Dr. Armstrong said pretty much the same thing when I was there as well. It definitely caught me off guard, but I'm glad to know I didn't mishear her!!
Did anyone else have her as an interviewer?
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Dr. Armstrong said pretty much the same thing when I was there as well. It definitely caught me off guard, but I'm glad to know I didn't mishear her!!
Did anyone else have her as an interviewer?
I had her last year. She was definitely intimidating to me (difficult questions, more interrogation-style), but one thing I can say is that she is a great person to have interview you. One thing I can really say about her and Duke admissions in general is that they try really hard to admit students that feel would be a good fit for the school. I may not have had the best scores in the world (considering some of my classmates have 40+ MCAT scores), but I knew that if I was accepted, then she felt I could hack it. And at the same time, if I wasn't accepted than it was probably for the better because maybe she didn't see Duke as the best place for me. So even though she might not have been the easiest interviewer (although for all I know, you could think she was...), it was definitely worth having her.
That was the most challenging aspect of the interview for me, knowing that if she didn't like me, my chance would be shot. I think you are absolutely right, though--being accepted to Duke after having interviewed with her is probably one of the biggest encouragements you can receive at the end of this process. Still, I am a bit antsy, because I think the school fits me really well, and to have her directly think otherwise would be disappointing.
Well, don't forget she waitlisted me originally, then took me off the waitlist on the first day. So it's entirely possible to have her like you enough to eventually take you, but maybe not enough to beat out others come March. I just don't want you to be pessimistic about your chances if you do happen to be waitlisted 🙂
The first day the waitlist opened, May 16th. No one in our class was taken off the first day of class. I think the latest I've heard was June.
I believe she means the first day of waitlist movement...
I had Dr. Armstrong too. I was actually very excited to have her as an interviewer because I feel like I have an outside shot at getting in to Duke, so if anyone could push me into the running, it's her. I was very impressed by her and by the school, but she did ask a lot of tough questions.
By the way, I believe the count is at 19 days now, and I'm spending way too much time on SDN anticipating Duke's decision.
For what it's worth, I seem to recall Dr. Armstrong saying that decisions went out on March 1 or 2.
I was just going by what somebody had posted yesterday, no one gave me a date when I interviewed back in the fall.
lol... i was about to post 19 days left and then i saw someone had already done it for me... i based my original 20 days left post on the fact that we have reason to believe that the all so sacred acceptances will be sent march 4-9. when i interviewd i remember march 1st being thrown around too... interesting
as for richard wallace... did anyone else think that he is the freakin man! he came in and talked to us in the admissions office while we were waiting for interviews and i was like this guy is a natural orator...
... ps: 19 days
as for richard wallace... did anyone else think that he is the freakin man! he came in and talked to us in the admissions office while we were waiting for interviews and i was like this guy is a natural orator...
... ps: 19 days
Whatever the exact day is, it's definitely less than a month away!
Are y'all done with interviews? I have one more early March in norcal. It might even be after I get a decision from Duke. That would be SOO sad if I get rejected by Duke and go to that interview. 🙁 Talk about being stressed.
Are y'all done with interviews? I have one more early March in norcal. It might even be after I get a decision from Duke. That would be SOO sad if I get rejected by Duke and go to that interview. 🙁 Talk about being stressed.
byong... dont worry about it. im sure it will be fine for you. and look at it like this, at least you have another interview (and in cali no less). congrats on that!
correction 19-24 days till they send out acceptances!
PS: happy early valentine's day 😍
I love it here.
