Duke University (2025-2026)

[devout kindle]

i think i did princeton stanford gtown and harvard

and thats it

[lofty charm]

I should have sent a update letter, but I’m waiting for if I get deferred cuz it probably won’t change much atp

[lofty charm]

I only got Princeton and Duke

But Duke and Yale are the only ones that prescreen so we’re chillin

[lavish hatch]

fair

I have nth to update now

If I were to be waitlisted I’d have to wait til April 20th when gates decisions drop

otherwise I’m chopped

[lavish hatch]

Stanford did NOT interview my ahh

[lofty charm]

😭, I have a lot that happened the past couple months, but also, I hope I don’t have to send that letter and I js get into duke

If I get Duke, I’ll js forget about the others schools

And be happy

[lavish hatch]

Fr

Yale is my number 1

Duke is my second

[native steppe]

dukeeelekekeke

They need to keep up my 100% NC schools success rate

[lavish hatch]

If I get into both miraculously, I’d have to tour both

[lofty charm]

Duke, Columbia, Princeton, I’ll take any of the 3 and be happy

[lavish hatch]

and see which I resonate more with

[native steppe]

I'm 3/3 with UNC, NC State, Charlotte

[lofty charm]

And by happy, I mean extremely uber happy

[lavish hatch]

Same

[lofty charm]

Yeah, I’m 4/4 rn, but I expect my luck to change soon

[lavish hatch]

I’m 0/0

[lofty charm]

Cuz the real schools are coming out soon😭

[lavish hatch]

Duke is the only nc school I applied to

[lofty charm]

That’s an interesting place to be

[lofty charm]

Same

[lavish hatch]

I’m pretty chopped with decisions rn

rejected from BC JHU Princeton and northeastern

accepted to uva UMass Lowell and Amherst

so quite odd…

I’d expect northeastern

but I’ll just say I was yield protected

[lofty charm]

That’s not 0/0 then😭, that’s 3/6

[lavish hatch]

oh I mean for bc

NC

[lofty charm]

Ah, lol

[lavish hatch]

^^ referring to this

I’m 0/0 for nc

[lofty charm]

Makes sense, mb

[lavish hatch]

because Duke is the only nc school I applied to

Ye

[lofty charm]

Yeah, so am I 0/0 for NC

[lofty charm]

Yea

[lavish hatch]

I almost applied to UNC

ngl I’d take UVA over bu and tufts

and BC if I got in

since uva is stronger + I received a really good package

[lofty charm]

Isn’t BC out?

[lofty charm]

Nice! Yeah, I wish I had applied to some more schools, I wanted to keep it limited so I only applied to 12 (I understand that’s still quite a bit)

[lavish hatch]

Yeah, if I got in

[lavish hatch]

^

[lofty charm]

Ohh, mb, I’m slow

[lavish hatch]

Fair I applied to 20 since I was worried

[lofty charm]

That’s my initial range lol

[lavish hatch]

I’m hoping that Ivy day does justice because it was an absolute bloodbath for my school

[lavish hatch]

I see

I absolutely loved my Yale interview and I’m praying for it

[lofty charm]

I js want 1 of my top 3, any of them please God🙏🏾

[lavish hatch]

1 hr 30, I met with the guy near mass general Brigham

[lavish hatch]

For real

[bleak oasis]

next week is gonna be brutal

[lavish hatch]

Yale, Duke, Columbia or Penn I’d be so happy

[lofty charm]

Holy, my Princeton was 45 mins and my Duke was 40

[lavish hatch]

Or vandy

[lavish hatch]

My Duke one was about 55-1

he almost ended it short but I extended it

and we connected a bit more and he seemed to enjoy the talk since bro was saucing me up

[lofty charm]

Hmm, idk, we had an amazing interview and I was like let’s leave it on the high note

[lavish hatch]

“I love to connect with students like you, that’s why I am an alumni interviewer” “I hope u choose Duke” just put the juicy ahh rec in the bag

[bleak oasis]

I want pton and duke so badly

[lofty charm]

Frr

[bleak oasis]

i got full cooked bruh

[lavish hatch]

for Yale the guy was amazing

hands down my BEST interview

[bleak oasis]

W

[lavish hatch]

made me fall in love with Yale even more

[lofty charm]

I wanted an interview so bad cuz I know I do well during interviews😭

[lavish hatch]

It’s okay

Interview or not you’ll be ok

everyone comp at my school received a Yale interview

And I’m the least comp so I’m not expecting anything but I’m praying

[safe coral]

thats better than me i got rejected

[bleak oasis]

my friend who got in jhu today and columbia likely didnt get a yale interview

[bleak oasis]

bro waitlist=soft rejection

[lavish hatch]

Jhu wl is so good tho

[bleak oasis]

id rather get rejected

[plain plover]

different priorities

maybe yale didn’t need more info

[bleak oasis]

dude shes cracked in every aspect

[plain plover]

wasn’t a priority to interview

[bleak oasis]

top in the country likely

max stats and max everything

can speak very well too

[lavish hatch]

abba is cracked as hell

[plain plover]

oh no.

nono

i am not

[bleak oasis]

yeah u prolly are

[plain plover]

i’m just a gay gender studies twink navigating this scary world 🧚

[lavish hatch]

Same thing

you’re ready for Yale

[native steppe]

do I get bonus points for being NC rural

[lavish hatch]

Send em Harvard

[plain plover]

Congratulations! You’ve been admitted to Duke.

[native steppe]

yay!

