Duke is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Most Duke students are sports and school spirit fanatics who can also handle a competitive and intense academic environment. Being admitted to Duke is no easy feat, and the acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 7.7%. Let’s look at their supplemental questions:
Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attract you? (200 words maximum)
Depending upon what you plan to study, a question very similar to the one typed out above will populate in your common app account. This is a straightforward question, and Duke wants you to get specific about why you want to attend the school. This is not the time to talk about your free-spirited and figure things out along the way approach to life. You’ll do that by addressing the following:
Your intended major at Duke
Two upper level classes that you’d like to take
A professor that you’d like to do research with
An extracurricular activity that you plan to join
Start by looking at the list of majors offered at Duke. If you don’t already know what you want to major in, you might want to spend some time thinking about why Duke is on your list. If you have sights set on Duke because of status, or because someone you think is cool is going there next year, we urge you to do more research on the school before applying.
For those who have done the research, let’s say you want to attend Duke to study Biology. We’re using biology as an example because Duke has a standout Marine Biology concentration, which is an example of a solid reason for wanting to go there. You would then pick two upper-level classes from the course catalog that you want to take, and in your written response you should include your reasoning for wanting to take the classes that you chose. “I grew up wanting to be a marine biologist” is not a good reason if you not have familiarized yourself with the subject since you went to Sea World when you were ten. Think about classes that you’ve taken in high school, books you’ve read, and jobs and internships that you’ve had that make a good fit for the classes. Then, look into the professors. Duke is proud of their offerings and they want to admit students who have familiarized themselves with their curriculum and faculty because it proves that you are entering Duke with a plan, which is what they want. Pitch yourself as a research assistant for a faculty member who is doing work in your area of expertise.
Please note that in addition to asking about academics, Duke asked about “other offerings” that have influenced your decision to apply. We recommend writing about an extracurricular activity that aligns with what you did in high school. If you get in, you can join any club that you want. But you need to consider what you’ve already done and find something similar at Duke for this supplement. If there are any other special programs or specific Duke offerings that caught your eye, you can write about that here as well—but make sure that they’re truly Duke specific.
Your response should have a narrative flow, meaning that it should read like a story. Duke wants to know why you’re a good match, so you should weave their offerings into details about yourself that show how you’ll grow at Duke, but also what you’ll be bringing to the table.
The following questions are optional for all 2020-21 applicants to Duke University:
***Duke’s acceptance rate is Ivy League low, a term that we just made up. There is no such thing as an optional supplement with an acceptance rate below 10%. We consider these mandatory***
Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had that would help us understand you better, perhaps a community you belong to or your family or cultural background, we encourage you to do so here. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 words maximum)
Here we have Duke’s clunky version of a diversity question. Duke is saying that diversity is an important aspect of building out their student body, and they are asking you to share something that speaks to the fact that you are accepting of others.
When we work on this prompt with TKG clients, we like to think small. Community is a huge concept, and students can quickly lose touch and/or get lost when they write about cultural backgrounds, so we like to focus on experiences that show how you interact with people who are different than you. To start the brainstorming process, think about interactions and conversations that you’ve had with people who have had a different life experience than you.
We are not suggesting that you write about a debate that you had with someone who has different political views. We are talking about small learning experiences that you’ve had or a time when you hit pause on your own assumptions to hear the perspective of someone else. A huge outcome, or a-ha moment is not a prerequisite for your response. Maybe you learned about the food culture of a friend when you went to their house for dinner, or a book you read sparked a conversation with an acquaintance who felt differently than you. The smaller, the better. And once again for those in the back, the experience or conversation that you write about does not need to end with having changed your mind or having changed someone else’s mind. Think: listening to learn, not win an argument.
Once you decide what you’re going to write about, go back over the chain of events in your head and jot down every detail you can think of. Think about what started the conversation and your reasons for wanting to discuss the topic at hand. Your response should be in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end. No introductory paragraph needed! Drop the reader into the scene and make them feel like they are witnessing things first hand.
Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you would like to share with us more about your identity, you can do so here, or use any previous essay prompt you feel is appropriate. (250 words maximum)
THIS QUESTION IS ONLY FOR MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY. This is not a space to demonstrate your allyship. Please spare us your emails about how “it’s unfair that certain people get additional space!” and instead watch Disclosure on Netflix.
Duke is asking this question because these communities are currently marginalized, and have been historically marginalized. Duke wants to know what you’ve had to deal with and how the experiences you choose to share have affected your life thus far.
As happy as we are to see this very necessary prompt, and to see Duke creating this space, only you can decide what you’re comfortable sharing. You do not have to write about anything that makes you uncomfortable to get into college. If there are things that you haven’t shared with family and friends, you do not have to share them with Duke. This space is meant to feel safe, so don’t push yourself to reveal things that you do not feel comfortable sharing.
It will be extremely hard to get into Duke this year, and your supplements should be the perfect complement to your common app essay. Start thinking about what you need to show Duke now, and then make a game plan for your responses.
If you’d like to work with someone one-on-one, contact us here.