Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina, is a private research university known for their work-hard-play-hard mentality. Duke holds a special place in our heart, as it is one of the most popular and in-demand schools with our students. Last year, 91̽ students had over a 90% acceptance rate at Duke. As you probably know (since you’re here), Duke is crazy hard to get into. Like, Ivy-level hard to get into. The acceptance rate was 5.1% for the Class of 2028.
Duke has done a lot of work over the last decade to seem approachable, which in turn has increased their exclusivity. That means you need to do everything you can to stand out in a sea of more than qualified applicants, and one of the best ways to do that is through your essays. We have a lot of guidance on the Common App on the blog, but today we’re talking about Duke’s supplementals. Some of these are ‘optional’ (not really, we’ll discuss), and the rest are fairly straightforward. Let’s start with the mandatory question:
What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there's something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 word limit)*
This essay is, yes, a “why us” essay, but they threw in that lil’ caveat about community. Duke wants to know why you’re a good fit for them and vice-versa. Duke is an elite academic institution. But it is a work-hard-play-hard school where the vibes on campus (and during sporting events) can feel more like an SEC school. That said, the kids are SMART. So in this essay, they essentially want to know if you match their energy.
This is a 250-word essay, so directness and brevity will be important. When starting a “why us” essay, you want to begin by telling a short, personal story that serves as the origin story of your academic passion. If you want to major in chemistry, for example, maybe your origin story is about doing backyard science experiments with your siblings in the summer. Take us through your chemistry journey, and end the paragraph with declaring your major at Duke.
Next, you need to answer the “particulars about our offerings” part, which means it’s time to research. It might be helpful to think of the “why” essay as an argumentative paper, where the thesis is “I should go to school here” and the research you’re about to do is all your evidence. You should choose two upper level classes at Duke (read: 300 level or above) and a professor you’d like to work with. These choices should connect to your academic interests, and make sure to write about why you think they’re interesting or how they’ll help you meet your goals. If you want to study biology for the plants of it all, it won’t make sense to mention a human anatomy class here. Everything in this essay has to be super streamlined. You can also talk about any unique opportunities at Duke like study abroad, labs, or other specific things you find in your departmental research as long as they 1) relate to your major or 2) have a connection to something you’ve done in high school.
And don’t forget the whole community part, either. We know this is a short essay, but you also need to mention extracurricular activities, whether they’re clubs, traditions, or service. You also want to make sure that the extracurriculars you choose aren’t totally out of nowhere for you; they should connect to things you’ve done in high school. If you have the space, conclude the essay with a brief sentence that summarizes your main points.
Now onto the “optional” essays. Let’s be clear, though, when a school has a 5% acceptance rate, there is no such thing as optional. So buckle in, kiddos, you will be writing two more essays, but you get to choose two out of the five prompts.
We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. Feel free to answer them if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already shared elsewhere in your application. Five optional questions are available - a maximum of 2 can be selected.
1. Perspective response
We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community. (250 word limit)
This prompt goes pretty wide with it, which can make it hard to tackle. When students see “community,” they often want to immediately write about community via identity like a religious or ethnic group, or about something that’s very obvious like community service, a sports team, or a club at school. When brainstorming this question, we’d like you to expand your idea of community a little further. Remember, a lot of students are writing about the things we listed above, and, if possible, we want you to write about something a little more unique. That being said, if your race, religion, or ethnicity are important parts of your identity, write a story that brings the reader into your life.
Think about the things you do with (or for) others. Maybe your street in your neighborhood or your apartment floor is really tight-knit, or you’re extremely active in an online community dedicated to house plants. You could talk about a family tradition, or even how really tall people always seem to nod at each other. Once you have your idea, you want to tell a story about it, preferably one where you learned a lesson or skill, or that showcases a moment in time that’s indicative of the community itself.
2. Intellectual experience
Tell us about an intellectual experience in the past two years that you found absolutely fascinating. (250 word limit)
We really love this question. It will allow you to show Duke a new and passionate side of yourself. You might be initially tempted to write about something that connects to your major, like a research project you undertook on your own or an internship. You also might think you want to write about an in-school moment of intellectualism, but we want to challenge you to think a little deeper and weirder than that.
