Chance for Duke Econ ED for Indian male rugby player :)

Colleges & Universities Duke University
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<p>Hi All. I am a current senior at a suburban high school in Houston, TX. I really want to apply to Duke ED but am worried about my chances and thinking EDing to NYU Stern instead. Anyways, sorry about the chatter. Here are those cold, hard stats </p>

<p>SAT1: 2130(740 Reading, 700 Math, 690 Reading)-Not planning on retaking
ACT-planning to take…expecting around 32/33
SAT2: World History-660
GPA: 3.7ish unweighted…Unfortunately, school won’t release transcripts upon requests as it is “backlogged” </p>

<p>Rank: 40/791</p>

<p>AP Courseload: AP Computer Science A (3), AP World History (3), AP US History (2), AP Chemistry (4), AP Biology (3), AP Spanish Language (2), AP English IV (2)</p>

<p>Senior Year Courseload: AP Government, AP Economics, AP Physics B, AP Calculus BC, HST2-(health class where you do rotations in hospital)/Debate </p>

<p>Major Awards:
*National Merit Commended
*AP Scholar
*Gurmukhi Award for Speech Competition (1st place)
*other miscellaneous awards </p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Computer Science Club (UIL Liason Officer-sophomore year; Represented team at annual HP CodeWars competition; selected for UIL team); HOSA (20-30 hours of community service over a span of three years); NHS (volunteering); Spanish NHS (volunteering); Chess Club (local tournaments); Sikh Club (founder and President-invited national level bhangra teams and performances to school/marketing and networking/ handle funding from external resources); Woodlands Rugby (ranked sixth in nation; chosen for state qualifiers-how should I prove this? no paperwork to back it up); Volunteered at several HISD schools
Job/Work Experience:
*Paid tutor for algebra/precal
*Intern at Texas A&M University’s chemical engineering department for summer under a distinguished professor’s laboratory
*Intern at local business (SAP Consulting)
*Computer Science teacher under Schlumberger Log-In event (received certificate)
Essays: working really hard on these…however not the best writer; much better speaker than writer
Teacher recommendation: AP Calculus teacher-don’t know she’s renowned for her recs but I only know her for like a month (we talk a lot, but I still don’t know what she will write…maybe I’ll drop a few hints or something)/Health Science teacher-not a known teacher but will write a really good rec because not many other people asked him for one so he said he will spend time on mine
Alumni Recommendation: Sub teacher-known her for a while/pretty good rec/also Duke recruiter
Counselor rec: generic/too many kids…but I plan to maybe help her write it because I know she might be overwhelmed and could use the help
Interview: Am really hoping for one because I know my stats are way too low for this school</p>

<p>Truth be told guys, I went through a horrible time in life. My parents literally ruined my life. They thought I was a pawn they could play with in their divorce and they poisoned my minds against each other. They even refused to pay bills so I had to live without electricity for a week. My mother has bullied me into taking classes and pursuing the medical field when what I have always wanted to do was business. At the end of the day, my parents still can’t decide on a divorce and I won’t receive any financial aid because I am still not a permanent resident despite living in the U.S for 11 years. I really don’t know what to do. Anyways, sorry for the sob story haha. Tell me what you guys think!! I would love to know! and a big THANK YOU to all of you for taking the time to read this wall of text</p>

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<p>lol thanks for the input friend…um state colleges really…can’t afford much else so ut austin and tamu…I thought of applying to other privates but they didn’t really appeal to me with the exception of Duke</p>

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<p>Your post definitely covers considerable ground. First of all, you are correct that your stats are low for Duke, even ED. However, while your GPA is 3.7UW, it looks like you have taken many APs (unless they were self-study) which probably indicates a rigorous courseload. Also, being in the top 5% of your class indicates that grade inflation is not a huge issue at your school.</p>

<p>If you use your SAT scores, you will need a second SAT II test. If you go with the ACT, you will not need to submit SAT II scores, but be sure to take the Writing portion which Duke requires.</p>

<p>You mention FA, but do not explicitly state how important this is for your college decision. NYU is notorious for poor FA, even for US applicants. Duke will offer some FA to internationals, but does not make any promises about meeting need. Affordability is a critical issue and should be confronted long before decision time in April.</p>

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<p>Thanks rmldad. Statistically speaking, do you think I have a chance? I will also get an alumni recommendation from a Duke recruiter if that is any help. Thanks in advance :)</p>

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<p>Financial aid, while important, is not too large of a factor for me. My parents have saved for approximately three years at a private school so it should not hurt too bad hopefully :)</p>

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<p>If NYU Stern is your second choice, you could apply ED II.</p>

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<p>However, I am bit more attracted to Duke than I am to NYU Stern. BTW, just making sure, 4.0=95 on my gpa scale…does that boost my credentials a bit maybe ;)? Also, do you think that the alumni rec from Duke recruiter will maybe boost my chances? Thank you to all who responded :)</p>

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<p>I am not sure what the full meaning of “Duke recruiter” is.</p>

<p>I am a Duke alumnus; in addition, I help admissions by interviewing applicants each year. I can assure you that a recommendation from me would mean effectively nothing. We are not allowed to interview applicants with whom we have a personal connection, even if we only know a parent and not the applicant. The adcoms simply expect alums to say great things about people we know and like. However, this would be a totally different situation if your recruiter knows you exceedingly well and has a unique position in Duke’s administration.</p>

<p>As for the grades - yes, a 4.0 is better than a 3.7. However, a 95 does not necessarily translate to a 4.0. If three equally weighted classes are taken with scores of 99, 99, and 87, the result is a 95 scoring average, but a GPA of 3.7.</p>

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<p>But in terms of AP/Regulars, how would you calculate a 4.0 unweighted? Since you are from Duke, do you happen to know how they evaluate GPA? For example, if you have an A average overall, is that synonymous to a 4.0? As per your recruiter aspect, I see what you are saying…I believe she holds interviews for Duke ED that is why I wanted to get a rec from her… I know atleast two kids every year who are accepted to Duke from my school however their rankings are higher than mine but their courseload doesn’t come close…However rmldad, do you think I have a good chance at Duke? I love the school but I only have one shot at ED. I want to use it wisely. Thanks for taking the time to work with me on this :)</p>

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<p>Anyone else with any opinions :slight_smile: ?</p>