Duke c/o 2021 Applicants (2017/18) Forum

[sparkytrainer]

Hey guys. I applied through the Priority Track and heard back today, and was placed on Priority Reserve. I am having trouble interpreting this decision, and would really appreciate some help. Through looking at other applicants from this cycle as well as previous cycles, it seems that many applicants who were placed on Priority Reserve were victims of yield protection, with high 170+ LSAT scores, respectable GPAs (3.4 to 3.7), and did not write a Why Duke Essay.

However, I do not believe that I fall into this category of yield protection. I have a 168 LSAT score and 3.95 GPA (from a Top 25 University), I wrote a Why Duke essay, and I believe that I have decent soft factors.

Could someone please clarify whether or not I was placed on Priority Reserve due to yield protection, and if not, what this implies? Additionally, I applied to practically every T14 as well as USC and UCLA, and am concerned what this means for my chances at other, higher-ranked schools.

Thanks and best of luck to all of you!!

P.S.
On a related note, does yield protection only apply to an applicant whose LSAT score is too high, or does yield protection also affect applicants whose GPA is too high?

I don’t think anyone can tell you definitively whether or not YP was a factor. People admitted by PT this cycle have been all over the board, including many with numbers over 75th for both LSAT and GPA. The reality is that there is no magic formula. Law school, grad school, etc - numbers are important but not everything, and an applicant that shines for one school may not spark the same enthusiasm in another. This in no way determines what will happen through your cycle...and you’ll very possibly be offered a spot at Duke! Just try not to stress too much (and I realize how tough that is / I have many crazy moments). Best of luck!

OP, this is certainly not YP. Your lsat is good, but not YP type number.

[OhMyLaw]

Hai friends I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether it would be weird to send in an lsat addendum after I've submitted and gone under review? I was really rushing to apply as early as possible (super lame excuse I know). For what it's worth, this is my second app cycle (but first time applying to Duke) and the adennum basically explains how my dad was unemployed when I was going into my last year of undergrad so I essentially had to work extra hours vs studying for the lsat. Thanks for any inputs

[Dr.Degrees_Cr.Cash]

Hai friends I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether it would be weird to send in an lsat addendum after I've submitted and gone under review? I was really rushing to apply as early as possible (super lame excuse I know). For what it's worth, this is my second app cycle (but first time applying to Duke) and the adennum basically explains how my dad was unemployed when I was going into my last year of undergrad so I essentially had to work extra hours vs studying for the lsat. Thanks for any inputs

Firstly, I'm sorry you had to go through that. It can be really tough to have a plan in life and then suddenly have to shift gears like that :/

I don't know what your score is, but I wouldn't recommend this addendum for 2 reasons:

1) I don't know how effective saying you didn't have time to study for the lsat would be in swaying adcoms. If it's was a downturn in your grades one semester because of something happening over the year, that's one thing. Grades are flexible and very person specific. I wouldn't discuss the lsat unless something happened with the test where you don't believe the results reflected your actual ability on test day (and have a compelling reason to believe it). Feeling your abilities could have improved had you prepared more is something most people probably feel about their last score. Granted your reasoning is much more valid, but at the end of the day a standardized test is an acute event and unless something acute happened I don't think it will sway

2) if you're reapplying this year did you have time somewhere between the exam and now to prep and retake? Again I don't have your full timeline, but if I'm an adcom and I see that 3 exams have happened since the one you wrote, that would be my question.

There may be somewhere in your app that you could discuss the trials of having to support your family and how it makes you a more compelling applicant for having done it, and if your GPA fell during that time you could possibly addendum that, but I don't know that an lsat specific one is the best course

[tinycatfriend]

Hai friends I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether it would be weird to send in an lsat addendum after I've submitted and gone under review? I was really rushing to apply as early as possible (super lame excuse I know). For what it's worth, this is my second app cycle (but first time applying to Duke) and the adennum basically explains how my dad was unemployed when I was going into my last year of undergrad so I essentially had to work extra hours vs studying for the lsat. Thanks for any inputs

Okay so, I did do an LSAT addendum, and I think short and sweet is the way to go- maybe just saying, because of unexpected family circumstances, I couldn't put in the time and energy for the LSAT I was planning on, and luckily this cycle I could or something like that.

