We have expert writers with degrees from Duke University who can help you get in.
High school graduates spend a lot of time and energy hunting down the best colleges in the country. This is not an easy task. Applying to multiple schools and keeping tabs on the college admissions at each one can make anyone’s head spin.
Duke is one of the oldest seats of learning that the US has to offer. The acceptance rate is under 10% which means applicants have to fight pretty hard to get admission.
Duke University seeks diverse criteria into consideration before making its decision, including academic performance, proof of extracurricular excellence, community and social services, etc. Not to mention some form of the “Why Duke” essay also holds a special place in the process.
In this post, we will go through the things that make Duke supplemental essays admission worthy of rejection. Also, we will present an example and its analysis for aspirants’ guidance.
The “Why Duke University” Essay Prompt
The “Why Duke” essay example for current applicants is as follows:
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)
This looks pretty straightforward. Duke University seeks to know why a certain applicant is attracted to the college to pursue undergraduate studies. Most of the time, the college admissions forms are filled with essays that highlight all the things that applicants can find about Duke over the internet.
That’s where this is where the Duke essays cease to be simple!
The admissions officers want a story in Duke supplemental essays, a longing to join the college, and study with diverse groups of students from all around the world. They want to read specific discourse about future ambitions and how Duke will help the applicants in achieving those dreams.
Since most of the applicants resort to the former case by writing Duke supplemental essays riddled with cliches and phrases, no wonder the acceptance rate at Duke is under double figures!
Aspirants who allocate time and other resources to research and write Duke supplemental essays get to enjoy the campus and learn from the best professors and instructors in the country.
Are you applying to Duke but not sure if you will get in? Let us take the uncertainty out of the equation! Our professional writers have immense experience and expertise in composing excellent essays for applicants. Contact us now!
What Makes A “Why Duke” Essay Engaging
In all its primitiveness, aspirants are given a limited word count to stand apart from the crowd during college admissions. They can use this “space” to cram all the public knowledge into the Duke’s academic essays, or they can get to the brass tacks and make a “why Duke” essay excellent.
Many go the route of following other aspirants or even alumni by copying their duke essays. This may seem non-evasive but it often results in being rejected because of unoriginal essays.
The most important thing to engage admissions officers through a Duke supplemental essay is by exploring personal stories. That’s why it pays to read, reread, and understand the question and then set aside time and energy to answer it.
In these Duke essays, the administration specifically asked why an applicant is attracted to Duke. Is it a specific program? Or a special seminar or a workshop by a professor?
In either case, the best way to move forward is to sober up the emotions with straight facts and figures in the best Duke essays.
What Makes A “Why Duke University” Essay Unappealing
With the passage of time, as the number of applicants and number of programs are rising, the acceptance rate is going down. It is becoming tougher for aspirants to prove their mettle through academic records and proof of extracurricular activities. That’s the reason admissions officers ask for the Duke supplemental essays.
Before highlighting the things that make an essay engaging, let us take a look at some of the points that are too unappealing for the admissions committee.
Here is the rundown:
- Lack of Identity & Ambitions
- Too Many Ambiguities
- Cliches & Dead Phrases
- Poor Writing Skills
Lack of Identity & Ambitions
The admissions officers at Duke want to know about things about aspirants that inspire them, make them move, and get up each day and face another day. They want to know if there is a deep connection that aspirants feel between them and Duke. In all its essence, “why Duke” is all about “why Duke+applicant”.
Too Many Ambiguities
Sometimes ambiguity is used as a literary device to make storytelling intriguing. Other than that, ambiguity kills emotions and the flow of content. That’s why applicants should go through multiple drafts before setting their hearts on one to remove all the vague things and bring clarity to the essay.
Cliches & Dead Phrases
Many students send essays laden with cliches and dead phrases. The latter means idioms and phrases that used to have some significance. But repeated usage made them obsolete. Instead of relying on what has already been written and tests, applicants can come up with new and exciting phrases of their own. This will help them in telling their stories more elaborately.
Poor Writing Skills
If there is a kryptonite to Duke admissions, it is poor writing skills. In a maximum of 200 words, applicants will have to showcase their plans and how Duke will help them in materializing those dreams. When an essay is riddled with grammatical errors and structural inconsistencies, there will be no hope for aspirants to secure admission.
How to Make “Why Duke” Essay Engaging
At the cost of making the whole process oversimplified, it can be said that writing an essay can be easy. Of course, it will take some learning, research, and a couple of drafts before applicants can truly nail it, but it can be done as with any previous essay prompt. The admitted students are real proof of this as well as Duke’s commitment to them!
So, here are some of the things that will make the essay engaging and will improve the odds of securing admission to attend Duke:
- Exploring a reaction or a meeting with an alumnus can help them start the essay and then keep it rolling
- Highlighting specific programs, departments, and seminars can help them in appealing admissions officers that they have made up their minds with complete consciousness
- The idea of living and learning with a vibrant community of an engaged student body on-campus can make it for a great Duke supplemental essay
- Duke community of graduates enjoy immense respect and opportunities to further their careers. It will make it a great essay prompt if applicants can explain they are coming for the same reason
Connecting one or many of the reasons with a personal back story and a plan will help aspirants in composing engaging essay prompts. Still, it needs to be original and personal across all levels.
Top Tips For An Engaging “Why Duke” Essay
Following are some of the top tips that will help applicants in composing engaging and admission worthy essays:
- Identity & Story
- Future With Duke
- Challenges & Redemption
- The Bigger Picture
Identity & Story
The rationale of this Duke University essay prompt is to get the real person behind the application. In that sense, it is more about a personal story and identity than showcasing simply filling a blank page. That’s why essays with deep storylines and discourse take their applicants to the next stage.
Future With Duke
The admissions officers want to see how applicants will see them in the coming years at Duke University. They want to know how they will utilize their time and facilities given by Duke to weave a promising future for themselves and ultimately for Duke University.
Challenges & Redemption
Nothing moves the readers more than a story of challenges faced by a weak hero and then how that hero bested those challenges for redemption. By highlighting their endurance and mindset to overcome hindrances.
The Bigger Picture
Applicants with myopic vision have a hard time convincing admissions officers at Duke University. It is best to explore where they came from and where they want to go with their education. Duke endorses universal values and that is what it expects from its alumni.
Going through a previous essay prompt can also help in honing a personal statement.
An Example of Engaging “Why Duke” Essay
Here is an example of one of the best Duke University supplemental essays:
A naturalist, second-generation immigrant, and first-generation college student, it was not long ago I used to see myself as an “immigrant” and a misfit. The skin of my color; the movements of my tongue and the phrase coming out of it; all felt alien!
In high school, I excelled at everything, from academics to circuits and even debates, even though I had to rehearse a lot. Still, every time someone would hear my name or come closer to me, I was far away from the present. At Duke University, I plan to cover centuries and millenniums in seconds.
As the home of brilliance and diversity, Duke’s commitment to students will help me to further understand concrete ideas as well as abstract ones. Trinity College of Arts & Sciences will shape my perspective and Nicholas School of the Environment Sanford School of Public Policy will help me to become a climate advocate with sustainable plans and futures.
I hope to be a better professional and a person after interacting with a diverse group of the engaged student body and becoming one with the rest of them!
Why It Is A Perfect Example
Here are the reasons why it is a perfect example for a Duke University essay:
- There is a perfect balance between emotions and rationality
- The writer reveals his identity in the opening paragraph, the challenges he faced, and how Duke will help him redefine himself
- There is a clear “plan of action” in the essay about why the writer wants to attend Duke
- The prose is honest, true, and to the point