That's all. 🙂
That's all. 🙂
hey everyone... i was thinking we should play some kind of a duke thread game or something like that to pass the time until acceptances are given out. how about everyone give their plans for how they will celebrate if they receive admissions from duke. for all the current dukies who have been so helpful on this thread, why don't yall tell us what yall did when you got in or anything else about duke thats cool/awesome/hilarious/a reason why the bball team isn't in the top 25 anymore... jk on the last one 
hey everyone... i was thinking we should play some kind of a duke thread game or something like that to pass the time until acceptances are given out. how about everyone give their plans for how they will celebrate if they receive admissions from duke. for all the current dukies who have been so helpful on this thread, why don't yall tell us what yall did when you got in or anything else about duke thats cool/awesome/hilarious/a reason why the bball team isn't in the top 25 anymore... jk on the last one
I don't remember what I did to celebrate, but I do remember getting in distinctly. I saw on SDN that people as far/farther away than me had received acceptances. I was at work all day, and it was killing me waiting to get home. I knew about what time the mail came, so I just drove right past the mailboxes when I got home [it turns out the mail had come early and I let my acceptance sit there for like 2 hours until my roommate checked the mail, but anyway]. So I am basically pacing back and forth, waiting to see the mail truck [it was an easy semester, so I didn't have much else to do anyway]. So I check my email and get this weird email from WashU talking about some scholarship application. I was like, HMMM???? It turns out it was an acceptance to WashU. I was TOTALLY excited! So anyway, I called my fiance [at that point my girlfriend], and she walked over from her apartment to share in the good news. So I call both my parents, etc. Well, about 30 minutes later my fiance leaves. She isn't gone for more than like 2 minutes before the apartment door bursts open, and she is holding the big Duke acceptance envelope. My roommate had come home and had given her the envelope in the parking lot when he saw her coming out of the apartment on his way up. Needless to say, it was a VERY cool day in my little world...
oh ya i forgot to post my random fact about what i am doing... well this isnt my plan for what im going to do if i get in but until the first letters are sent out and received.... im growing out a beard.... which i have never done before and is becoming rather itchy and unattractive... but hey, no pain no gain right? no its just a random superstitious idea i got one night... o ya and i deactivated my facebook until then too.... so i guess if i get in im going to shave and spend 24 hours straight on facebook seeing what ive missed 😀
Awesome! Some of the first year guys were talking about having a mustache growing contest. The person that shaves last wins. Maybe if you come here you can institute that next year.
LOL!!!
god the freakin mustache is the worst part... itching the hell out of my upper lip! ya im down for whatever if i get in 👍 sounds like yall have lots of fun there. i know the m1s i met during my interview were both awesome!
LOL!!!
god the freakin mustache is the worst part... itching the hell out of my upper lip! ya im down for whatever if i get in 👍 sounds like yall have lots of fun there. i know the m1s i met during my interview were both awesome!
count me in as well. How about beard and mustache? The whole enchilada!
Oh lord. Good thing I already have a boyfriend or I might consider switching teams after this little contest.
I was at work when I got the news (they call you if you're on the waitlist) and practically passed out. I tried calling my boyfriend to tell him the news but he was in a stupid meeting, then instead of calling me back right away (when I said oh so casually on his machine "give me a call back"), he looked at SDN first and saw I had gotten in off the duke waitlist thread. Kind of made the phone call anti-climactic. It was definitely more significant for us I think because we had been together for over two years at that point and were facing the prospect of trying the long-distance thing (he's at UNC med) which I really didn't want to do, so we celebrated that night for both reasons. It was cool, and I really hope you all get the same feeling 🙂hey everyone... i was thinking we should play some kind of a duke thread game or something like that to pass the time until acceptances are given out. how about everyone give their plans for how they will celebrate if they receive admissions from duke. for all the current dukies who have been so helpful on this thread, why don't yall tell us what yall did when you got in or anything else about duke thats cool/awesome/hilarious/a reason why the bball team isn't in the top 25 anymore... jk on the last one
Edit: uhh, I swear I'm not one of those people who mentions their significant other any chance they can get...in fact I pretty much try to hide it, just ask diosa. he just happened to come into conversation twice in the last 2 minutes worth of posting...
LOL... good story. It made me think of Big Daddy right at the beginning when adam sandler is like
"you're not gonna propose are you?"
jon stewart: ya actually i am
adam: well you know... you should think about it
hooters mcgee: god, sunny, shut up!
jon stewart: well, will you?
hooters mcgee: ya.
sunny:
👎Dude, seriously, Dookter and Burnsie, shouldn't you be stuck with your face in Robbins somewhere, not meandering around on here?
Pot-Kettle-Black
Ok, now that that's over with. . . I think that the moustache competition was already won during our anatomy final with Mr. Hamstrings and his ridiculous redneck stache. If anyone can make something more impressive than that out of facial hair, I might just eat a throat culture for dessert. Mmm, neisseria!
EDIT: Oh yeah, acceptance stories. Umm, I put down my parents' address (30 miles from Duke) as my mailing address so I could get the news ASAP so when people were "thinking" that acceptances were being sent out I pretty much had to wait for a phone call from Momma. So of course, one day I get back from a particularly heinous day in "Vertebrate Morphology lab" (mmm, cat guts) and I'm surfing on SDN (duh) and my phone rings and mom says
"So I have this envelope here."
