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| My trophy! |
Kayle asked if I had any advice for her as to how to get to Duke and I decided this blog is my best medium to do so. And perhaps some other Kayle out there reads it, too.
If you want to go to Duke, apply to Duke. Then apply to every other Duke-like school out there and then some. This is not to insult you but a testament to the extraordinarily large volume of applicants each of the top schools receive each year. Even the kids with the perfect scores and the non-profit and the billion dollar daddy aren't guaranteed a spot. And that's ridiculous. I was rejected from two other schools, I don't want to use names so lets just call them Minceton and Male. But I wasn't really upset. Why?
1) I had Duke. XD
2) They had close to 30,000 applicant. For roughly 1,000 spots. Many of of which where already claimed by the early action candidates.
3) Some people that I would clearly label as much smarter than me and more worthy of a spot, didn't get one. They were accepted at some other top colleges, but then not at others. Why? I don't know. With that many applicants, you can only do your best and then hope for some reason, some admissions officer thinks you have the right stuff and puts you in the admit pile.
4) I had done my best and then some.
And to be honest I don't know why Duke accepted me and other schools didn't. I sent all of them basically the same application. I was the same person during the interviews. I just don't know. And probably won't ever know.
Also, Kayle, realize that what might be a good score or good job for your high school. might not be a good score for your university. Make sure you are within the 25th/75th percentiles for ACT or SAT scores. But then remember all the colleges claim that "there is no cutoff score."
Start early. The application process is more like the application expedition or trek or long voyage that lasts many months. Write your essay. Then write it again. Have your AP English teacher read. Then have your other AP English teacher read it. And then your neighbor read it. It can't be a good essay. It needs to be one of the best essays you have ever written. And then you need to do it again. For the other prompts.
Have a good backup or 'safety' school. Your backup school needs to be a school you would actually be happy going to. And try not to degrade the backup school as you pursue other schools.
Try not to fall in love with a school before you are accepted. That's kinda a complex topic but refer one of my previous posts for more info.
My favorite chemistry teacher advised me to apply with a declared major. You can always change it. I'm not sure how true this is, but it worked for me (somewhat).
DO NOT do something just because you think it will help you get in to a school. That is a waste of your time. Take hard classes and volunteer because YOU want to, not because you think the school wants you to. Because, if you were rejected you would have wasted your time.
Do something extraordinary with your summer. Go to a science summer camp, write a book, go on a mission trip, I don't know. Get a job! That's extraordinary as well! Just do something impressive. OR do something lame but be able to make it sound impressive.
Apply for financial aid! I don't know your family's finances but regardless apply anyway. You might find out that your dream school is less expensive than your state school.
Next year will be hell. Some of the time. As decision day looms closer you might break out in hives, feel nauseous, go into a deep depression. And this will happen for every decision day if your schools have different days. Some days you will be, "Omg. I am soooooo getting into that school." And the next you will say, "OMG. I am a terrible failure. I am going to live under a bridge." Well, that's what I did. And I did that often. It's going to be a terribly fantastic ride, so be prepared.
I really don't have much more to say. I know I wished I had someone to tell me exactly how to get into college. But the specifics aren't available to the public. At least I never found them.
One last bit. Stay off of college advice sites. You can only read so many statistics and so many expert advice columns before you spontaneously combust. So chillax. Just submit your application when you are done (and have proofread it 30 million times, jk) and then breathe. Maybe you will avoid some of the wrinkles that I have earned over the last year.
Hopes this helps.
Nerdy Green
P.S. There will be a select few that you may be acquainted with who seem to have been accepted to every top school that ever existed. They will make you feel bad about yourself. Try not to hate them too much. You will want to, but don't. Because that's bad.
P.S.S. The Common App is meant to be the same basic form for every school you apply to. Meaning don't mention your first choice college in the body of your Common App essay. Also, if you apply early action or early decision your application will remain the same for two months or more for when you apply regular decision. You might have earned other awards or leadership positions that you won't be able to add on you application. So be careful.
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