[dreamy snow]

This

[dreamy snow]

I live in a small town needed this

Someone from my school ed to duke and got rejected

Lowkey nervous

[maiden apex]

I wrote how during my stay at duke I had the opportunity to tour the NICU my mom was working in. The whole atmosphere and stuff, and how I was eating lunch out at the grass when the Duke life support helicopter passed (which was carrying neonates from other smaller hospitals to get treatment at duke) over me, and I realized at that moment Duke is the institution that provides both care and rapidness for patients blah blah blah. And I tied it to my music ec how I want to investigate how vocal/music influences outcomes in premature babies. this is just like a rough overview

its very specific

im accepted to UNC but as a duke fan i do not want to become one of the opps

[prisma quail]

in a way if you go to UNC and watch the men’s basketball you’ll still see duke

[maiden apex]

oh wow thats actually really true

i have been too pessimistic

[native steppe]

Twin

I've embraced UNC honestly

or at least i like chapel hill as a city way more than durham 😭

also i was never thaaaat into college sports

[maiden apex]

Yeah bro the time i lived in southern village was the peak of my life

[maiden apex]

seriously I do love UNC but im just more attracted to duke because of the time I spent on campus there

oh well writing that won't get me accepted so

[native steppe]

You're NC too I assume

[maiden apex]

I used to live there, i moved back to South Korea

[native steppe]

ahh

[native steppe]

well, i can say you'd be moving back to a great place :D

and apparently all these transplants think the same

[lofty charm]

Js waiting for Duke to take me😭, I lowk might be the first one from my area to go to Duke

Then I can move to NC

[native steppe]

what area if i can ask

i wouldnt be the first (duh) but its quite rare maybe 1-2 times per year across the whole county

[lofty charm]

Eastern Iowa

[native steppe]

a lot go to UNC or State

[lofty charm]

I don’t think my school (2nd biggest in the state) has ever had a Duke alumni

[maiden apex]

true true

[proper ruin]

was going to but i had a lightbulb 3 days before ed deadline

[bleak oasis]

ah I mentioned dukeengage in my essays

[proper ruin]

i wrote about like 6-7 diff things in my why duke essay icl

[bleak oasis]

ah I see lmao

I wrote like 4-5

k-ville

[proper ruin]

i was gonna do smth w dukeengage and burning benches

but went with a quirky intro instead

[bleak oasis]

ah I see

thats cool

i just kept it simplified and made the optional essay quirky asf

[proper ruin]

my optional essay was just abt my summer program

but it connected back to my main essay and passion so it worked out better than i thouht

[bleak oasis]

ayy and it got u into duke

W

[proper ruin]

i prayed for days bro😭😭

[bleak oasis]

lmao im gonna dread next week

[late oriole]

my optional essay was about AI

its fucking dog

[lofty charm]

Frrr

I haven’t had rejections yet but next week will probably be multiple rejections in a row

[bleak oasis]

nah you'll be fine bro it only takes one

[lofty charm]

Only takes Duke 🙏🏾

[bleak oasis]

that who knows is gonna be duke trust

im manifesting washu on friday

[dusty axle]

Fun fact

Last year Duke decisions were dropped on the 10th anniversary of this video https://youtu.be/G9FGgwCQ22w

[lofty charm]

So that’s why people were scared for admissions last year… got it

[ionic wing]

Ye, I did that too, but it shouldn’t sound performative — like choose a previous dukeengage you liked and how you want to continue/better it

[bleak oasis]

ya I mentioned a specific intitiative and story and connected it to something I did throuhgout high school

[lavish hatch]

I spoke about wanting to join their disability alliance center & how it resonated to me and how I intend to be as a peer there as my entire story surfaced around asthma, love for chem and how i use education/knowledge as a supplement of self care (i spoke abt my embarrassment of asthma.) + the specifics at duke w/ chem and asthma research and how id want to seize the opportunities there

Maybe a bit cliche

But the way i structured it was the second half of that big paragraph first and what i said first was written at the end

Maybe cliche but who cares i tried my best

[plain plover]

scared me too much

would’ve fucked almost my entire region

[lucid sierra]

Duke is still ass

holy crap

[dusty axle]

#🏀-bracket-results

I fwd my favorite comment from #🏀-march-madness in there

[lucid sierra]

Duke is buns idc

tcu by murder

[proper ruin]

this game was horrifying to watch

1st half was diabolical to witness 😭

[lucid sierra]

yall r ass

and yall had the good ol boozer whistle

[dreamy snow]

Lol

[keen fulcrum]

Guys do you know if Duke and DKU release their decision on the same day?

[modern thunder]

No

DKU is next week on March 25

Duke releases after that usually

Closer to the 31st

[keen fulcrum]

thanks mate

Do you think that DKU is much easier than the actual Duke?

[bleak oasis]

Are Duke and DKU interviews given separately

[modern thunder]

yes

[dry magnet]

Last year it was March 21

[modern thunder]

my interviewer told me march 25 so idk

[dry magnet]

My interviewer didn’t tell me anything about a specific date

[modern thunder]

when was your interview?

I had one of the very last ones

and she told me they were planning for it to drop on march 25 (10 days after my interview on the 15th)

[dry magnet]

My interview was last Saturday

[dry magnet]

That’s the same date as NYU and USC 😭😭

[bleak oasis]

i thought duke would be released on the 30th? @modern thunder

[modern thunder]

is it?

[modern thunder]

idk i just mentioned it was around the 31st since that's when it was last year

[bleak oasis]

ye thats what the predictions r

😭

next next monday

[native steppe]

I'll release decisions soon dw

[lusty olive]

anybody who applied for GLFS (DKU) and got an interview?

[thick flint]

yooo

anyone's withdraw button disappear?

[dreamy snow]

Oop

Let me check

Yeah its gone

[safe coral]

Im scared 😭

[bleak oasis]

its over for me

waitlisted from washu with legacy why do I even have a chance of getting in duke

[quaint matrix]

its fine

[flint pivot]

Be positive

[maiden canopy]

college decisions should be treated independently of each other

there are a multitude of factors out of your control that go into your decision, including fit, institutional priorities, & yield

meaning you can’t treat one college’s decision as an indicator for the rest of your decisions

especially w Duke

since washu and duke are such different schools

fit & yield is so important when it comes to decision making

you can be incredibly cracked, but why would a college accept you if you’re not the type of student that would excel at there or even go to the college in the first place?

