2008-2009 Duke Secondary Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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AspirinPlease said:
Anyone know about Duke's mysterious full merit scholarships? Do we have to submit financial aid for that?
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I would like to know about this as well. If I get a full merit scholarship to Duke I'm going to kiss Harvard goodbye!
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I remember hearing that full scholarships were awarded after a student confirms his or her place in the class--i.e. they're not used for recruitment.

EDIT: I was wrong about this. Sorry!
 
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diosa428 said:
This has happened in the past (specifically, to me and a group of other students who applied in 05-06). I was waitlisted and ultimately accepted (which I am telling you because I know that you're going to ask, and not because I think/know that your fate will be similar).

I would like to ask those of you who have not yet received a decision to be patient. I realize that this process is extremely frustrating, nervewracking, and emotionally traumatizing. However, please keep in mind that the admissions office is a small team of people who are doing their best to get everything out in the most timely manner possible. They make mistakes. They cannot control how the internet functions. They are not trying to torture you. Also keep in mind that in the non-SDN-world, levels of anxiety would NOT be this high because you wouldn't all KNOW that most decisions have been out for 48+ hours now. Yes, you all paid your application fees and certainly deserve a decision on your application, and you will get one, but there was never any promise that everyone would get their decision on exactly the same day. Also, rest assured that everyone's application will be reviewed fairly, regardless of whether it is looked at a few days late or not.

Duke is a great school, and I'm happy to be here. I wish all of you still waiting (and on the waitlist) the best of luck.
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Hi There, I'm new to these studentdoctor.net forums. I had a question for you about those of us waitlisted at Duke. Do you know how many students typically come off of Duke's waitlist each year? Also, do you think extra letters of rec or letters of intent will help? Thanks!
 
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gah1 said:
I remember hearing that full scholarships were awarded after a student confirms his or her place in the class--i.e. they're not used for recruitment.
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By confirm do you mean send the $100 deposit and hold my place?

Cause I already did that. If I don't hear anything till May 14th that will be a problem. The whole point of the scholarship is for recruitment. Why waste all that money if the person is going to go to the school anyway?
 
hey gridiron/anyone else who hadn't heard anything -- any news yet??

I called the office yesterday to see what is going on. She was really nice and seemed concerned that I hadn't heard anything. After looking up my file, she told me that it would take a little while to figure out what's going on and got my phone/email address. *arrrrrrrrrgh* hopefully they'll call today, but I'm really starting to lose all hope.
 
PromisingCapita said:
By confirm do you mean send the $100 deposit and hold my place?

Cause I already did that. If I don't hear anything till May 14th that will be a problem. The whole point of the scholarship is for recruitment. Why waste all that money if the person is going to go to the school anyway?
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Pretty sure (99.5%) scholarships are announced BEFORE May 15, but I think the idea is to be able to financially reward students who have shown exceptional motivation and hard work to help them attend medical school. Despite awarding these scholarships before May 15, Duke does so by a selection process and that's it. They don't make offers and counter-offers to compete with other schools' offers. In other words, offers you get from other places will not change whether or not you get a scholarship offer from Duke (it'll just make it seem like you are pimping yourself out to the highest bidder :)).
 
Nope, haven't heard anything yet. Was going to e-mail after checking today's mail, but now that they're actually taking phone calls seriously maybe I'll try your approach instead. I find it hard to believe they've missed us altogether, more likely we're in a similar situation to rpyler (i.e. one of our interview evaluations or some other part of our file was delayed). I'll let you know how it goes.
 
gridiron227 said:
Nope, haven't heard anything yet. Was going to e-mail after checking today's mail, but now that they're actually taking phone calls seriously maybe I'll try your approach instead. I find it hard to believe they've missed us altogether, more likely we're in a similar situation to rpyler (i.e. one of our interview evaluations or some other part of our file was delayed). I'll let you know how it goes.
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I too have not heard anything. Let me know how it goes when you call the office... I had almost made up my mind that I'd wait until Friday for a decision from their offices and then call on Monday. I am beginning to think that waiting those extra days might not be a benefit if my application has been lost all together.
 
