🍦 Let's Duke it Out (Nov 6)

Good morning folks! Here’s what we have today:

1. Link Lounge Refresh

2. Daily Deep Dive: Duke University

3. Essay of the Week: Why Duke?

FUN FACT OF THE DAY
Did you know…

🍂 Cornell’s Haunted Stories: Cornell University’s Olin Library is said to be haunted, with students claiming to have heard ghostly whispers among the bookshelves, supposedly from the ghost of a heartbroken woman. Learn more about the story here.

LINK LOUNGE
Happy Wednesday!! Here’s some key resources you deserve for making it through the first half of the week

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we will be updating the Link Lounge section with links to great resources such as scholarships and tools during the college application process. You’ll find it at the top of your email on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and near the bottom during the rest of the week.

(NEW) Burger King Scholars Program - $1,000 to $60,000 awards, due December 16

(NEW) California Community Colleges Dual Enrollment Program - take college-credit courses as a high schooler, for free

Taco Bell Live Mas Scholarship - $5,000 to $25,000 awards towards college

InspiritAI - Artificial Intelligence Program for High School Students

DAILY DEEP DIVE
Duke University

For at least the next two months, we will be switching out our School of the Day section for a Daily Deep Dive section where we will be focusing less on the high-level overview of a school, instead examining how you can craft a stand-out application to the school. As we debut this new section, we’re looking to hear what you think about the content, so if possible, be sure to fill out this form to let us know your thoughts.

Duke’s Vibe: What are they looking for?

Every school’s admissions team has a school vibe they are trying to create. While not every student perfectly fits into that profile, it’s important to show sides of yourself that align with that vibe in your application.

Duke’s admissions team values students who are ambitious, intellectually curious, and excited to embrace diverse perspectives. They seek applicants who bring creativity, openness, and a collaborative spirit to the table. Duke prides itself on being a vibrant community where students don’t just learn in the classroom but from each other’s lived experiences, ideas, and backgrounds. To make your application resonate with Duke, highlight experiences where you showed resilience, intellectual energy, and a commitment to community. If you’re passionate about collaboration and learning from a variety of viewpoints, be sure to showcase those qualities in your essays.

The essays and how to best answer them

Now, with the vibe in mind, let’s dive into how to best answer the prompts that Duke asks.

Why Duke? (250 words)

Prompt: 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.

This prompt is all about showing how Duke aligns with your academic and personal goals. Duke is known for its strong community, interdisciplinary opportunities, and active campus life, so think about how these elements speak to you. Be specific in mentioning academic programs, research opportunities, clubs, or campus traditions that excite you and explain why. Duke wants to know you’re excited about their community in particular—not just about attending any highly ranked school. To answer effectively, focus on the unique aspects of Duke that make it a perfect fit for you and connect those to your passions and future goals.

Optional Essays (250 words each)

Pick up to two of the following prompts:

• Perspective Response

  We believe a wide range of viewpoints, 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.

  Duke values diversity of thought and experience, so use this prompt to highlight what makes your background or perspective unique. Whether it’s an important cultural experience, a formative belief, or a viewpoint you hold strongly, show how this aspect of you will contribute to the Duke community. This is a great place to demonstrate openness to learning from others and a commitment to sharing and growing within a diverse environment.

• Intellectual Experience

  Tell us about an experience in the past year or two that reflects your imagination, creativity, or intellect.

  For this prompt, choose an experience that showcases your intellectual curiosity and ability to think outside the box. This could be a creative project, a research endeavor, or even a personal challenge you took on. Describe not only what you did but also the thought process behind it, what excited you, and how it reflects your approach to learning. Duke values students who are not just achievers but also imaginative thinkers, so don’t be afraid to showcase a unique side of yourself here.

• 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?

  This prompt invites you to discuss a meaningful conversation or relationship that has shaped your thinking. Whether you’re exploring a deep agreement or an interesting disagreement, focus on what the exchange taught you about your own beliefs and values. Duke appreciates students who think critically and are willing to engage with different perspectives, so show your willingness to question, adapt, and grow through this experience.

• 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.

  Use this prompt to reflect on how your identity or experiences with orientation, gender identity, or gender expression have shaped who you are. If this aspect of your identity has impacted your perspective, growth, or sense of belonging, share those experiences with honesty and depth. Duke wants to understand your journey and how this part of your identity influences your goals, values, and commitment to building inclusive communities.

• Being Different

  We recognize that not fully “fitting in” a community or place can sometimes be difficult. Duke values the effort, resilience, and independence that may require. Feel free to share with us circumstances where something about you is different and how that’s influenced your experiences or identity.

  This prompt is a chance to share an experience where you felt like an outsider or faced challenges fitting in. Duke values resilience and self-confidence, so highlight how these experiences have strengthened your character, independence, or empathy. Be authentic and specific—whether you’re discussing a cultural difference, a personal belief, or a unique interest, show how these experiences have shaped your perspective and how you can bring a unique voice to the Duke community.

INFO ZONE
ICYMI: Some banger upcoming information sessions

Here’s some upcoming school virtual information sessions. These are great opportunities to learn more about school’s programs to determine if the school is a right fit for you. It’s also great to learn more about the school’s vibe and possibly what admissions officers are looking for. All the times listed are below are already converted into Pacific.

Emory University Oxford College Student Panel - Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 3:00 PM until 4:00 PM

UC Berkeley Admissions Presentation - Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 3:00 PM until 4:00 PM

(NEW) CMU Remote Information Session - Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 12:30 PM until 1:30 PM

(NEW) Northwestern Online Admissions Information Session- Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM

UCSD Triton Student Insights - Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 3:00 PM until 3:45 PM

ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Why Duke?

We covered how to answer the Duke essays in the Daily Deep Dive section so figured it would be fitting to share an example of a real essay that a student wrote in our Essay of the Week.

Prompt: 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 words).

Our Thoughts

Just like we discussed in the Daily Deep Dive today, Duke is looking for students to demonstrate lots of interest in this Why Us? essay, along with a great creative writing ability. This student does a great job of checking both those boxes, right from the start.

The vivid imagery at the start not only demonstrates interest in the field that the student wants to pursue, it also is detailed enough to show that they have a great amount of knowledge of the field. Then, the student begins connecting their interest in media to politics and then connecting that to Duke’s offering like the Sanford School of Public Policy. But, they don‘t stop at just the school, they start going into resources within the school (Dewitt Wallace Center) and how they will take advantage of those resources. The student does the same with courses and takes about how they have a clear plan for what they want to do their junior year: Duke in DC. This is a specific study-abroad program that shows readers that the student is genuinely interested in studying at Duke.

In the conclusion, the student doesn’t do too much creatively in the conclusion, and that’s okay, they don’t need to. They do a great job tying it all up, painting a specific and positive outlook on the impact that they will make with access to all those resources.

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Take a break, you deserve it!

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

UDub Deadline: November 15
UC Deadline: December 2

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
Have an idea for the newsletter?

Is there a question you’ve been dying to have answered related to college admissions? Or, is there something just nagging you about Scholar Scoops that you want to see fixed soon? We want to hear from you. You can submit feedback at https://forms.gle/7Rj2eBCiauEc5oNV8. Thank you so much!