[proper ruin]

THISS

is so important to understand yall 😭

especially demographics too

[maiden canopy]

yesss this too^^

they might have already taken multiple kids from your region

or they’re looking for more fgli students

or they’re trying to check some other quota

it’s all js soooo luck based

so yeah please don’t read too much into one decision at one school

it’s js an easy way to start spiraling

[exotic leaf]

yes anything can happen

washu rd was 7% this year apparently

they alr had 70% of the class filled up b4 rd

[exotic leaf]

yes this

though for washu i noticed every1 cracked ik got in RD

like perfect stats and top awards/ec's

i noticed for jhu a lot of those kids got WL tho

[onyx minnow]

is there a predicted decision date

[maiden apex]

The monday after ivy day

[bleak oasis]

Yeah this is true I gotta just go one school at a time

[bleak oasis]

Lmao yeah they accept a lot through ED and also they prioritize some feeder schools in St. Louis and Missouri schools

[exotic leaf]

yes

in my area we only had like 1 person per school get it and it was like the most cracked person for rd

[bleak oasis]

no one in my school got into washu lmao

its crazy how i get waitlisted w legacy tho

all my friends got full rejected

[exotic leaf]

did u ED washu?

[bleak oasis]

nah thats prolly why it didnt help

[exotic leaf]

yea legacy doesnt help if u didnt ed

[bleak oasis]

but i'd figure with my stats and ecs

[exotic leaf]

ik ppl who had legacy to yale and columbia

solid applicant

[bleak oasis]

dude its wild

[exotic leaf]

both of them got rejected rd

[bleak oasis]

wait how

[exotic leaf]

if u have legacy but dont apply early its not helpful

[bleak oasis]

oh

previous years

[exotic leaf]

last year

dont 2k ppl get isef tho

[bleak oasis]

ima delete this soon

[bleak oasis]

no

1.6k and only like 400-500 per application cycle

[exotic leaf]

yea but i been seeing isef is mid

on reddit and everywhere

my friends said the same stuff too

[bleak oasis]

thats cope

[exotic leaf]

like not as ur main thing

[bleak oasis]

isef grand is not mid

[exotic leaf]

nah idts

[bleak oasis]

isef finalist isnt that good

[exotic leaf]

isef grand is 5 ppl

[bleak oasis]

but grand award is not mid

[bleak oasis]

nah

[exotic leaf]

plus they likely have other good stuff on their app

[bleak oasis]

grand awards mean u place in ur category

topaward it 10 ppl

[exotic leaf]

i know sm1 that didnt make early isef grand

yea but 10 ppl is quite less

[bleak oasis]

lol im not just an isef merchant

i have community service spike

[exotic leaf]

how

[bleak oasis]

tremendous impact

[exotic leaf]

i think ur overevaluating ur app

no hate tho

[mossy pier]

it’s helpful but not as much

[exotic leaf]

yea thats what i mean to say

most ivies arent admitting more than 10% of their class for legacy anywyas

[bleak oasis]

lol ok bro what else do colleges want then?

[mossy pier]

It’s pissuvle he might have priority in waitlist idk

I don’t believe that unis don’t rank waitlists

[exotic leaf]

no one knows for sure but i know ppl with more cracker stuff that didnt get in anywhere yet too

[bleak oasis]

What other awards could I possibly get after isef, published research, and winning awards at national conferences?

[exotic leaf]

i think ur overhyping isef bro

i think its good but its not guarnteed anywhere

[bleak oasis]

dude I didnt jst say ISEF LMAO

[exotic leaf]

ik

[bleak oasis]

i just included it

[exotic leaf]

but every1 else with isef likely has a complete app too

this is just what i think tho

theyre only gonna admit so many ppl with research heavy apps

they want a diverse class size and atp i think every1 ik has some research

[bleak oasis]

research impact comes in scales I've been doing research since freshman year as a genuine interest before I could even step foot in a lab its not just like i did ts for some resume grab

[exotic leaf]

also if u go to a compettive hs that might also impact

[bleak oasis]

I also am passionate about teen health advocacy which I've had a lot of impact in with my community

[exotic leaf]

yea i mean thats what ur supposed to relay on ur app lol

im not saying u did it for apps

but Ao's will only assume with the info given

[novel zodiac]

when is speculated date for rd

[exotic leaf]

but i see tons of ppl with that isef award not get anything tho

im assuming duke is 27th

[bleak oasis]

30th

but who knows when

[exotic leaf]

whyd u evne ask if u knew lol

i just heard its day after ivies

[bleak oasis]

?

[exotic leaf]

nah i mean

nvm

[mellow shore]

when does dook release decision date?

[exotic leaf]

i think u just gotta realize all thees colleges are p competitive low % rates nth is guarnteed

there are prob so many ppl like u

[novel zodiac]

what was it last few years

[exotic leaf]

day after ivy day

[bleak oasis]

there are also many ppl who arent but are getting in

7 ivy and ivy+ acceptnaces in my school so far most of the kids have had some institutional hook

[exotic leaf]

wym

[exotic leaf]

yea thats what rea/ed prioritizes

[bleak oasis]

like sub 1500 and like no ecs getting ivies and ivy+

[exotic leaf]

that may have some impact for rd from ur school ngl

[bleak oasis]

they party all day and cheat on school tests

[exotic leaf]

theres no way 7 ppl had sub 1500 and all made an ivy rea/ed

i find that rlly hard to believe

[bleak oasis]

i never said all 7

but there r people in that pool

that are sub 1500

in my school

[exotic leaf]

how many?

[bleak oasis]

2

[exotic leaf]

bro im p sure 95% of ppl getting in have a 1500+ top 10%

sat im not 100% sure abt

but top 10% is def true its on the CDS

do u go to a feeder lol

[bleak oasis]

explain to me how this guy with Cs, a 1460, and minimal ecs that don't relate to his major at all get into MIT

[exotic leaf]

athletes?

[bleak oasis]

this is the first year in 3 years that someone has gotten in an ivy

[exotic leaf]

bruh its def larp lmao

[bleak oasis]

nope

[bleak oasis]

no its not

I helped him edit his essays

[exotic leaf]

so 7 ppl made an ivy after 3 years of no ivies from ur hs?