Yea...I'm in the same boat with you guys. Haven't heard anything. I wonder how many of us there really are bc I really wouldn't have expected them to lose files or turn out to be disorganized. Maybe they're not emailing or mailing everyone at the same time...?

Regardless, my head hurts from staring at the mailbox every morning ...knowing that's it's any day now is stressing me out.

Anyone who gets anymore updates, please post them.
 
I sent (what I believe is) a very polite, unassuming e-mail to [email protected]. I don't want to encourage others to do so (I have no idea if it's a good idea or what), but I'll keep you folks posted on the results. I'd call, but I'd rather not tie up their phone lines considering I'm sure they're busy enough. That said, I'll definitely call by the end of the week if I haven't gotten a response. Odd that there are SO many of us (looks like 10ish on SDN alone)... did all of you interview late? I was during the last week (that one they added), so I can see it being an issue with my evals just not being turned around that quickly. Legit, but I wish the PAS hadn't said "ALL decisions" will be made by the time they send them out. Nervewracking.
 
I received the second look email but I haven't received the letter in the mail or any other correspondence. Is anyone else in the same boat? For those with the letter and 2nd look email has Duke sent you any other emails? I shouldn't be worried but strange things seem to be happening...
 
gridiron227 said:
I sent (what I believe is) a very polite, unassuming e-mail to [email protected]. I don't want to encourage others to do so (I have no idea if it's a good idea or what), but I'll keep you folks posted on the results. I'd call, but I'd rather not tie up their phone lines considering I'm sure they're busy enough. That said, I'll definitely call by the end of the week if I haven't gotten a response. Odd that there are SO many of us (looks like 10ish on SDN alone)... did all of you interview late? I was during the last week (that one they added), so I can see it being an issue with my evals just not being turned around that quickly. Legit, but I wish the PAS hadn't said "ALL decisions" will be made by the time they send them out. Nervewracking.
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I interviewed in January...
 
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i interviewed in october :(

after seeing the quick response to rplyler's email, i sent an email to that general admissions address on monday night (similar to gridiron's, simply a polite inquiry), and never got a response.

so, i called yesterday afternoon, and they seemed surprised/concerned and gave the impression that they would look into my specific file (asked for my full name and aamc). janine, who i talked to, did reiterate that ALL decisions should have been sent out. i.e., i don't think this is on purpose.

i'll post here as soon as i get any sort of response from them.

good luck all ... [we should start a support group --FBD, forgotten by duke]
 
SKR said:
I received the second look email but I haven't received the letter in the mail or any other correspondence. Is anyone else in the same boat? For those with the letter and 2nd look email has Duke sent you any other emails? I shouldn't be worried but strange things seem to be happening...
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I have received a total of 3 emails from Mr. Wallace's personal address. The first one about the Second Look Weekend, the second one forwarded from a student representative about hosting for Second Look, and the last was Mr. Wallace's travel suggestions. The last one came on the Saturday immediately after most acceptance letters were received. Good luck to you, SKR, and all others in the same situation!
 
So I called today and the nice lady there told me that they'd look into it and contact me in a few hours... I'm pretty sure their office is closed by now but still no response. :confused: :xf::xf::xf::xf::xf::xf:
 
socal44 said:
Hi There, I'm new to these studentdoctor.net forums. I had a question for you about those of us waitlisted at Duke. Do you know how many students typically come off of Duke's waitlist each year? Also, do you think extra letters of rec or letters of intent will help? Thanks!
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I don't have any idea how many come off the waitlist. There has been speculation in the past but it really seems to vary from year to year. I also have no idea how many are ON the waitlist.

I sent an LOI when I was waitlisted; I don't know if it helps or not. It certainly can't hurt. But I have also heard that candidates are already ranked (to some degree) on the waitlist, so if you're at the bottom it may not do much for you. And no, there's no way to find out where you are on the waitlist because admissions will tell you it's not ranked.
 
I feel completely lost at this point. I don't know if I am over-reacting and I should just be patient, like the woman over the phone told me on Monday or if I should be freaking out because something has been lost.

