<p>For someone who’s accepted at Duke, the idea is that they accept you because they know that you can succeed at Duke right? I’d really like to shoot for Duke, but I’m having a hard time deciding if I can make the grades with all the geniuses (if I do, somehow, get in). If * everyone <a href=“or%20mostly%20everyone”>/i</a> * can * succeed there, how do kids get separated GPA wise?</p>
<p>Do the differences in GPA come down to work? As in do many kids just slack off?
Do the differences in GPA come down to natural aptitude? As in do kids work extremely hard, but only those that are naturally smarter can beat everyone else.</p>
<p>Please help. Thanks.</p>
<p>I think you’re thinking way too much into this. If you work hard, even if you don’t necessarily like the class, there’s a good change you’ll come out with a decent grade, though that isn’t always true, especially in large ‘weed-out’ classes. From an engineering perspective, you really can’t slack off or you will get so far behind and then you’ll be playing catch-up for a long time to come. Concerning those who are “naturally smarter”, first of all this depends on the class but for the most part you won’t really know anything about the class beforehand, hence that’s why you are taking the class in the first place.</p>
<p>It all comes down to work ethic. Just about (with exceptions) everyone here is smart, but everyone has talents in different disciplines. For example, someone may be brilliant when it comes to writing English/lit papers but may struggle with calculus concepts. Not everyone here is a genius in every subject. How well you do at Duke depends on how hard you are willing to work, which includes doing the homework problems, going to office hours/meeting with the TAs, studying in advance, etc.</p>
<p>So basically, it is true that if you are accepted, with the right amount of work ethic, you definitely * can * succeed and get a high GPA? Even if you’re not one of the smartest there?</p>
<p>@ OP: Yes, with the right mixture of hard work, initiative, and self-discipline, you can succeed at Duke. It’s in your hands, but you do need to know how to work smart and ask for help when you need it (get peer tutoring, go to office hours, form study groups, etc.). Even though Duke students are smart, they are usually willing to collaborate and help each other out (with a few exceptions here and there). You might have to work harder than the person sitting next to you in lecture, but there’s nothing wrong with that and in fact, the willingness to work harder than others will take you very far in life.</p>