"Ok, is it a big one?"
"Um. Yes, fairly large."
"Is it a yellow one?"
"More of a tan, but I suppose"
"And where is it from?"
"Well, there's just a little logo on the outside."
"And is it for me?"
"Well. . . I'm not sure. It's addressed to the Future Doctor _________, so I think that's you but I'm not really sure."
*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMdropphonegoyellatroommate"
*dance around for 5 minutes*
*come back to phone*
"Are you still there?"
"Yes, dear. Are you happy?"
"Um. F*$& yeah."
"Don't swear. Now go take N___ and R____ out for dinner on us."
"Yes Ma'am!"
*Pizza and beer with two best friends, followed swiftly by crunkness at the bar on a Tuesday. Phat.*
Oh yeah, and then I started the "Duke, Class of 2010!" thread over on the Allo forum. I was pleased. 🙂
Pot-Kettle-Black
Ok, now that that's over with. . . I think that the moustache competition was already won during our anatomy final with Mr. Hamstrings and his ridiculous redneck stache. If anyone can make something more impressive than that out of facial hair, I might just eat a throat culture for dessert. Mmm, neisseria!
EDIT: Oh yeah, acceptance stories. Umm, I put down my parents' address (30 miles from Duke) as my mailing address so I could get the news ASAP so when people were "thinking" that acceptances were being sent out I pretty much had to wait for a phone call from Momma. So of course, one day I get back from a particularly heinous day in "Vertebrate Morphology lab" (mmm, cat guts) and I'm surfing on SDN (duh) and my phone rings and mom says
"So I have this envelope here."
"Ok, is it a big one?"
"Um. Yes, fairly large."
"Is it a yellow one?"
"More of a tan, but I suppose"
"And where is it from?"
"Well, there's just a little logo on the outside."
"And is it for me?"
"Well. . . I'm not sure. It's addressed to the Future Doctor _________, so I think that's you but I'm not really sure."
*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMdropphonegoyellatroommate"
*dance around for 5 minutes*
*come back to phone*
"Are you still there?"
"Yes, dear. Are you happy?"
"Um. F*$& yeah."
"Don't swear. Now go take N___ and R____ out for dinner on us."
"Yes Ma'am!"
*Pizza and beer with two best friends, followed swiftly by crunkness at the bar on a Tuesday. Phat.*
Oh yeah, and then I started the "Duke, Class of 2010!" thread over on the Allo forum. I was pleased. 🙂
I know that there is a letter acceptance for sure but just to be absolutely sure, there are no phone calls from Duke regarding acceptance correct? Just curious because on the DukeMed website, Dr. Armstrong states that her favorite part of her job is "Its the days I get to call students with an acceptance and hear them scream with joy." That is a thing of the past I assume...just checking...
For regular acceptance, they did not call last year. That might have changed for this year, but I have not heard about it.
here is your answer
good work husky... i was slackin yesterday... sorry for that 🙁
pagemmapants. that is such a great story. i cannot wait to find out from duke. though honestly, each day that passes i get a little more paranoid going over all the things i could have done better...
anyway, less then a month till dream-school decisions!
anyway, less then a month till dream-school decisions!
3rd year rocks, I'm here to say. I've been reading over this thread, and there's been some good discussion going on. I've probably met some of you who are applying in the admissions office-- maybe even interviewed a few of you.
A few things from above... In the past we've called people to tell them they were accepted. However, that process takes time. The decision has not yet been made this year regarding whether those accepted will be called personally by admissions reps or if letters will be it. Regardless of the method, and this is answered above, interviews will not conclude until March 2nd. Final decisions will be made within the next week or so, and then acceptance decisions will go out.
Regarding the wait list, some really stellar people come in off of that list each year, and a couple of years ago, people were accepted off the wait list in late July (days before classes started). It took some quick, last-minute rearrangements, but everything has worked out well in those situations, and we're more than willing to help you find housing and take care of other concerns if you're in this situation. Bottom line is that the wait list varies from year-to-year, so it depends on how many of the initial acceptances are taken. It's hard to predict how deep we'll go into the wait list.
