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1 Like
Wtf Duke?
tylerdschreur10
Alum Member
I got an email from duke on the 8th saying I was in priority track for admissions and would have a decision within 10 days. Well now the 19 is slipping away, and for you math wizards that's 11 days! And no contact from Durham...
Anyone have experience with priority track/ duke admissions in general? I should be a slam dunk admit, unless im being yield protected? 176, 3.56
Comments
I do! Duke had to close because of the weather! I called them as well and got an e-mail back today apologizing for the delay but they were closed for few days!
Did you count business days and include MLK day?
Ah, that explains it then!!! Good looking out brother
Apparently no news is good nes, bc I just got waitlisted...what fresh hell is this ?
That makes me sad...Duke is one of my top choices. I put extra effort into their app...but my stats are worse
Hopefully they're just being super paranoid about getting some late applicants with 180s?? Idk. I'm way above they're 75th for lsat and my gpa is right at the 25th. Weird. Am i right to assume WL pretty much assures no scholarship? Cuz that means goodbye duke for me
@LSATcantwin. Don't give up! I just got in (first acceptance and my LSAT was 169) so go for it! I am an international student (Canadian) so don't know if it makes a difference. Also I have been creeping here for months but never posted. Wanted to thank you for all the encouraging posts, they made such a difference studying for my first LSAT this December. Wishing you all the very best with apps!
Did you write a "Why Duke"?
Not sure about Duke specifically, but I definitely have seen on LSN people who were waitlisted and then got in and negotiated scholarship. Might be school dependent though.
So sorry man, that's a major bummer.
Thank you! I submitted a few days ago, just a waiting game now. But I really like Dukes program so I am hopeful!!
I did, but I don't think it was very strong. They may have seen it as the obligatory exercise in thoroughness that it was
@tylerdschreur10 I would not worry too much about it. This is a bit of an odd cycle. This week, a bunch of people with amazing stats (including a 176 LSAT + 3.95 GPA) were waitlisted at Chicago.
I think that the increased number of applications might be causing law schools to be a little more cautious with acceptances than they have been in the past. If that is the case, do not give up. In a bit, you can write an LOCI to demonstrate your interest.
I know someone who got off the waitlist at Northwestern and got a $150,000 scholarship. Last year, someone got off the waitlist at Chicago and received a Ruby (full tuition + stipend). While I don't know specifically about Duke, being waitlisted at the top schools does not necessarily mean that you will get little to no merit aid. I wish you all the best with your applications!
@tylerdschreur10 How were your softs? Personal statements, letters of rec, etc? Was your resume professional? Also did you make sure to preview your application for typos? Did you fill out the application to the best of your ability (didn't leave a bunch of things blank)?
While numbers matter a lot these are all still important factors - PS and letters of rec especially. Additionally, some admissions deans have written one of their pet peeves is when applicants fail to adequately fill out their application. For example, some applicants may not report their GPA on the application because it'll be in the transcript anyway. Even still, it doesn't take much time to fill it out on the app, so failure to do so could communicate laziness in the application.
I'm not saying you did that, but numbers alone are not a perfect predictor of admission success. Some hiccups in these softs could turn admissions readers off to you, regardless of how you could impact their admissions numbers.
My resume is professional, reviewed by several friends, a prof, and a lawyer froend. PS is probably average, not exceptional. I don't have incredible subject matter, but my writing is +. No typos, I'd bet any amount of money. Application filled out completely, the only things I left blank were NAs like military service, minority status etc.
My softs are below average. I have 2 years of WE, but minimally related field. Some volunteering, and my UG major was mechanical engineering from a good school.
I can only think of 2 reasons for a waitlist, 1) my GPA at this late stage threatened to impact their medians. 2) YP
Yeah, I should've gotten my act together and applied last year! Dumb 22 year old me.
Just sent in my HYS apps, dukes making me feel like that was 400 bucks down the drain...
I doubt it is the timing. I got in on last Sunday with a 180 and a 3.78 which will probably be a below median GPA if this cycle is more competitive. There is a GPA update coming which will give me a 3.81, but they didn't know that when they accepted me. It is probably more yield protection especially if your optional essays were not convincing. Did you write both or just the Why Duke?
I'd recommend a letter of continued interest. They should still want some splitters. Alternatively, you could also submit the other optional essay if you only did one.
@"Seeking Perfection" I only wrote the Why Duke, so I'm actually working on the optional essay now. At the time I originally applied I didn't really understand the principle of yield protection, now I need to convince them I'm really interested, which I am
Ahhhh this thred has me terrified now
lol Duke dreaming!
It's possible that your GPA is below what they're targeting for their 25th %ile. Regardless of LSAT score, that's a fair reason for a ding.
not a slam dunk
No! Fear is the path to the dark side... You are supposed to lift people's spirits, not leave them in darkness.
Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan! I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire. Dukeeeeee
https://media.giphy.com/media/Jylt9x1qzE9ig/giphy.gif
@"Daniel.Sieradzki" @akistotle
Did you ever hear the tragedy of LSATcantwin? I thought not, it’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. It’s a Sith legend. LSATcantwin was a dark lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use a high LSAT score to make up for his bad gpa. He even had such a knowledge of the LSAT that he thought he could apply to T-14. The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful the only thing he was afraid of was rejection from HYS. Which eventually, of course, he was. Unfortunately he applied to late in the cycle. He was not admitted to any T-14. It’s ironic he could master the LSAT but couldn’t get himself accepted...
I'm staying far away from cold weather territory...driving along the coast keeps my heart in Cali
Did you get in?!
Yes west coast best coast
Yeah. I don’t know, it’s hard to know what a “slam dunk” is. I have similar numbers to you—just a little more than a .1 higher in GPA—but was just hit with the “priority reserve.” A little disheartening, but gotta stay positive! (To bad it’s my first decision)
Looking back, I should have written a “why duke”—hopefully, you made your interest clear in your LOCI. I should start working on one of those...
But good luck, and keep your head up. I would think that your numbers are enough for a great cycle!—A.c.S
@"surfy surf" Haven't heard anything since their acknowledgement of receiving my LOCI. My understanding is that most waitlist movement happens in April, March and beyond as initial seat deposits come in.
Tune in next week for another agonizing episode of, "The waiting game"
@acsimon Whaaaaaaaaaaaat??? They waitlisted YOU? When did this happen???
Yesterday. But I can’t take it too hard; these schools can do what they want, and I understand that. There’s a lot of people who are better than me that were hit with the PR.
Gotta take the pride out of the equation. At least, that was the gist of my response to @tylerdschreur10. These things are just more difficult than they should be, otherwise. Here, it just sucks because it’s the first place I’ve heard back from and, understandably, unease can set in.
I’ll just have to write a LOCI and hope for the best. Hopefully, the OP does it too!—A.c.S
Oh man, I'm doomed....:(
Y'all got this! I wouldn't worry about it. If you haven't written a Why Duke essay, then the LOCI is a great time to do that. :B Try and come up with a cool project or accomplishment to succeed at in the next few months to add to have something to add to your application.
A small note about scholarships and waitlists/reserves: In April, as schools get more of an idea of who will be attending and who will not be, there will be a ton of people who the offered lots of money who ultimately rejected the school's offer. This frees up a bunch of money for later in the cycle (ie. waitlist folks). While it depends on the randomness of who accepts/rejects their admissions offers initially, it's not impossible that there will be even more money left over after April than in the regular admission time.