I'm really trying to hold off from calling again until I might find out more information but if we don't get any updates by tomorrow...I don't think I could hold myself from calling on Friday.

That stinks they never called you and I really hope we find out soon.
 
nevercold said:
Pretty sure (99.5%) scholarships are announced BEFORE May 15, but I think the idea is to be able to financially reward students who have shown exceptional motivation and hard work to help them attend medical school. Despite awarding these scholarships before May 15, Duke does so by a selection process and that's it. They don't make offers and counter-offers to compete with other schools' offers. In other words, offers you get from other places will not change whether or not you get a scholarship offer from Duke (it'll just make it seem like you are pimping yourself out to the highest bidder :)).
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Oops! I think I was wrong about this. I misinterpreted the Admissions director when he spoke about this on Interview Day.
 
RapplixGmed said:
So I called today and the nice lady there told me that they'd look into it and contact me in a few hours... I'm pretty sure their office is closed by now but still no response. :confused: :xf::xf::xf::xf::xf::xf:
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Why are you so anxious about Duke, Rapplix? Would you take MD only at Duke over one of your MSTP offers??
 
Just heard. Waitlisted. Nice to know, anyway, now I can start writing a letter. Good luck to all those left waiting to hear - give em a call, the turnaround was pretty quick.
 
Wait listed too... this wait list seems like the place to be!
 
Did all of you who heard back this morning call the admissions office first?
 
blue star said:
Did all of you who heard back this morning call the admissions office first?
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I heard back this morning too.. and I am happily claiming my space on the wait list!!

I didn't call the office and still heard back...
 
Almost everyone in here got waitlisted :O
 
I've personally spoken with 6 others at my school, all waitlisted... I wonder how many will actually come off.. there must be 200 on the waitlist!
 
Rejected = Duke not willing to consider student for spot in incoming class

Waitlisted = Duke has evaluated student and found them to be qualified enough and appropriate for enrollment as a Duke medical student (i.e. if Duke had an unlimited class size, you'd be in)

So yeah, the waitlist tends to be pretty big.
 
I'm pretty sure it looks like those who got screwed over on their delays is getting a waitlist at best... makes sense since they probably already offered their quota during the first send outs.
 
For those of us on the wait list, do we still fax in our parent's tax returns to the financial aid office or do we wait for an acceptance?
 
wow, this thread died fast.

I just had a question or two about Duke and was hoping that some current students could chime in and/or PM me-

At some schools, the majority of the clinicals are done at large county hospitals (whether bellevue in NY, grady in ATL, etc). Unless I misunderstand, Duke's is primarily done through it's own private hospitals. Do you feel that this decreases exposure to diverse patient populations and/or diverse (strange and interesting) pathologies? I'm stoked about SO much about the school though I feel that I don't know too much about the clinical strength and weaknesses of the program.

Also, are there any free student-run clinics or something community-oriented like that?

Thanks in advance
 
drmcsteamy2008 said:
wow, this thread died fast.

I just had a question or two about Duke and was hoping that some current students could chime in and/or PM me-

At some schools, the majority of the clinicals are done at large county hospitals (whether bellevue in NY, grady in ATL, etc). Unless I misunderstand, Duke's is primarily done through it's own private hospitals. Do you feel that this decreases exposure to diverse patient populations and/or diverse (strange and interesting) pathologies? I'm stoked about SO much about the school though I feel that I don't know too much about the clinical strength and weaknesses of the program.

Also, are there any free student-run clinics or something community-oriented like that?

Thanks in advance
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Duke is not a *public* hospital. However, it and UNC are the primary hospitals for the whole Durham-Chapel Hill area which has over 300,000 people. The result is that the Duke health system provides primary, emergency, hospital, and specialist care for a substantial majority of the area population, especially an impoverished and healthcare challenged group of citizens both African-Americans and Hispanic (many undocumented) in addition to both a middle-upper class population from the Triangle area and a rural lower class population from the surrounding area. If it's weird or requires a specialist, it likely comes to Duke. That is true for most of the northern counties of central North Carolina as well as southern Virginia. You'll get patients from all across the southern half of the United States east of the Appalachians in certain specialties like oncology. You'll also get experience at the VA which is a unique population all unto itself that I won't even get into here.