Competition is totally individual meaning that you can choose whether you want your experience here to be a competitive one or more chill. I personally opted for the latter, and my class is also of that opinion. The H/P/F for the first year is great, and after that, you're graded with the addition of a "high pass" between the H and the P for second and fourth years. In theory, everyone can make honors in all these classes and rotations. It just depends on how much of an effort you want to put forth.
Study time is also more individual. You're about to be thrust into a totally new environment with SO many ways to learn the material. Part of the battle for the first block was finding out which methods worked best. I'll tell you that I tried hanging onto things from undergrad, but they were soon grossly inefficient for the amount of material we covered. Study time can be confusing until you find your pace and your method, but after that, you should be able to maximize your efforts in the books and then have plenty of time left for play (intramurals, beach trips, ski trips, camping, plays, concerts, etc.). Just don't get stuck in the rut of trying to exhaustively cover everything. AND BE SURE TO SET SOME TIME ASIDE FOR YOURSELF EVERY DAY. First year is cake compared to the hours you'll put in second year, so don't burn out.
Finally, living in Durham doesn't require a car, but a car can make life much easier. One person in my class does not have a car-- she's from NYC and has never had a car. I actually used to pick her up some mornings on the way to class when it was raining or cold, but she only lived a few hundred yards from the edge of campus. And Duke busses used to run beside our complex, too. A lot of the 3rd years use the bus system to get around if they're taking classes at UNC for one of the dual degree programs, and they seem to like that. Another option is to call yourself a "bicycle commuter." If you live close and can do that, you get 20 or so "day passes" that let you park in decks. It works well for tests, rain, and cold.
Must go now... the weather's beautiful and I'm headed out for a bike ride...
A few things from above... In the past we've called people to tell them they were accepted. However, that process takes time. The decision has not yet been made this year regarding whether those accepted will be called personally by admissions reps or if letters will be it. Regardless of the method, and this is answered above, interviews will not conclude until March 2nd. Final decisions will be made within the next week or so, and then acceptance decisions will go out.
Regarding the wait list, some really stellar people come in off of that list each year, and a couple of years ago, people were accepted off the wait list in late July (days before classes started). It took some quick, last-minute rearrangements, but everything has worked out well in those situations, and we're more than willing to help you find housing and take care of other concerns if you're in this situation. Bottom line is that the wait list varies from year-to-year, so it depends on how many of the initial acceptances are taken. It's hard to predict how deep we'll go into the wait list.
Competition is totally individual meaning that you can choose whether you want your experience here to be a competitive one or more chill. I personally opted for the latter, and my class is also of that opinion. The H/P/F for the first year is great, and after that, you're graded with the addition of a "high pass" between the H and the P for second and fourth years. In theory, everyone can make honors in all these classes and rotations. It just depends on how much of an effort you want to put forth.
Study time is also more individual. You're about to be thrust into a totally new environment with SO many ways to learn the material. Part of the battle for the first block was finding out which methods worked best. I'll tell you that I tried hanging onto things from undergrad, but they were soon grossly inefficient for the amount of material we covered. Study time can be confusing until you find your pace and your method, but after that, you should be able to maximize your efforts in the books and then have plenty of time left for play (intramurals, beach trips, ski trips, camping, plays, concerts, etc.). Just don't get stuck in the rut of trying to exhaustively cover everything. AND BE SURE TO SET SOME TIME ASIDE FOR YOURSELF EVERY DAY. First year is cake compared to the hours you'll put in second year, so don't burn out.
Finally, living in Durham doesn't require a car, but a car can make life much easier. One person in my class does not have a car-- she's from NYC and has never had a car. I actually used to pick her up some mornings on the way to class when it was raining or cold, but she only lived a few hundred yards from the edge of campus. And Duke busses used to run beside our complex, too. A lot of the 3rd years use the bus system to get around if they're taking classes at UNC for one of the dual degree programs, and they seem to like that. Another option is to call yourself a "bicycle commuter." If you live close and can do that, you get 20 or so "day passes" that let you park in decks. It works well for tests, rain, and cold.
Must go now... the weather's beautiful and I'm headed out for a bike ride...
dakta, thanks for your expertise~
I've also had a third-year interviewer. maybe it was you? heh who knows
so i guess the decision is being made right now? wow yikes. i know my chances are probably low, but still makes me really nervous to think about it!
I've also had a third-year interviewer. maybe it was you? heh who knows
so i guess the decision is being made right now? wow yikes. i know my chances are probably low, but still makes me really nervous to think about it!
ya i had a 3rd year interviewer as well and it was so nice that every student i met at duke was so cool and chill...
