Though one can get to Carnegie Hall with practice, as the old adage goes, it takes a bit more than a strong work ethic to be accepted to Duke University.
Turns out, it takes a combination of factors, as Roslyn School District Guidance Director Art Mandel learned after visiting the North Carolina school in late 2014 as admissions counselors reviewed early admission applications.
Early admission applicants, who if accepted agree to attend the university, are evaluated for the strength of their curriculum, grades, standardized test scores, recommendation letters, essay and extracurricular activities. Each category is rated on a 1-5 scale by two admissions counselors, for a maximum 60-point score.
“You think, well, maybe [one’s SAT] or [grades] are low, but [activities] and [one’s essay] could make up for it, but that’s not the case,” Mandel said in a presentation Thursday to the Board of Education, referencing the list of criteria in a Powerpoint presentation. “It all counts.”
Duke accepted 815 early-decision applicants for its Class of 2019, which school officials have said will make up 48 percent of the fall’s incoming class. The school received 3,180 early decision applications.
According to a Dec. 11, 2014 news release from the Duke, North Carolina, New York, California, Florida and New Jersey had the highest representation of students accepted during the recent early admission period.
Mandel was not permitted to sit in with admissions counselors reviewing applications from New York, but said Roslyn students “do very well” in gaining acceptance to Duke.
When Mandel shadowed Duke admissions personnel, 126 early admission applications were screened in six hours to fill nine spots, four within the university’s engineering program, he said.
Though trustees asked whether any particular category on the university’s 30-point scale is weighed more heavily than another, Mandel and Roslyn administrators stressed that applicants must excel in all five areas to be considered attractive candidates.
“You think they’d take [a tougher] curriculum, but if you’re applying to Duke, if that curriculum gets a five and your grades are a three, it’s the same as a kid with a curriculum that’s a three and grades that are a five,” Roslyn Superintendent of Schools Dan Brenner said. “The bottom line is that the kid that’s getting into Duke is getting a five in both [categories].”
But the 60-point scale could be affected by numerous other categories, such as the strength of a student’s intended major, aptitude scores in music, arts and dance and the quality of a student’s interview with alumni, Mandel said.
He suggested that if a student could secure an interview with a school’s alumnus, no matter the college, a student should take it unless that particular student does not interview well.
He said the Roslyn guidance department does offer interview coaching sessions upon request.
Other external factors, such as whether a student has a family legacy with the university, is in need of academic development or is being considered for an academic scholarship, also impact Duke’s early admission process, Mandel said.
Legacy student applications are handled independently by the university’s Alumni Association, while most of Duke’s athletic scholarships will have already been awarded and accepted prior to the early admission deadline, he said.