[bleak oasis]

and explain to me why someone with a 1450 got a stanny likely

she parties all day

and cheats

[exotic leaf]

hooks?

[bleak oasis]

shes rich

[exotic leaf]

or smth crazy on their app

[bleak oasis]

hispanic female

[exotic leaf]

bruh being rich does nth lol

u have to be insanely rich

that no1 here would be at that level

even a multi millionaire they dont care

[bleak oasis]

idec about this, the fact theyre admitting unethical students is what frustrates me

[exotic leaf]

that is bound to happen

[bleak oasis]

yup

mfao

[exotic leaf]

bruh idk seems far fetched

[bleak oasis]

last year 0 ivy acceptances

nah im being deadass

[exotic leaf]

yo that maens ur grade is just more cracked than b4

[bleak oasis]

3 of them got t20s too

and 2 bs/md programs

[exotic leaf]

what type of hs r u going to

[bleak oasis]

I mean i'm a finalist of a top bsmd program but i also want a traditional school

[bleak oasis]

public magnet high school with 221 in my graduating class

[exotic leaf]

yea so no1 made an ivy past 3 years

but suddenly 7 kids made an ivy early?

[bleak oasis]

everyone is getting in but me

[bleak oasis]

yea

[exotic leaf]

sure maybe it could happen but

that seems p odd

[bleak oasis]

yes not all early bc some decisions released recently

[bleak oasis]

ok previous years

like before covid

we had more ivy acceptances

early 2000s I think like half the school went to ivies almost

but last 3-4 years no ivies

and now suddenly this year everyone is going off, even the students with lower gpas and sats

[maiden canopy]

haven’t rlly met enough washu accepted kids yet so I can’t rlly comment on trends

[maiden canopy]

but yeah I noticed this

[maiden canopy]

yessir

[exotic leaf]

i think ur just basing it off ur feelings

[bleak oasis]

im basing it off of class rank and sat score

[exotic leaf]

yea this was just in my area

[bleak oasis]

and how the students act at school

[exotic leaf]

whats ur class rank

[bleak oasis]

4

[exotic leaf]

there r so many top hs's in america tho

ur not entilted to any college

i think ur focusing on the wrong things

eveyr1 has volunteering and research

its how u show impact esp through essays and supps

[maiden canopy]

ik research is great but you’re forgetting sooooo many ppl this cycle also have research

it simply isn’t a differentiating factor anymore

[exotic leaf]

i agree

[bleak oasis]

then what is for stem majors

what else do I need?

[exotic leaf]

nth no1 knows

[maiden canopy]

hmmm

I can’t say fs

but

[bleak oasis]

I don't just "have" research too I've been doing it on a national and international scale

[exotic leaf]

unless u a super billionaire or like insane award think top oly where ur best in the country nth is guarnteed

[bleak oasis]

yeah i might be cooked

[exotic leaf]

even then they can just choose not to admit

[maiden canopy]

I’m a stem major and ik a lot of stem majors who’ve been successful this cycle

[bleak oasis]

im prolly overreacting

but i lowk am just coping

[maiden canopy]

& we’ve all had research on some scale

[bleak oasis]

cuz im dissapointed in myself

[exotic leaf]

just dont make it ur entire life

[maiden canopy]

but we’ve all had different things that made our profile unique

[exotic leaf]

any school is a good school as long as its not for profit

[maiden canopy]

research was js there

lol

[lucid sierra]

bro fr

[bleak oasis]

it kinda feels like I have to, to prove something ngl

[exotic leaf]

why

[maiden canopy]

oh yeah ts always pmo

[maiden canopy]

I get u, but the thing is that so many other kids are doing it as well

[bleak oasis]

its like everyone hypes me up in my school, and I feel dissapointed to get cooked. Meanwhile lower students are getting accepted and its just embarrassing to see ppl reacting to my decisions after i get hyped up

[maiden canopy]

and colleges need to accept kids that aren’t js research focused

[bleak oasis]

I didnt wanna talk a big game but it feels like theres so much pressure

[plain plover]

wdym by “lower students”

[maiden canopy]

lower students

😭

bro

you gotta gatekeep

everything

[bleak oasis]

deadass im not sugarcoating it anymore i hate being fake

[maiden canopy]

I didn’t tell anyone about my activities, awards, or college decisions

[bleak oasis]

i dont want to lie and call them insane or the best students ever

[maiden canopy]

until I committed

[exotic leaf]

college apps r never fair

[bleak oasis]

yeah its overpopulated yeah

[exotic leaf]

most ppl r gatekeeing

[maiden canopy]

& lowk it was prob the best decision I ever made because I didn’t really have the added social pressure & embarrassment that comes with college decisions

[exotic leaf]

i heard its a new culture

[exotic leaf]

i agree

i think ur a good gatekeeper

[bleak oasis]

its cuz i react to it with my friends and its like

[maiden canopy]

thanks twin

[exotic leaf]

most ppl wont reveal stuff anymore

[bleak oasis]

scary when i get cooked witht hem watching

[exotic leaf]

i think ur comparing ur app to ppl in ur school

[maiden canopy]

don’t reveal anything to them anymore

[exotic leaf]

but not like understanding how competitive apps are

[bleak oasis]

others are comparing me to them so like

[maiden canopy]

I made it clear with my friends that I didn’t want to talk about college at ALL

and they respected that

[exotic leaf]

no but like jhu for example so many top ppl that made hypsm got waitlisted

[plain plover]

this

[exotic leaf]

they likely factored in how likely they were to attend

[bleak oasis]

the problem with my school is that its EXTREMEY toxic

[exotic leaf]

colleges arent always taking the best ppl

[maiden canopy]

same 😭😭

[exotic leaf]

its whoever benefits them

[maiden canopy]

bro everyone thought I was an idiot chud

[plain plover]

right like i have no published research or nothing

[exotic leaf]

why waste resources on sm1 who will want to go to a better college and have a high chance to attend

