 6/23 and I received the secondary on the 8/9 and my last name starts with L.

 

[proofofconcept]

Anyone else having trouble getting the application to actually save your answers to the short essays?

[edit] nevermind: it appears to be working now. [/edit]

 

[deuist]

I'm amazed that Duke puts so much emphasis on bioethics. I've searched through their website and can't find anything that sets them apart. The University of Virginia, on the other hand, offers an MD/MA in bioethics and has Childress -- one of the world's leading theorists in bioethics -- on faculty. Georgetown likewise offers a dual degree in ethics.

 

[deuist]

By the way, I STILL have not gotten Duke's secondary! arrrggghhhhh... how much longer so I have to wait?

 

[PositivePostBac]

in 2000, duke received 5594 applications and sent out 3705 secondaries (66%).

of those 3705 secondaries, 2493 were completed (67%). in other words, the secondary was hard.

So... Many... Essays.... I am so tired of these things... 🙁

 

[NubianPrincess]

They said that they send secondaries to anyone who is interested. So don't despair 🙂 It will come soon. 👍

 

[ut_stephen]

J..

we've figured out that it's in reverse order. so the later processed folks are getting their secondaries first..crzy right? anywho...we're trynig to figur eout what is the earliest later date that folks have submitted and received secondaries..so far,,i think it's like.. folks processed on 8/5, 8/4, 8/2, 7/13, have gotten it so it looks like they're moving from the back to the front.. soo...hurry up and wait 🙂

This appears to be the case...I was processed on 8/10 and heard from Duke two days later...funny how that works.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Sounds about right, I was processed 6/16 or so and haven't heard a peep.

 

[kstone13]

Who else is crazy about being a cameron crazy?!?
Durham rocks!

 

[LRmed2003]

still waiting...

 

[j0ker918]

Are the character limits on the short essays and long essays really 500 (excluding spaces) and 1000 (excluding spaces), respectively? Although I welcome the short responses, and can certainly discipline myself to provide brief responses, I do feel that the questions provoke longer answers. For example, in the short essay section, one of the essay questions is as follows:

Each student brings strengths and weaknesses to the medical school class. How might your own experiences or lack of experiences, strengths and/or weaknesses, advantages and/or disadvantages contribute to the makeup of next year's class? How have these impacted your personal development and how have they contributed to your preparation for a career in medicine?

Is it really possible to address the scope of this question in 500 characters (excluding spaces)?

Again, if Duke wants brief and to-the-point responses, that is what we will given them, but doesn't this seem a bit incongruous?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Grr, the question itself is 300+ characters yet they expect us to answer it adequately in 500 characters.

 

[LRmed2003]

anybody invited to fill out the duke secondary today?

 

[Shorty43]

For the smaller essays that ask you to "list" things... did you all actually list them or did you reply in essay format?

 

[Shorty43]

Oh one more thing:

What the difference in a community service/volunteer activity and a "service activity" as indicated by the first two small essay questions on the Duke Secondary?

I mean I think its the same, but I'm not sure.

And just to vent: I think those first two questions are pretty similar and they suck for making them. I mean more likely then not, won't the community service project a person enjoyed the most (which prepared them for medicine), ALSO be the "service activity" that allowed them truly impact someone else's life? Grrrrrrrrr. 😡

 

[tinkerbelle]

For the smaller essays that ask you to "list" things... did you all actually list them or did you reply in essay format?

Yup, I am actually listing them.

 

[tinkerbelle]

Oh one more thing:

What the difference in a community service/volunteer activity and a "service activity" as indicated by the first two small essay questions on the Duke Secondary?

I mean I think its the same, but I'm not sure.

And just to vent: I think those first two questions are pretty similar and they suck for making them. I mean more likely then not, won't the community service project a person enjoyed the most (which prepared them for medicine), ALSO be the "service activity" that allowed them truly impact someone else's life? Grrrrrrrrr. 😡

Yeah... these questions are ******ed becuase they are so similar. But I am still writing about 2 different service activities.

 

[bidster]

Okay--I called the admissions office to find out what the deal is with receiving the secondary. The woman on the phone told me they're downloading applications from AMCAS in batches, every Wednesday. She told me she doesn't know how the "makeup" of certain batches is determined (it may be reverse chronology as proposed here), but basically that's how they're doing this....sooo...here's to this Wednesday.

 

[schaps]

ok this secondary sucks, too many little essays. booo

 

[Zappa]

For what it's worth, I "listed" on the "listing" questions as well.

 

[i77ac]

Sounds about right, I was processed 6/16 or so and haven't heard a peep.

i was process june 1st, and haven't heard anything. 🙁

 

[LRmed2003]

maybe we should call and ask around when they're planning to get to us early birds...damn guess the early bird is not getting the worm...this stinks...though i am not looking forward to those essays..

~LR

 

[LRmed2003]

Duke is sending another queue of folks the email for the secondary tomorrow..i just called..so check your inboxes/junk mail folders for the email...

L~R

 

[Radio Edit]

i hate secondaries, so much.

 

[a*brown]

i just got an email secondary notice today.

 

[i77ac]

i got mine today as well. but anyone else receive their email with the attachment file? i almost thought it was junk and came close to deleting it... i logged in and saw my status being approved, so i guess i'm in. 🙂