[anndyer]

Anyone hear anything on the ED front?

Nothing more than going UR on 11/13!

Same here. Submitted ED on 10/31, went UR on 11/13. I wonder how long the ED reviews usually take?

Someone on lsn got accepted ED on 11/17.
That person completed (maybe s/he meant UR?) 11/08 (kinda suprised about how I actually submitted earlier but went UR later...)
Anyone knows if they work next week?

That was me! It was complete 11/08, and they told me in 9 days because they gave me expedited review if I applied early decision (like PT but only for ED applicants). It went UR the 9th I think.

Good luck!

[wsq01]

Anyone hear anything on the ED front?

Nothing more than going UR on 11/13!

Same here. Submitted ED on 10/31, went UR on 11/13. I wonder how long the ED reviews usually take?

Someone on lsn got accepted ED on 11/17.
That person completed (maybe s/he meant UR?) 11/08 (kinda suprised about how I actually submitted earlier but went UR later...)
Anyone knows if they work next week?

That was me! It was complete 11/08, and they told me in 9 days because they gave me expedited review if I applied early decision (like PT but only for ED applicants). It went UR the 9th I think.

Good luck!

Thank you and congrats on your acceptance!
I didn't know they had an expedited ED. Regret not asking them now. I saw ED usually hear back the first/second week of Dec. Hope we'll know by then.

[anndyer]

Anyone hear anything on the ED front?

Nothing more than going UR on 11/13!

Same here. Submitted ED on 10/31, went UR on 11/13. I wonder how long the ED reviews usually take?

Someone on lsn got accepted ED on 11/17.
That person completed (maybe s/he meant UR?) 11/08 (kinda suprised about how I actually submitted earlier but went UR later...)
Anyone knows if they work next week?

That was me! It was complete 11/08, and they told me in 9 days because they gave me expedited review if I applied early decision (like PT but only for ED applicants). It went UR the 9th I think.

Good luck!

Thank you and congrats on your acceptance!
I didn't know they had an expedited ED. Regret not asking them now. I saw ED usually hear back the first/second week of Dec. Hope we'll know by then.

That's not too bad! and thank you! If you/ anyone else gets in ED feel free to PM me because I'd love to meet more of the incoming class, I haven't heard of anyone accepting their offer yet

[OhMyLaw]

Hai friends I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether it would be weird to send in an lsat addendum after I've submitted and gone under review? I was really rushing to apply as early as possible (super lame excuse I know). For what it's worth, this is my second app cycle (but first time applying to Duke) and the adennum basically explains how my dad was unemployed when I was going into my last year of undergrad so I essentially had to work extra hours vs studying for the lsat. Thanks for any inputs

Firstly, I'm sorry you had to go through that. It can be really tough to have a plan in life and then suddenly have to shift gears like that :/

I don't know what your score is, but I wouldn't recommend this addendum for 2 reasons:

1) I don't know how effective saying you didn't have time to study for the lsat would be in swaying adcoms. If it's was a downturn in your grades one semester because of something happening over the year, that's one thing. Grades are flexible and very person specific. I wouldn't discuss the lsat unless something happened with the test where you don't believe the results reflected your actual ability on test day (and have a compelling reason to believe it). Feeling your abilities could have improved had you prepared more is something most people probably feel about their last score. Granted your reasoning is much more valid, but at the end of the day a standardized test is an acute event and unless something acute happened I don't think it will sway

2) if you're reapplying this year did you have time somewhere between the exam and now to prep and retake? Again I don't have your full timeline, but if I'm an adcom and I see that 3 exams have happened since the one you wrote, that would be my question.