[maiden canopy]

bc I never revealed jack shit

[plain plover]

i don’t have anything national

[maiden canopy]

who cares

lmao

[plain plover]

nothing along those lines

[exotic leaf]

yea

[bleak oasis]

yeah so many complex factors may influence someones decisions

[exotic leaf]

if u have a complete well rouded app its better if u can explain ur story through essay recs and supps

(recs obv u cant do much just reflective of who u r as a student)

[maiden canopy]

I’d argue that you can greatly control your recommendations

[exotic leaf]

yea i could have been einstein had i had a higher iq

[plain plover]

thiss

if u play ur cards right ur recs can be rlly rlly good

[maiden canopy]

everyone is thinks recs are out of your control but it genuinely isn’t

[exotic leaf]

yea because u should only ask teachers where u were a top student and acc payed attention did work and were passionate plus most teachers ask u to submit a form so u can def use that to ur advantage

thats what i did at least

[bleak oasis]

just be a good student and maintain good relationship with ur teachers

[maiden canopy]

and if you’ve been a genuine & kind person all throughout high school that will fs show in your metters

[maiden canopy]

nah it’s more than ts

bro

[plain plover]

more

[exotic leaf]

yea

[exotic leaf]

we're giving u advice not other way around

[maiden canopy]

I have the phone numbers of all my teachers that wrote my recs

like we are so tight

[exotic leaf]

i have their facebooks too

[plain plover]

omg me too

[exotic leaf]

they dont have my facebook i have theirs tho

[bleak oasis]

LMAO who does this guy think he is bro I wasnt trynna give advice

[maiden canopy]

IM CRYING

[exotic leaf]

jokes aside i think ur not realizing

[maiden canopy]

bro my teachers said they’d follow me on ig once I graduate

[exotic leaf]

how competitive apps are

[bleak oasis]

why r we back on this subject again

[exotic leaf]

we stopped talking abt recs

now transitioning back to the original topic at hand

[native steppe]

One of my recs was a teacher I had freshman year, and was part of her club junior year, and we talked a bunch outside of class too

helps to be social !

[exotic leaf]

yea i had one teacher who was a club advisor as well

[maiden canopy]

yes same my recs were ppl from freshman / sophomore year that helped me a ton w club things

!!!

[plain plover]

my counselor and me? i was helping her with her phd applications while she helped me with my apps. i spend everyday with her

teacher 1? i spent about 3 months every summer everyday with her

teacher 2? i spend everyday finding her in person and texting her about my life and everything im doing and need advice on

[exotic leaf]

ur counelor rec matters too

everything matters

[maiden canopy]

wait that’s so fire

[maiden canopy]

bro did I tell you

[plain plover]

just shows that if ur super tight knit u get awesome mentors in life + good recs

[maiden canopy]

I had to explain my counselor that she had to write a rec letter for me

she didn’t know how to write one

she was new

if you can’t tell

[exotic leaf]

a lot of stuff is also out of ur control

[maiden canopy]

💔

[exotic leaf]

if ur counselor uses ai

she lowk cooked u

[maiden canopy]

but she was so sweet

[plain plover]

not really

[exotic leaf]

thats why u have to get a good counselor

[exotic leaf]

high chance

u cant say for certain

[native steppe]

I'd always remind my counselor about deadlines and she'd never respond but she would do the thing on time LMAO

Actions speak louder than words ig

[maiden canopy]

for sure

[exotic leaf]

but yea for whoever was here originally

its okay not to get in anywhere

a lot of it is out of ur hands

nothing can be done now so just wait

even if u get rejected just eat a bowl of icecream

[native steppe]

I wish I talked to (more of) my teachers more, just never had the time

But I view college as a fresh start :)

[bleak oasis]

yeah i still remain optimistic tho 9 colleges left

[plain plover]

like one of my teachers uses ai for all of his letters and he has gotten 2 kids into T7s over the last 4 years (for context my school doesn’t rlly apply to ivies or t20, small rural one)

[bleak oasis]

and waitlist isnt the end of the world

[exotic leaf]

i think it depends i mean they wont put u at fault for an incompetent teacher

also like u have 2 other recs

so its not always over

im jsut saying u never want like a bad teacher/counselor

lazy one

[native steppe]

Mine had like templates for different types of students 😭

madlibs rec

[maiden canopy]

teacher I was planning to ask for a rec letter joked she would ai it

bro

the betrayal I felt

💔

[exotic leaf]

damn

but anywyas i think apps are just too random

u cant predict even if u r rlly cracked

[maiden canopy]

fs

bro I used to doomscroll r/collegeresults last year

[exotic leaf]

a lot of the posts r fake

[maiden canopy]

shit made me so nervous bc I’d see all these amazing & talented ppl get rejected like from everywhere

[maiden canopy]

yeah that’s true

but I didn’t realize it until a bit lager

LOL

[exotic leaf]

i think its selection bias where the ppl mkaing posts right after they get rejected r rlly upset why they did

[maiden canopy]

mhm

[exotic leaf]

i think its a mix of hyping up their app to be better than it is and then just an amnt of unluckiness

[mossy pier]

that and either way selective schools are a roll of dice even for top caliber students

it’s really hard to get into smth good if you apply to less schools

[exotic leaf]

in my school we have a lot of kids who were destined for ivies when i was older but ended up getting wiped and were rlly cocky. but rlly looking at their profiles they had nth unique or diffrentiating

[exotic leaf]

yes def

[mossy pier]

I think the 3 target 3 safety 3 reach* idea is stupid unless financial constraints are in play

[exotic leaf]

theres no way to say that this person's ec is better than someone else's person's

but i think if u have a rlly well grounded app

like top awards ecs essay writing good recs

like a very good profile

top of ur class

[maiden canopy]

yeahhh

[exotic leaf]

chances of getting wiped r just not very high

i think most ppl dont have this tho its less than 1%

[mossy pier]