The biggest weakness in the past in the curriculum clinically has been a diversity of outpatient learning experiences, although there are still plenty to develop some strength there if you're really interested.
 
Does anyone have Brenda Armstrongs email? I had it but lost it like i do everything else
 
Good evening everyone,

Does anyone have any advice for those of us on the wait list?

Thanks!
 
I was not able to attend Second Look weekend, but I still remain very interested in Duke. I have a few questions (below) for current Duke students or Duke grads. These questions may or may not have been answered on here already (if they have, please forgive me -- I looked and wasn't able to find anything) Also, if you attended Second Look, could you please give information about the weekend and what your impressions were of the other prospective students?

1) Is the class competitive or are students generally helpful toward each other? I know that there are usually a few competitive people in every class at any med school, but I wanted to get a feel for how competitive Duke classes tend to be.

2) For Duke students doing dual degrees (I am considering MD/MPH), when would you find the time to study for Step I, and do these students tend to do well on the exam? It seems that there is not much time for study for it since the MPH is about 12 months (at UNC); however, since quite a few people do it, there must be a way. Please help with this question.

3) I see that there is a large number of minorities at Duke (25% of the first year class, I understand). Does this mean that minorities are generally treated well at Duke? By treated well, I mean that they receive support from the school and that they do not encounter much difficulty from faculty and staff because of their minority status. Someone else asked me about this (they live in North Carolina). A reply from a minority student would be very helpful.

Thank you in advance for your help.
 
vision2fruition, I am in the same position as you and have similar questions. If you feel like the students on SDN are unable to answer them for you, perhaps you should email Mr. Richard Wallace. From the limited contact I have with him, he is extremely nice and will go out of his way to help you get your questions answered. At the very least he'd be able to put you in contact with the right students to answer your questions. Good luck, I'd be interested in knowing the answers to some of those questions as well!
 
I attended 2nd look and really enjoyed the prospective students there. The student hosts and 2nd Look organizers were also very nice and cool people. It's definitely clear that they know how to have a good time, but they also put in the work when they need to. PM me if you have specific questions about 2nd Look.

I'm a URM prospective student, and the students and faculty seem to represent all the colors of the spectrum. It's really incredible to see such a plethora of diversity at a medical school (especially a private one in the south). The SNMA hosted a dinner for 2nd look students and it definitely seemed like older students and faculty go out of their way to support URM students in whatever way they can.

Another thing re: URM, many of the attendings you'll be working under in your 2nd and fourth years are URM. Sometimes professors seem more approachable if you feel like you share that common ground with them. This could definitely be important in your LORs for residency(This is just my personal experience, could be different for you.)
 
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vision2fruition said:
I was not able to attend Second Look weekend, but I still remain very interested in Duke. I have a few questions (below) for current Duke students or Duke grads. These questions may or may not have been answered on here already (if they have, please forgive me -- I looked and wasn't able to find anything) Also, if you attended Second Look, could you please give information about the weekend and what your impressions were of the other prospective students?

1) Is the class competitive or are students generally helpful toward each other? I know that there are usually a few competitive people in every class at any med school, but I wanted to get a feel for how competitive Duke classes tend to be.

2) For Duke students doing dual degrees (I am considering MD/MPH), when would you find the time to study for Step I, and do these students tend to do well on the exam? It seems that there is not much time for study for it since the MPH is about 12 months (at UNC); however, since quite a few people do it, there must be a way. Please help with this question.

3) I see that there is a large number of minorities at Duke (25% of the first year class, I understand). Does this mean that minorities are generally treated well at Duke? By treated well, I mean that they receive support from the school and that they do not encounter much difficulty from faculty and staff because of their minority status. Someone else asked me about this (they live in North Carolina). A reply from a minority student would be very helpful.

