So, you’ve been rejected ED from Duke. First of all, we’re sorry, and we’re sure you’re having a lot of feelings about this right now. And, since you’re here, you probably want to know what you can do in this moment to take control of this situation. We want to say that Duke is a crazy hard school to get into – they haven’t released precise data since 2021, but we know their acceptance rate hovers around 5%, and their ED acceptance rate is about 15%. That doesn’t mean it’s 3x more likely to get into Duke ED. It means you have about the same chance you would if you applied to Georgetown, Berkeley, or UVA – aka, hard. That also means this is not a reflection of you or your talents or smarts or overall coolness, but rather that these schools have very limited spots and have to leave lots and lots of deserving students out of the mix.

We’ll say it, getting rejected sucks. We imagine you’re feeling pretty down on yourself, and if you’re here, you might still be in the panic stages of this process. We hope you read this post before making any panicked choices because we have some action items to help you feel a little more secure through the rest of this process.

Step One: Take a Little Break

You need to take a break. Duke is known as a work-hard play-hard school, so you’re probably a pretty work-hard play-hard kind of kid. You have been working nonstop for four years and just had a major wrench thrown into your plans. You might feel like your five-year plan is currently disappearing before your eyes, but we know that’s not the case. You are most likely in a ton of clubs and extracurriculars, and you’re probably very involved in sports or another time-intensive activity like theater or debate, plus all of the other commitments that you might have as a high school student. So, in the face of this hard news, you need to take a few days to have whatever feelings you need to have and give your brain a rest. You will have some things you need to do, and we want you in good shape before you tackle them. Whether taking a trip to an axe-throwing place or watching cheesy romcoms, it’s time to do whatever helps you feel better.

After your little break, come back here for some advice.

Step Two: Strategize

The first thing you’ll have to do is review your college list. Our clients and longtime readers of the blog created balanced college lists, meaning they have 8 to 10 schools on their list that are a healthy mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. If this sounds like you, you may decide to switch a school or two, but your biggest challenge will be thinking of an ED2 option. To quote Jack White, “I said it once before, but it bears repeating now,” if you have a solid college list, you do not need to scrap it and start over. Just because you got rejected early decision from Duke does not mean that you need to get rid of all the other reach schools from your list. Trust the balanced list you built, and if you applied early decision to Duke, then you probably applied early action to a number of other schools. We will talk about ED2 at the end of this section so feel free to skip down there. If this paragraph is not reflective of your current situation, keep reading.

We know that some of you only applied early decision to Duke. Some of you may only have five schools on list, and you haven’t worked on any of them other than Duke. In this case, you have a lot of work to do over the next two weeks, but it will not be impossible. We help students work on 8-12 applications in these two weeks between rejections and regular decision deadlines every year, and we can help you, too. You need to build a college list of 8 to 12 schools that are a balanced mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. To determine where you fall in those categories, you want to take a look at each school’s middle 50 data and compare that with your GPA and test scores. Even if you have perfect test scores and a perfect GPA, schools with a sub 10% acceptance rate will always be reaches, and most schools in the teens will be too, depending on other factors like the rigor of your extracurriculars or if you’re in state or not.

As you think about what schools to add to your college list the very first factor to consider is of course academics. College is school, not just a vibe factory, so you need to make sure every school on your list meets your academic goals. From there, you can think about factors like size, location, culture, and even weather. Think about what you liked about Duke, and find similar schools – you might like public schools like UNC, Michigan, UVA, and UT and other private colleges like Wake Forest or Notre Dame.

Back to ED2. We think you should absolutely apply ED2, it’s a smart strategic choice and can help boost your chances at another school on your list. Odds are that one of your other top 3-5 schools offers ED2, and you should go for it.

Step Three: Essays

If you have yet to work on your RD apps, or had to build an all new college list, then you’ve got some writing to do. We have guides on how to write loooooots of school specific supplements on our blog, but we need to talk about something even more important: the Common App essay.

If we were the betting type, we’d say the odds are pretty good that you’ll need to rewrite your Common App essay – or at the very least edit and change it up significantly. Don’t get mad! When we work with students who come to us in this two week period, we see their Common App essays, and they’re almost always not something we would have written. They’re well done, sure, but they’re cliche topics, or boring, or not even about you as a student! So many kids are writing about their biggest accomplishment, their most significant traumas, or their grandmas, and you don’t need to be that student. Those essays don’t stand out. Ours do.

The Common App essay is, at its core, a brainstorming activity, and we excel at helping students write essays that stand out and capture the attention of top-tier admissions officers. One key thing to remember is that the goal of this essay is to come across as relatable and likable! There’s no need to boast or seek sympathy—that’s what other sections of your application are for. Instead, use this space to highlight qualities and experiences that don’t, or literally can’t, show up in your application. Your grades and test scores already prove you’re insanely hard working, so use your essay to showcase a different side of yourself—like your sense of humor, an interesting hobby, or a fun personal quirk.

If you're feeling stuck, ask friends or family to describe you in five words. Finding the common themes in their responses can help spark an idea or remind you of a meaningful story that reflects those traits.

Now, as you go to write your Common App essay, you need to tell them a story. Good stories are interesting to read, and they allow the admissions officers to get a feel for your personality. Make sure to have a distinct beginning, middle, and end, and use a lot of descriptive details. Use things like smell, sight, sounds, touch, and taste to show instead of tell, and drop readers right into the middle of your story.

Step Four: Ask for Help

This is not the end of your college application journey. It may feel like it, but it’s not. You will end up at a fantastic school, you just have a little more work ahead of you. We believe in you!

If you’re facing a lot of work and don’t know where to begin, call us ASAP. Our “It’s Going to Be Okay” package will guide you through the next two weeks, whether you need a new college list, a totally new Common App essay, or help with your supplements. Time is of the essence, please don’t hesitate if you need our assistance.

Rejected and don’t know what to do? Reach out to us ASAP.