I’d say I have a very good profile but my supplementals lagged like they were neutral

maybe that’s why I got rejected by a lot of places

[maiden canopy]

I think last year I didn’t rlly understand a lot of the ECs that ppl were doing

[exotic leaf]

any ec can be good if u show it right

even a simple school club

[mossy pier]

I thought my business stuff would be a cheat code for admissions I’ve been humbled so badly

[mossy pier]

Wdym

[maiden canopy]

like I didn’t understand the significance of published research & how to evaluate the quality of said research

stuff like that

[mellow shore]

same for olympiads

[maiden canopy]

same lol

[exotic leaf]

nope

[mossy pier]

like I have very rare ECs they didn’t give A FUCK

[exotic leaf]

econ is a very popular major

[exotic leaf]

which one

[mossy pier]

wait

[maiden canopy]

oh also circling back to research — my AO didn’t even mention it in their letter to me

didn’t rlly matter as much as I thought

LOL

[mossy pier]

these r my main ECs

Co-Founder, Sica Jewelers
Co-Founded jewelry brand generating $2.2M USD in revenue since 2023, 20K followers on social media, 20k+ orders; led finances, marketing, & design

Work (Paid)
Founder, Old Burritoz
Launched Pakistan's first Mexican food spot in Sep 2025; fulfilled 2000+ orders, generated 3 million PKR in revenue, managed staff of 20.

Family Responsibilities
Supervisor and Operational Head, Kirmani Derah, Okara
Led operations of 600-acre agricultural estate; managed 300+ employees, optimized workflows, and oversaw financial and maintenance operations

Other Club/Activity
Founder, SmileAlign
Designed low-cost orthodontic mouthguard for dental correction; affordable dental correction for low-income Pakistanis, distributed 300+ to villagers

Other Club/Activity
Social Media and Marketing Manager , Syed Ali Kamran Kirmani Facebook
Designed graphics, ran Meta ads, edited content, and grew Kamran Kirmani’s account to 643K followers in 3 years; edited content to increase engagement

[bleak oasis]

it depends what ur applying as

[exotic leaf]

r u international?

[mossy pier]

I’m a us citizen living abroad rn

[exotic leaf]

i saw someone who made notre dame

[maiden canopy]

yeah I used to think they were the holy grail or smth back when I was a sophomore

[exotic leaf]

from ur country

[maiden canopy]

good times

[exotic leaf]

chance mes arent allowed here

[maiden canopy]

I applied as bio

everywhere

[exotic leaf]

but seems u have a solid app bro

[mossy pier]

No I wasn’t chancing

[maiden canopy]

and engineering, occasionally

[bleak oasis]

r u a current college student?

[maiden canopy]

senior

committed

tho

[mossy pier]

Yeah I got into CMU and unc but everything else was a reject

[bleak oasis]

to where

[mossy pier]

And I applied a lot of places

[bleak oasis]

if u dont mind me asking

[exotic leaf]

theyre gatekeeping

so prob wont tell

[mellow shore]

I mean they are supposed to be, for MIT, with good hooks. but my experience has proven it to be wrong

[exotic leaf]

i also alr committed

well not yet acc

but im 90% certain

[bleak oasis]

IMO medalist

[mellow shore]

im an IPhO medalist

[exotic leaf]

olympiads are very high success rate

[mellow shore]

also IOAA medalist

[exotic leaf]

if ur domestic

[mellow shore]

na intl

[exotic leaf]

not aime or semifinalist

[maiden canopy]

ooo your ECs are p cool

[bleak oasis]

my friend has this + isef grand award and hes at MIT rn

[exotic leaf]

but if u camp at that level its very good

[mellow shore]

domestic im guessing

[exotic leaf]

yea simply AIME wont do much

[bleak oasis]

yes

[mossy pier]

I think Wharton might be a savior I applied with a hardship waiver for sat

[maiden canopy]

wait lowk how did you do the mouth guard thing

[mossy pier]

I wished the other ivies had it

[maiden canopy]

it sounds so cool

[mellow shore]

Yeah I may know your friend lol

[mossy pier]

I could’ve emailed and they probably would’ve waived it I just realized

[bleak oasis]

actually lmao

[mossy pier]

thanks

[bleak oasis]

is this a hint

[maiden canopy]

yeah fs

[mellow shore]

yeah well, if he got ipho gold last year then yeah

[maiden canopy]

lol

[exotic leaf]

i might see u there

[bleak oasis]

nah he did it like a while ago

[exotic leaf]

(if i get in)

[mellow shore]

hm okay

[mossy pier]

all unis look for diff stuff what does Duke specifically look for does anyone know

it seems things are not as binary as be an amazing student

[maiden canopy]

uhhh correct me if I’m wrong but I think Duke looks for ppl who are very community oriented

[exotic leaf]

no school looks for 1 thing

this is a huge misconception ppl have

[bleak oasis]

community and leadership but u cant narrow it down to a few words

[exotic leaf]

theyre not admitting every1 who has the same mold

[mossy pier]

oooooof

[exotic leaf]

u can have no community service but get in

if u have other stuff

this is just stuff ppl theorize based on who they know got in

[maiden canopy]

yeah but they typically look for a certain type of student

[exotic leaf]

ik ppl with way diff types of personlaities and apps who got into these schools

[mossy pier]

I hope my mouthguard stuff intrigues the AO otherwise I don’t really have community stuff

[exotic leaf]

not necessarily

[maiden canopy]

I think mit and yale are the most obvious examples of this

[exotic leaf]

what does yale look for

[mossy pier]

yeah because they need a diverse class body but I think certain schools require certain traits

[exotic leaf]

ye

[maiden canopy]

community based humanities nerds

basically

even if you’re applying to stem

[exotic leaf]

eh i disagree

ik ppl with no humanities that got into yale

[maiden canopy]

bc residential college system and everything

[plain plover]

omg.. that’s me

[exotic leaf]

also every college wnats ppl who help the community

[bleak oasis]

@exotic leaf just curious what u think ik everyone has research these days but do u think RSI makes an applicant stand out a lot

