17 Dec 2009, Posted by Sabrina Rubakovic in Academics, News, 0 Comments
The Chronicle’s Sabrina Rubakovic spoke with six high school seniors who have just been accepted to Duke. The first members of the Class of 2014 talk about why they chose Duke and how they and their parents reacted when they found out that they got in.
Ari Novick: Davie, Florida
The Chronicle: What was your reaction to being accepted?
Ari Novick: I was very ecstatic. I rushed to tell my mom and I called my dad to let him know. I actually called my dad and walked into the room where my mom was and right as my dad picked up I said, “I’m accepted” and both of them heard at the same time.
TC: Were you intimidated by the 32-percent spike in applications?
AN: I didn’t actually hear about that until afterwards. Apparently my parents knew about that and they decided not to tell me because they didn’t want to worry me. I think that if I had known, it wouldn’t have worried me since my grades are what they are, and there’s nothing I could do about that. I would’ve just hoped that the 32% just weren’t that smart.
TC: Did you think that you would be facing more competitive applicants this year?
AN: I thought it was possible but I try not to worry myself about that sort of thing because my grades, they are what they are there’s nothing I could do to change that, so all I can do is apply and hope. So I worried a little bit but I didn’t really let it get to me.
TC: What did you think of the application process?
AN: I thought it was fairly easy compared to a lot of other schools. The common application made things very easy, the Duke supplement was pretty easy. It’s stressful because once you hit submit you hope that you remembered to put everything on that application and you have a deadline to meet, and that makes you stress.
TC: Why Duke?
AN: I applied to [The Pratt School of Engineering], and Pratt’s one of the best engineering schools so that already distinguishes Duke. And also there’s a certain dichotomy of academic vitality and social vivacity. People at Duke seem to be smart and have fun doing it. Plus, Duke has a great campus and is great climate-wise. I can’t wait to be a part of the Krzyzewskiville culture, camping out.
TC: Any additional comments?
AN: It’s kind of anticlimactic getting in early decision because now I’m in and now I have to go back to high school for half a year. And nothing’s really happening between me and Duke until regular decision applicants are accepted [in March]. So I got in and it’s kind of anticlimactic.
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Janu Ramakrishna: Troy, Michigan
The Chronicle: What was your reaction to being accepted?
Janu Ramakrishna: I think I screamed for like two hours straight. I was excited because I applied early decision because I knew that that was my number one school, and it felt like a victory, you know, like an achievement.
TC: Were you intimidated by the 32-percent spike in applications?
JR: I was aware [of the increase], my dad showed me the article. It was scary but then I also read about how there was only an increase from certain areas, like international applications and like in California, and you know how they take a quarter of students from each area. So I was worried, but I wasn’t that worried since there wasn’t a big increase in applications from Michigan, so it wouldn’t really affect their quota from Michigan.
TC: Did you think that you would be facing more competitive applicants this year?
JR: Yes, I was so worried because last year some of our best students went to Duke, so I was very worried that it would be difficult and my chances weren’t as high as I wanted them to be.
TC: What did you think of the application process?
JR: It was pretty okay. I kind of, you know, looked at the application beforehand and kind of knew what had to be done. I talked to the admissions office, but I mean it’s still a daunting process. There’s still a ton of work and at times I was like I really don’t want to do this right now, but I really wanted to go to Duke and apply early decision, so I knew it had to be done. So it was tedious, but it was necessary.
TC: Why Duke?
JR: That’s a big one. My dad went there so that was definitely a factor in my introduction to Duke. But I want to go into BME as of right now and Duke’s number two. But for me it’s the balance between academics and social life that kind of interested me. I go to a really intense college prep school, and I didn’t want to be around kids who were that intense academically again. I wanted to be around kids who were that ambitious but more well-rounded. So that was something that intrigued me. And I also read somewhere that there was a lot of focus on undergraduates and not just graduate students, so I’d have access to research.
TC: Any additional comments?
I was definitely really excited. I can’t wait to start, I just want to be done with high school right now. It feels good, it feels really good, and I’m excited because I’m hoping that Duke is really like the place where I’m going to come into own.
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Ryan Kane: Florida
The Chronicle: What was your reaction to being accepted?
Ryan Kane: Shock and happiness. I wasn’t sure how good my chances were at getting in so when I saw congratulations I got accepted, that was really all I read when I opened it.
TC: Were you intimidated by the 32% spike in applications?
RK: That worried me a bit after I applied.
TC: Did you think that you would be facing more competitive applicants this year?
RK: Well I kind of thought I would, but I also thought there would be a lot of students that weren’t more qualified because Duke’s been advertising their financial aid so I thought that people who didn’t think they had much of a shot would apply too.
TC: What did you think of the application process?
RK: I only applied to two places and Duke’s pretty straightforward. I didn’t get an interview but other than that it went pretty easily.
TC: Why Duke?