There may be somewhere in your app that you could discuss the trials of having to support your family and how it makes you a more compelling applicant for having done it, and if your GPA fell during that time you could possibly addendum that, but I don't know that an lsat specific one is the best course

Thanks for the advice you def have a point about the gpa addendum and what admissions might think in regards to multiple retakes.

[OhMyLaw]

Hai friends I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether it would be weird to send in an lsat addendum after I've submitted and gone under review? I was really rushing to apply as early as possible (super lame excuse I know). For what it's worth, this is my second app cycle (but first time applying to Duke) and the adennum basically explains how my dad was unemployed when I was going into my last year of undergrad so I essentially had to work extra hours vs studying for the lsat. Thanks for any inputs

Okay so, I did do an LSAT addendum, and I think short and sweet is the way to go- maybe just saying, because of unexpected family circumstances, I couldn't put in the time and energy for the LSAT I was planning on, and luckily this cycle I could or something like that.

Thanks for the tips!

[tinycatfriend]

In!

[soca_dancer]

In!

Congrats!!

[mwells56]

Complete today! Submitted on Wednesday. Given that some people got in over the weekend I guess they're moving to the next wave.

[LSATuration]

Went complete and got PT notification email on 11/21 (so PT notification by 11/30). Today (11/27) status checker went to Under Review.

[virginia_direwoolf]

Hello all! Just a heads up that I updated OP with new spreadsheet. Please add your info!

[wmbuff]

Hello all! Just a heads up that I updated OP with new spreadsheet. Please add your info!

Thank you! I haven't been monitoring the threads of schools where I'm not applying, but this is the first I've noticed someone directing folks to the spreadsheets from an applicants thread. I'm planning to do some tinkering to make them more useful for analysis (the Why Duke field isn't generating anything in that regard yet, but it will), so I'm still taking suggestions for what folks care to know. I'm guessing that PT might be useful to track. Is there anything else Duke applicants think is important?

[PostNihilist]

UR today! non-PT

[Teacher]

Complete today! Submitted on Wednesday. Given that some people got in over the weekend I guess they're moving to the next wave.

Same same!

[anacabana]

UR today! non-PT

If you don't mind me asking, when did you go complete?

[ATXStudent]

UR today! non-PT

Not PT as well. UR since 11/06, comp - 10/16.

[38981928]

Have any non-PT, non-ED people heard back? If so, what was the timeline between complete --> UR --> decision?

[Pirate52]

I am ED, went complete on 11/01 UR on 11/13, still have not heard back. I am thinking that they are trying to get all of the PT's taken care of. Which by the way, does that not have a deadline? If not, they have priority, so we could be waiting awhile.

[PostNihilist]

UR today! non-PT

If you don't mind me asking, when did you go complete?

Don't mind, went complete 10/23

[Dr.Degrees_Cr.Cash]

I am ED, went complete on 11/01 UR on 11/13, still have not heard back. I am thinking that they are trying to get all of the PT's taken care of. Which by the way, does that not have a deadline? If not, they have priority, so we could be waiting awhile.

Yeah the PT's could roll in until the February deadline. It's usually a while for non-pt decisions , sorry :/

[wmbuff]

Hello all! Just a heads up that I updated OP with new spreadsheet. Please add your info!

Thank you! I haven't been monitoring the threads of schools where I'm not applying, but this is the first I've noticed someone directing folks to the spreadsheets from an applicants thread. I'm planning to do some tinkering to make them more useful for analysis (the Why Duke field isn't generating anything in that regard yet, but it will), so I'm still taking suggestions for what folks care to know. I'm guessing that PT might be useful to track. Is there anything else Duke applicants think is important?

I've updated the spreadsheet to track PT/ED/RD status, and added some basic response rate analysis for that and Why Duke. Also fixed the medians on the tables on the Analysis sheet. Gradually, this will become a more useful sheet.

[wsq01]

I am ED, went complete on 11/01 UR on 11/13, still have not heard back. I am thinking that they are trying to get all of the PT's taken care of. Which by the way, does that not have a deadline? If not, they have priority, so we could be waiting awhile.

Also ED here, just went UR2.