<p>i am currently a junior and duke is by far my no. 1 choice. Im from SC and have a really good gpa with a rank of 3/510 and some amazing EC with leadership including Youth Governor of SC of the Youth in Government Program, Captain of the largest in state and 3 time state championship debate team, almost an eagle scout, and several other important ec’s. My only problem is my sat’s/act’s are sooo terrible, i feel that i am alienated to even applying to duke or any high-caliber skool. how commmon is this, exactly how much can this dimish my chances, and what i can do about it. im just a terrible standardized test taker, and ive prepared well and everything, but i cant seem to even break the 1300 threshold which is very disappointing.</p>
<p>1300 out of 1600 isn’t horrible. Just practice from the BB book. That’s the best prep you can do.</p>
<p>Do you have facebook? Take a look at this discussion in the Duke 2011 facebook group.
<a href=“Facebook”>Facebook;
<p>Also, to help your situation…try applying early to Duke if you are certain it’s your first choice and if you can pay for it. It’s a little easier to get in through the ED program and your test score weakness will be offset somewhat.</p>
<p>In the end, if your score is just too low, then accept it and move on. After all, an SAT score is not some wall to scale in college admissions. It’s a way to determine if you are an intellectual match for a school. I hate to say it, but if your scores don’t increase, then that means you probably aren’t a good fit for Duke.</p>
<p>That said, I think you are very talented, judging by your many accomplishments. If you study from the Blue Book, I think your scores will increase.</p>