... good advice by the way about duke in general. the learning curve for studying im sure is pretty steep.
hey dakta, how has the weather been in nc this week, cuz it has been snowing here in tx. 👎
... good advice by the way about duke in general. the learning curve for studying im sure is pretty steep.
hey dakta, how has the weather been in nc this week, cuz it has been snowing here in tx. 👎
This is a good estimate based on the data from the past few years. I did interviews when I was a Duke Med student a few years ago, and this is basically what they told us at that time.
I also must echo some of the previous comments about how wonderful it is to be a Duke student. Fellow students are brilliant and cooperative, and the curriculum is fantastically unique. This can really be an advantage when it comes to getting onto the wards sooner and knowing more clinical medicine by the time you have to take the boards. As others have said, although the first year sounds intimidating it's actually not any more difficult than the first year at any other school.
It's also important to consider the overall quality of the clinical training when looking at a medical school, which in large part is based on the hospital and the departments/training programs it houses. What I didn't appreciate about Duke until I started interviewing for residency programs is that it's really a "public" hospital. In other words, it serves the whole community, including the many poor in Durham, the uninsured and underinsured, and even the non-English-speaking (Durham has a thriving and growing Hispanic population). There really aren't any "private patients" at Duke, and there's a great balance of bread-and-butter medicine as well as rare and exciting conditions. Duke has some of the top training programs in the country in just about any given field, and as a result, you really get to learn from the best as a student. It's a truly phenomenal experience!
I wish everyone good luck, and hope you hear good news in March! I'd be happy to field any questions about Duke if I can be of help.
I feel obligated to do this...16-ish days left!
bump...
much thanks to all the current and former duke students who have replied in this thread...I didnt think there was anything else that could make me want to go to duke more than I do now but you all have succeeded in doing that..still holding breath...
bump...
much thanks to all the current and former duke students who have replied in this thread...I didnt think there was anything else that could make me want to go to duke more than I do now but you all have succeeded in doing that..still holding breath...
bwuahahahaha
nice onebyong, it turns out then when i was interviewing at duke at the end of november, it also snowed in tx on the day of my interview in nc (turns out the weather in nc is apparently much better than tx)... oh well.
husky, you always beat me to the punch on this countdown thing... good work! ill try harder next time... i must have fallen asleep at the wheel 😴
husky, byong, and jwn, how bout yall give your wildest fantasies about what you will do when you find out you got in on march XX 👍
actually, a Valentine's Day interview at Duke was good not only to me, but to three of my classmates as well. Four of us interviewed that day, by far the most I know in our class. Granted three of us got in off the waitlist, but an acceptance is an acceptance. good luck!
bwuahahahaha
byong, it turns out then when i was interviewing at duke at the end of november, it also snowed in tx on the day of my interview in nc (turns out the weather in nc is apparently much better than tx)... oh well.
husky, you always beat me to the punch on this countdown thing... good work! ill try harder next time... i must have fallen asleep at the wheel 😴
husky, byong, and jwn, how bout yall give your wildest fantasies about what you will do when you find out you got in on march XX 👍
CANTDriv,
I am leaving Feb. 28th for a northbound thru hike of the Appalachian Trail, so I will not receive the (hopefully good) news directly. I am having adcom mail sent to my parents and am going to be calling home about each week, so I guess if I get in I will find a watering hole in whatever mountain town I am in and buy everyone a round!
What about you? Good luck everyone!
jwnduke
Glad to hear about past V-Day successes!
Weather here has been in the high 20s in the mornings and high 30s in the evenings, but it's about to start warming up again. No real snow to talk about, though, and that's pretty normal for Durham. I was away during the little bit we got this year. When I was a first year, there were some problems with ice, but it seems like the highway dept. has been doing better in the last couple of years by salting and/or sanding earlier.
JWNDuke, what parts of the AT are you doing?
JWNDuke, what parts of the AT are you doing?
well jwn, i had already said that i would shave my beard and reactivate my facebook but now that you say that, i remember that my spring break is march 10-19 so i might not directly be receiving the information either. i dont know what i might do... i mean when i got the interview invite i started running around my apartment screaming but it was at like 10AM and there was no one there and i was freakin out and didnt have anyone to call... i think if i get into duke... man... i might just pass out and go streaking when i come to... i mean, anything could happen 😕
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