[exotic leaf]

yea no shi

[maiden canopy]

let me rephrase — people who place a lot of importance on the liberal arts & want that to influence their education

[exotic leaf]

ull prob just get in early atp

[exotic leaf]

maybe i think these traits are just reddit terms

[maiden canopy]

like this is all my Yale interviewer and I talked about

[mossy pier]

Ivy roadmap said that t10s don’t admit by major is that true

[exotic leaf]

if u know everyone who got in

it wont matter

[exotic leaf]

nah they def do for class shaping

[bleak oasis]

some do

[exotic leaf]

also engineering schools r harder

like princeton or columbia

[maiden canopy]

yeah ofc

[mossy pier]

I think it might be true but mainly for the sense like how ur profile aligns to said major

[plain plover]

it’s not bad to have research but u should have something else unique

[mossy pier]

and quotas for majors too

[plain plover]

dont convince urself research is bad

[exotic leaf]

anythign can be good

[maiden canopy]

not dragon but yes

[exotic leaf]

if u phrase it well and show impact

[mossy pier]

What’s RSI

[maiden canopy]

I’ve consistently seen rsi kids get into t5s this cycle

[bleak oasis]

yeah i think RSI Is just a different tier tho

[exotic leaf]

yes

[bleak oasis]

research science institute

[maiden canopy]

rsi method is still unpatched

[exotic leaf]

again i told u i think the ppl with those types of apps

[bleak oasis]

its a program at mit

[maiden canopy]

actually

[exotic leaf]

are less than 0.1%

[maiden canopy]

yk

idt rsi is like a lock

[exotic leaf]

the amnt of ppl with then top tier apps are prob 1%

[maiden canopy]

if you get rsi you alr have a p good app

right

[bleak oasis]

most ppl yes

like 95% prolly

[maiden canopy]

so idt rsi is like the deciding factor. those kids are alr pretty cracked & js happen to have rsi

idk

[exotic leaf]

yea thats also true

ppl make that mistake for a lot of stuff

if ur gonna grind that much u prob alr had other cracked shi

[maiden canopy]

mhm

[exotic leaf]

no lol

like at the top 10

its like 75-80% of ppl have a 1500+

95% of ppl are in the top 10% of their class

if ur not fgli or have another hook u best believe u need a 1500+

[torn pasture]

His comes Friday right

[exotic leaf]

a bunch?

there prob are

but idt theres a lots

at our school theres no way u can have that sat and even have a chance at any ivy

maybe if ur in a diff geographic region like the midwest

theyre gonna compare u to ur school profile as well

[bleak sapphire]

yeah i mean arent u from a very rural place

its probably a lot worse for most ppl here

ah fair

although honestly idk how much geography helps... im from a rural place and ive been getting fucked 😭

it probably helps a bit idk

fair fair

bay seems so bad

thank you :)

[late oriole]

Are you full pay

[green oasis]

When are decisions?

[dreamy snow]

No one knows

[proper ruin]

me when i dont have that

[ember finch]

damn did u submit to duke

[proper ruin]

yes

[fallow bronze]

what score?

[tawny thistle]

I know a couple of friends who didn't

[exotic leaf]

domestic?

[tawny thistle]

Yea

[proper ruin]

1490

[fallow bronze]

Thats a good score

I sibmitted a 33 ACT to duke, but my schools average is 800.

[cosmic yoke]

any rumored or confirmed release date?

[mossy pier]

Probsbly 30th

[maiden apex]

Our school averages 1430 so its impossible to compete without a 1530+ here

[fallow bronze]

wow so ur just surrounded by smart kids huh

im from florida and we have this thing where if u get a 1330 u get free tuition instate and i think theres only like 10 kids in our class of 400 who actually have that just for perspectives

[thin heart]

Wow

Are you the top in your school

Just curious

For some context my school’s average is a 1480

[fallow bronze]

i think theres like 3 peple with above a 33

but thats all

[thin heart]

[fallow bronze]

our val has an 1100

[fresh turtle]

bro my schools avg is lke 1340 get outta here and im intl

[thin heart]

Damn

[fallow bronze]

i did get an interview for duke

[fresh turtle]

is this some kind of crazy feeder school or just cracked cohort?

[fallow bronze]

the only person ik of in my county my friend from a diff school he had insane stats did not get one

[prisma quail]

nah it's the average sg sat strat

When I took sat the average across the country was 1400+

[fresh turtle]

ah yourse sg, which school dont tell me nush

[fallow bronze]

my school is just lots of not very smart kidds

[thin heart]

It was a 1420 for Singapore

Your school should have a higher average than mines

[prisma quail]

nah he's not nush

[thin heart]

And the big R is a 1510 iirc for its SAT average

[fallow bronze]

1520... 79th percentile..

im in the 99th with what would be a 1470 equivalent

[prisma quail]

wait I actually dk because I took it when I was in sec 4

[thin heart]

😅

[thin heart]

LOL

I mean you can check CB

[prisma quail]

first digital sat sitting btw

[fresh turtle]

bro intl is so random

im hoping this waitlist streak to end

[thin heart]

This is our school, country and average across the world

[fallow bronze]

my schools average is like an 890 and we are below the state and national average (United states)

[thin heart]

I wouldn’t consider our school a crazy feeder. There are MUCH crazier feeders in Singapore.

[fallow bronze]

not even a rural or lowincome school

[thin heart]

We have the potential to be a feeder

[fallow bronze]

wow

[thin heart]

But our school counsellor doesn’t like US applications

Soooooo

[fresh turtle]

is your school one of the ones who represent sg at ipho or iypt

[thin heart]

I had to get “special” permission to apply to twenty schools

No

[fresh turtle]

then i might know your school

[thin heart]

We represent like

Idk

Not much

[fallow bronze]

my school they dont limit us

[thin heart]

We’re not RI HCI or NUSH

Or ACSI

[fresh turtle]

those are the only three ik mb gang

[thin heart]

Hahahaha it’s aight

It’s the 3 feeders

[fallow bronze]

are you both from singapore?