RK: Besides the fact that it’s a good school, what really lured me in was when I visited last spring. It felt a lot different than any of the other schools I visited. It felt just as academic as all of the other schools but a lot more fun. I visited Georgetown and Stanford, and they seemed a lot stricter. Duke seemed not more laid back but more lively, more active, like there would be more going on.
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Abby Schoenfeld: Durham, North Carolina; Durham Academy
The Chronicle: What was your reaction to being accepted?
Abby Schoenfeld: I was really excited and my dad cried. Both of my parents went to Duke and they had already bought a bunch of Duke merchandise, so they weren’t hiding very well when I opened the decision.
It’s a huge load off.
TC: Were you intimidated by the 32-percent spike in applications?
AS: That was really intimidating, but I figured I would just be Zen about it. If I didn’t get in, that is what it is. But I did get in, so no problem.
TC: Did you think that you would be facing more competitive applicants this year?
AS: Probably. I had heard that my class was the biggest class to ever be applying to college so that was kind of scary and I knew that Duke was getting really hot because my dad told me because he works there…
He is vice president for public affairs [and government relations], Michael Schoenfeld.
TC: What did you think of the application process?
AS: The hardest part was doing the essays but once I figured out a good topic it just sort of came to me and I just wrote it all in one sitting, so it was hard until that point.
TC: Why Duke?
AS: Because I love all the stuff they’re doing interdisciplinarily and I could have a really flexible curriculum and they have great study abroad options which I’m really interested in, and I’d think I’d like to double major in ICS [international comparative studies] and music, hopefully.
TC: Any other comments?
AS: I’m really excited!
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Matt Ordway; Stamford, Connecticut
The Chronicle: What was your reaction to being accepted?
Matt Ordway: I was very, very excited. I was very happy. I wasn’t really sure what would happen–if I was going to get in or not, so it was a relief. Also, I’m done with the college process, and it’s my first choice.
TC: Were you intimidated by the 32% spike in applications?
MO: Yes, I wasn’t really sure what would happen.
TC: Did you think that you would be facing more competitive applicants this year?
MO: I didn’t really have any idea.
TC: What did you think of the application process?
MO: I didn’t think it was too bad. I made sure to start early so I wouldn’t do anything last minute. I made sure I got everything in early so I wouldn’t be stressed out to make deadlines. If I applied regular decision, it would be a lot more stressful just because I already know so early, and I didn’t do any of my regular decision supplements, so if I didn’t get into Duke I’d have like a week or two weeks to get those done.
TC: Why Duke?
MO: I visited last summer and there weren’t a lot of students on campus, but I got a sense that everyone really loves Duke and there’s a lot of pride and good academics and I thought it was really cool campus, and just ever overall I just thought it would b e a really good fit for me.
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Claire Stovall: Clarksville, Georgia
The Chronicle: What was your reaction to being accepted?
Claire Stovall: I was actually kind of in disbelief. I felt like I’ve been waiting so long that when I actually got it I was like “oh my god I got in.” I just kind of sat there, and my dad was like flipping out. It took me a few hours to be like “oh, this is really happening.”
[When it registered], I was so excited, I was so happy about it. I really wanted to go to Duke for a long time. My dad told everybody and my phone was like exploding. He sent like a mass email to my family and everyone I know and I put it on my Facebook and got like 40 comments and 15 likes or something ridiculous. It was crazy.
TC: Were you intimidated by the 32-percent spike in applications?
CS: I really was, I was looking at all the statistics of [Duke students], and mine were pretty good. I thought I had a pretty good chance, especially because the [acceptance rate] was better for early decision. But when I saw the article about the increase, I was like “oh no, there’s going to be a lot of people that I’m up against.”
TC: Did you think that you would be facing more competitive applicants this year?
CS: Not really. I really didn’t think that. I figured it would be about the same as last year, except there would be more of them, of course.
TC: What did you think of the application process?
CS: I thought it was pretty easy except there were just a lot of forms that I had to get filled out and getting other people to fill them out was stressful. I didn’t really mind the essays. It was just making sure [Duke] had it all, I was so worried they’d get lost or something.
TC: Why Duke?
CS: I wrote an essay about that! I went to the TIP [Talent Identification] program and I did that for 3 years, and that means I was at Duke for 9 weeks. I was really impressed with all the buildings and facilities, and I worked at the science centers when I was at TIP and I was like “oh this is amazing.” And it’s a really highly ranked school and it’s close to my house.
All the big schools that are like really popular, really highly ranked schools, they’re mostly up north I feel like. Duke is in the south, and I live in Georgia and I wouldn’t have to fly anywhere.
There were people that came to talk to us [at TIP] about Duke and I really liked it. There was one lady that taught our class that was a TA [at Duke], and I liked her.
The [French Family Science Center] was really cool too.
TC: Any other comments?
CS: I’m very excited. I’m very, very excited.