They know you like (insert topic here), but do they know about your side hobby of plant identification? That you, a prospective English major, taught yourself how to build a PC? Maybe you took it upon yourself to take Chinese classes at the community college, or have deep knowledge about a niche topic like 18th-century literature. What about the time you went down the rabbit hole on the modernization of Seoul and then started taking Korean classes? Intellectual experiences can be almost anything that you find interesting and challenging, so don’t be afraid to get creative with your answer here. You will want to tell us a story with this one too, maybe a snapshot of a particular day in this pursuit, or the story of how you got started and fell in love with this idea.
3. Beliefs & values
We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about? (250 word limit)
A bunch of schools have started asking this question and we actually like them! We like the idea of valuing different opinions, discussing hard topics, and disagreeing in good faith. We also like the idea of validating beliefs. But Duke’s wording is a little confusing so we’re going to be annoying and harp on the question for a second. Feel free to skip this next paragraph if you think arguing with a question is annoying (it is).
They’re asking you two questions, “who do you agree with?” or “who do you disagree with?” and you do have to pick one and not answer both. As adults, we’re like, fine, whatever, nbd. But we work with students. And students find this stressful because they think there is a right or wrong answer. So, @TheYouths, there is no wrong choice. Disagreements with resolutions produce good stories. And, @Duke, we *get* it, but the kids get all up in their feelings about it, and honestly they get very anxious, so if you could just ask them about disagreements we think you’d get the fun essays you’re looking for. Rant over, Xo.
Anyway. Once you think of your person, you’ll want to pick a specific interaction. Don’t write widely or generally about what you talk about, instead think of a conversation or disagreement that sticks out for you. Like we said, disagreements are usually more interesting to write about, but make sure you’re not hitting any super hot-button issues that might rub any readers the wrong way, instead going for a story with a bit of nuance. As you write, remember that one way to really make this essay pop is by using dialogue to walk your reader through the story. Remember you must have a conclusion, and resolutions are a nice way to end things. But a resolution doesn’t have to be that someone changed their mind. It can be growth, respect, or a new way of looking at things.
4. Orientation, identity, expression
Duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community. (250 word limit)
Okay, so if this does not apply to you, do not answer it. If you are straight/cis or otherwise not a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, you should under no circumstances answer this prompt. And we are not including ally in that abbreviation for the sake of this essay. Duke does not want to read an essay about how hard it is to be a straight man these days, nor do they want to read your gender-critical screed.
Like the other prompts, you’ll want to tell a story about your identity. You might choose to write about the intersection of your identity and something else like community or family, or about your journey to where you are. We would also like to note here that you don’t have to write this one if you’re LGBTQIA+.
A huge caveat here: if you’re not out or don’t feel comfortable, then you don’t need to write it. You do not need to show your soul in a way that feels too vulnerable to get into Duke. If you’re not out to your parents and don’t want them to find out in this essay, don’t write this. If you’re questioning your identity and don’t feel comfortable drawing conclusions, don’t write this essay. We work with many queer students who don’t share their queerness with colleges and still get into top-tier schools. If you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community and don’t know what to do and want help writing this essay, contact us here.
5. Being different
We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you. (250 word limit)
This prompt is great because this is another opportunity to show Duke another cool side of yourself, but this time, make it ~qUiRkY~. We want to discourage you from writing about any huge differences, instead focus on the small things you do that set you apart from others. Maybe you handwrite everything instead of type, or know everyone’s phone numbers by heart. You could be a jock who’s a covert nerd, playing D&D under the cover of darkness. You will want to tell a story about this quirk or difference, and make sure to answer the second part of the question, too. Maybe you found community within your difference, or you got a friend or family member to join your quest. Start this essay in the middle of the scene that showcases your quirkiness, and take the reader on a deep dive.
Duke is a very hard school to get into, and one of the most popular schools among our clients. These prompts are asking you to explore sides of yourself that Duke otherwise wouldn’t know from your application, so take the time to brainstorm answers that really let your personality show.
Need help with your Duke app? We got you, reach out today.