Thank you in advance for your help.
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#1 - My class was not competitive with each other and I've never really heard of any of the classes being that way... the grading system is set up so that there is no competition. Ie, at some schools, only the top 10% get honors, etc. At Duke, during the basic science years, there is a grade cut-off for honors (usually 90), so anyone who gets above that can honor (so theoretically everyone can honor), which prevents a lot of competition. My class was generally very helpful and people would mail out study sheets, etc. For the clinical years, it's generally a similar system, but grades are based mostly on evals, and the only thing that really affects evals is your performance. There were reports of some students "gunning" others on rotations, but this really wasn't prevalent and was restricted to a "special" few, thankfully.
#2 - I'm not really sure about this, since I am doing a research year. However, I'm not taking any "time off" for Step 1, I'm just studying as the year goes. It sucks, but I kind of dragged it out excessively and it's really my own fault. Anyway, I know that some people have some time to complete Step 1 before their degree program starts, or have time off during school breaks to study, but I can't tell you anything specific b/c I don't really know.
#3 - I'm not a minority student, so I can't really help you out with this, seems like someone already gave a response. I certainly can't think of anyone who is treated POORLY b/c they are a minority or are discriminated against, but I won't speak for a group that I don't belong to...
 
I called today to ask about sending in a letter of update (and possibly interest/intent) because I have a couple of new publications. The lady on the phone was pretty stern about us not sending *anything* to the admissions office from this point on because they will not get read, even if it's an update to our application. Really?

I want to show the school that I'm really really interested, and I understand that well, we are all interested (because it's... Duke!!), but really? There's nothing we can do even if we want to put in the additional effort to show additional interest?! :(
 
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At second look the financial aid representative said that all scholarships had been given out already....that was two weekends ago. Maybe someone will give one up :)?
 
Hi Everyone - I really signed on to spam this thread and advertise to the entering students the rooms in my house for rent. But first, I want to address a couple of vision2fruition's questions b/c I can answer them well.

I'm a graduating student and have loved every minute of my time at Duke. During my third year I got an MPH at UNC and took step 1. The class schedule in the MPH program is full, but not completely overwhelming and there is time to study for step 1. I had off from Dec 5-Jan 15 or so, and I took step 1 around January 20, giving me a full 6 weeks to study and I did great on the test. About half of us did it that way. The MPH schedule is set up so that the classes end in early May, and you have 3 months to write your master's paper. Many people finish their paper in June, and study for step 1 in June, July and early August. (I chose to take Step 1 in January and still finished my paper in June, allowing me to start 4th year early and spend Jan/Feb of this year in Tanzania). There are many options and everyone has plenty of time to study.

The class is very noncompetitive through all four years. You actually get sick of being emailed people's homemade study notes and the overall feeling is very collaborative. One thing I am continually amazed at is how impressive my class is and how humble they all are at the same time. Go Duke!

Now for the spam - I'm moving to Boston for residency and have decided to rent out the rooms in my house instead of putting it up for sale (I've also fallen in love with Durham in my 4 years here and hope to return sometime). It's a 3 bedroom house and I've already found one girl to live there who is a dear friend of mine and a really awesome person. So, there are 2 rooms available for rent. The house is SUPER close to the hospital/med school and is quite honestly, really beautiful and awesome. It was the perfect place to live in med school. I realize that I missed second look weekend (I was in Boston looking for housing of my own), but I would love to rent the rooms out to med students. Please email me if you want more info (oh yeah, rent is $500 per room, plus 1/3 util), pictures, or want to come check it out. Or also just feel free to email me if you have questions about Duke Med in general because I'm happy to answer anything (except I've never been on the admissions committee and don't know how to get off the waitlist). Sorry for the long post! (Email is dolfnluv8 at yahoo dot com)
 
the waitlist will remain active until the first day of orientation in August... does anyone (accepted folks?) know what day that will be this year?
 
Is it usual for the admissions office to tell wait listed applicants not to send anything in? It seems like in previous years wait listed applicants who eventually got in sent letters to the admissions office...did they do this against the wishes of the adcom or did the adcom say something different then?
 
For those who got waitlisted, what were your GPA and MCAT #s ?

I go to UCSD, CA resident, with cGPA ~3.5, and 35Q, typical EC's, volunteering, research. Do I have a chance with being waitlisted?

Just curious. Thanks!
 
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