(no subject)
Dear Kenya:
It is with very real regret that I must tell you that we will not be able to offer you a place in the class entering Duke this fall. I realize that this is disappointing news; I want to assure you that we considered your candidacy carefully and that our decision was not an easy one.
This was in many ways an extraordinary year for the admission process at Duke. We received more than 18,000 applications - by far the largest number in our history. In addition, our applicant pool was significantly stronger academically than it has ever been. As a result, in filling the 1,660 places in the first-year class the Admissions Committee faced an extraordinary number of difficult decisions, and found itself not being able to admit students it might well have admitted just a year or two ago. It is clear to us that almost all of our applicants are outstanding young women and men, people who we know are fully capable of performing well in Duke’s classrooms and of contributing to our community. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of applicants means that we can admit only a small percentage of the students we find appealing, a task that was made exceptionally difficult by the unusual strength and size of our applicant pool this year.
You may be asking what was lacking in your application; for most of our applicants the honest answer is nothing. If you’re like most of the students who applied, you’ve put much effort into doing well in school, made significant contributions in your extracurricular activities, and worked hard to balance the many demands on your time. The Admissions Office staff and the Admissions Committee carefully evaluated each application, finding it extremely challenging to distinguish among the many exceptional students who would flourish here. The decisions of the Admissions Committee are guided by our understanding of our applicants as individuals, and our sense of which students together, with their particular combination of interests, backgrounds, and experiences, approach our sense of the class that is most appropriate for Duke right now. We have no quotas by school, by state, by race or ethnic group, by gender, or by area of interest. Our decisions are ultimately based on our evaluation of the many factors that together suggest to us the best match between our applicants - individually and as a group - and Duke. I can tell you that at one point or another every staff member remarked how difficult the selection process was this year.
You and your fellow applicants have exceptional academic and personal qualifications, and I regret that we could not offer you a place in the first-year class. I know that you will find an institution at which you will be happy; I know, too, that the school you choose will benefit from your presence. I wish you all the success I know you are capable of as you pursue your education further.