[prisma quail]

nah idh hc's data

[thin heart]

Ayo

I think it’s cuz it’s ure first sitting

I should’ve taken when I was in school

[prisma quail]

kadoopsies

[thin heart]

I took in while in army

So I’m like washed

[thin heart]

Yep

[prisma quail]

yeah I think we were the guinea pigs

[thin heart]

Haha

[prisma quail]

but I took it at the Canadian international school

[thin heart]

My photo says 3-year 141 test takers

I think they start from when the sat turned digital

[prisma quail]

wow! so many int school kids

[prisma quail]

ohh

[thin heart]

So since ure time 141 test takers from my school

Which if you think about it

Is really bad

I contributed 8 takes

[fresh turtle]

bro how much money you got?

thats like 800+dollars

[thin heart]

Yeh

My parents hear exams

And they’re like okay!

[prisma quail]

took 1 take and miraculously didn't have to take it again

[thin heart]

Asian stuff

Anything academic is no cost too high

[prisma quail]

you right me too

[thin heart]

Until the bill is 100k/yr

[prisma quail]

me rn with ucla

[fresh turtle]

ya bro us aint happening without finaid rn

[thin heart]

Thank your parents HAAHA

[prisma quail]

they were like 'you better get into a better school or else we're not funding this'

[fresh turtle]

didn even apply uc's

[thin heart]

At least they can afford it

[prisma quail]

yeah that's true

[fresh turtle]

i mean thats fair i think or? like do you want to go to idk hope university liverpool in uk?

you got nus and ntu nearby ig

[prisma quail]

I mean that's true I do intend to stay local if it's only UCLA by the end of the season

hoping not though!

[fresh turtle]

ya same bro get this waitlist streaks out

im hoping ivy day goes better

[prisma quail]

mine was rej --> wl --> accept

for my past three decisions

so I'm hoping the accept streak stays

[fresh turtle]

well mine was 5 decisions... all waitlist

like uhhhhh

[thin heart]

Damn

Which country

[prisma quail]

fingers crossed!

[fresh turtle]

germany

[thin heart]

Oooo

That’s cool

[fresh turtle]

liek yk 2 of them were like safety safety

and i got waitlisted

like wtf

[thin heart]

Maybe you were yield protected

[prisma quail]

they thought you were too good for them!

it's ok

[fresh turtle]

ya ya

[prisma quail]

for schools that don't accept me I like to think that they don't have good taste

[thin heart]

HAHAHAHAH

Same

[fresh turtle]

i mean i have like tum in germany and its pretty aight so ill go there worst case

[maiden apex]

I go to a private international school where everyone has tutoring

[fresh turtle]

that includes you?

thats our school and ya we're kinda aight ig

but its very biased, since non us interested kids dont take it

[true creek]

When will the results be released

[vivid prawn]

Our school has like 3 people (out of 865) my year who took the test. No one there is interested in going abroad.

[restive rain]

This is so crazy wtf 😭

[restive rain]

25 test takers, 2nd in the country

[maiden apex]

I took a large seminar style class and mostly self studied. I’m talking about kids who have one to one teachers guiding through every single question and wrong answer for $50/hr

710 average math is crazy

[prisma quail]

Eh why do I find the rate ok

💀

[thin heart]

Maybe 50 USD Is a lot for their country but not for us 😹

[prisma quail]

That’s true

[fresh turtle]

50 per hour

is kinda crazy ngl

like for sat

idt poeple should get tutoring for sat, just self study

[vivid prawn]

yeah, I think regularly doing mock tests is a great way to prep

[torn pasture]

Does duke come Friday?

[thin heart]

Seems to be on Monday after Ivy day

But not confirmed

Duke has changed its dates

[lucid sierra]

bro

didnt u bag

georgia tech

😭

fsfs

i got rej ed

💔

bro yeah

GODDAMN

bro ur up

congrats

🙏

bro nah ut austin csb

is like

top of the top

prolly fsu unless i get off uf waitlist even then i might go fsu

but like i got purdue, umd, uwisc for cs

js cant FREAKING afford it

bro all good

csb is like

insane

nolesss

on

TOP

yeaa i asked my parents abt purdue they said they. cant afford it

💔

didnt a single dollar of aid too

tragic

i hope they lose to miami nkw

yessir

literally live in tally

so

dubs

uf -gainesville fsu- tally miami-coral gables

usf-tampa

so

son

i mean

2 and a half hrs

but yea i get what ur sayin

kinda

ay gl for duke though

i hate them cuz im an unc fan asw

but

gl

oh nah im basically done atp

js UF waitlist thats it

goddamn bro

what schools 😭

holy crap

good luck g

🙏

i basically shot for publics

lowkey got

railed

yeah

finance + accounting or like finance + risk management/insurance

sum like that

[craggy cave]

Bro what

Like 1/3 of our class had bright fhrured

Through like service hours or aice

[craggy cave]

Fspoo

[lucid sierra]

dookie

[lucid sierra]

1330 3.5 weighted gpa or above and 100 work or comm service hours

its so easy to get bright futures

[fallow bronze]

yeah only like 10 kids in my grade have it

[fallow bronze]

my school isnt really competitive, but a lot of the kids are applying to need-aware schools with high ED acceptance rates so they get in

[lucid sierra]

damn 💔

[fallow bronze]

most of our advanced program kids come from wealthy backgrounds and so they can often afford the full pay costs and so weve had a few of our not so bright kids get into T30s-T40s lol

[fallow bronze]

im currently salutatorian, and only 2 of the 10 of us in the top 10 for gpa have it (this is from last semesters rankings idk if ranks chagned but)

[lucid sierra]

bro what...

😭

holy crap

nearly everyone in our grade has it

waitlisted at uf

with like

goated stuff

[fallow bronze]

i was waitlisted with a 33 act, 10+ national awards for dance, passion project, over $5k raised for cancer research, class president, salutatorian, 4.7.... and yet they accepted a girl at my school with a 900