Is Duke a target or semi-target? Emory?

1. Duke is a target (I think)
4. 4.0 (I assume its uncurved) is good for both schools but 1400 is a bit lower than Duke's average (1490) for last year. But if you live in NC or SC you will have an easier time getting into Duke (they give preference to those students). You'll be competitive at both schools and with good EC's and essays you can get into both.
P.S. Duke has no undergrad business program so you'd have to major in econ.

http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/duke-university

http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/emory
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So what do you do?
-I work for an investment banking firm.
Oh okay; you are like my brother, he works for Edward Jones.
-No, a college degree is required in my profession

1. Are these schools target or semi-target?
-Duke = Target
-Emory = Semi Target

3. Anyone here a Duke/Emory student/alum?
-Duke Alumnus

4.How hard is it to get into Duke/Emory if you have a 4.0 GPA from high school and a 1400ish SAT?
-Get a higher SAT, some extracurriculars, and write some good essays
-When I got into Duke, everyone at Duke (broadly speaking) had a ridiculously high GPA from HS, took a bunch of APs, hada high SAT (there were 3 perfect SAT score kids in my freshman dorm), and plenty of out of school activities etc.
-I'm currently a direct promote associate, therefore things have only gotten harder since I got into Duke.

6. Would there be any other Ivy-level schools I could get into with those scores?
-Its always possible that you could get in, not probably, but possible.

5. Would you major in business or econ?
-Duke doesn't have a business Ugrad degree, just Econ.

Finally, learn how to number.

4.0 and 1400? You should be well positioned for ANY top school including Harvard or Princeton. I would say you have a good shot at Columbia or NYU Stern.. Personally, I would minor in business. If IBanking is what u want, then go to school in NYC. You will really know if thats what u want if u live here.

This might've been the case 10 years ago, but not anymore, especially not for next year, which is slated to be the most competitive year ever. You're gonna need to accept the fact that you're probably not gonna get into harvard and princeton with a 1400, and even duke is not guaranteed. The average SAT score at Emory is around 1400, so you have a great shot there. The admissions game is so much more than #'s though- extracurriculars, essays, minority status, athletic ability, and many more components factor in. Good luck

Also, yes Duke is a target. Emory is not as much of a target as Duke is.

1400 SAT really is not fantastic for the "target" schools. unless u got 700/700 exactly, im guessing u slipped up and got 650-690 in one of the two (most likely Verbal). This doesnt look great, since most kids going to these schools have low to mid 700s in both. i thought i was hot shit getting 1470 on my SATs and cruised my way into Northwestern (easier to get into than Duke), only to find that was an average test score among my peers (not including School of Communications kids), and many people i knew had 1500+.

some people might say SAT/ACT scores are not that important after u get into college, but it truly is something that stays with you forever. even your gpa/class rank fade away (unless your valedictorian) since every high school has varying difficulty, but your SAT score is something that will come up in conversation among family members and close friends for the rest of your life, and it stays on your resume when youre applying for jobs.

i took the ACT and SAT three times each before i got an acceptable score, maybe you should too. its nothing you cant master with a lot of practice tests, the questions are pretty repetitive, especially math.

errr...this IS 1400/1600 rite? If so, it's an okay score, slightly subpar I'd say but nothing crippling. If this is on the 2400 scale, then you're screwed.

What race and income level are you? If you're an Asian male, then my advice is good luck, the odds are against you, unless you're from an unusually well-regarded high school.

I have considered Stern as well. What are the average GPA/SAT scores for Stern?

Thanks for all your help, guys.

I went to Duke, and I was an Asian male from a non-exceptional high school. The factors that will make you and break you are the extracurriculars and essay. Keep in mind that Duke also gives HUGE preference to early decision kids.

UVA and UMich would be good schools to look into

I'm also an Asian male from an unexceptional high school who got admitted into Duke and a few other Ivies.

Metalasian is correct that what makes or breaks you are your extracurrics and essay. Relative to other Asian males tho, I would say your SAT is at a disadvantage.

Ignore average figures also. As an Asian, the expectations for you are much higher when the adcoms are deciding on you.

Apply everywhere to quality schools. The application fee is small relative to the worth of having options. I think getting into good colleges is fundamentally similar to doing recruiting. No matter how good you are, there is still a fundamental element of luck(whether good or bad) in how you do.

Schools:

Every single Ivy(maybe excepting Brown since I think a good public like UMich or UVA is better for recruiting than they are)+ MIT, Stanford, Caltech, etc.

Every single school where recruiting occurs:

UMich, UVA, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, Williams, Amherst, Stern, Duke, etc.

It would help a lot in your budget if you apply early to a school that does rolling like UMich so that if you get accepted, you'll have a "guarantee" on a place to go as well as knowing what your options are before deciding to or not to apply to another school(Ex: I was from Michigan so I applied to UMich, found out early that I was in, and so didn't bother applying to the UC's or UVA, etc.)

of all the schools mentioned you have the best shot to get in at emory, and probably a decent shot at duke/nyu. keep in mind that you're spending four years of your life at this place, so don't pick solely on which school gives you the best chance to go to ib.

I am not Asian, I am Caucasian. Not sure where the whole Asian thing came from...

The 1400 is on a 1600 scale, so probably relative to a 2000-2200 on a 2400 scale.

NYC is somewhere I've always wanted to live. I think it would be great, so the lifestyle at NYU wouldn't be a problem I don't think.

The Asian thing probably came up because there are numerous Asian bankers on this board and on wall street. They incorrectly just assumed you were Asian as well.

As for your questions: Duke is a target. Emory, not so much. Emory is still a decent school.

FYI, I do not attend Duke, but was accepted there. (I'm not much older than you so the scores haven't changed by much.) Comparatively, your GPA is not a really major factor for the decision makers; so many people get 4.0s in high school that grade point averages are, for the most part, meaningless. What will set you apart are your extracurriculars and SATs. A 1400 is honestly not very high for Duke. It'll get you far in other places and you'll have a shot at Duke, but don't expect many Duke students to have a 1400 SAT. In regards to extracurricular, make sure that you have quality over quantity. If there's nothing special about your out-of-school activities, than this will likely be a meaningless point for the admissions staff. Getting leadership positions in random school activities, in my opinion, is not a big deal at all. If you clearly show entrepreneurship and a dedicated passion to an activity that is within the context of your planned major, than you'll probably get in without the perfect scores.

I think you have a chance at going to Duke, but it's really impossible to tell with only your GPA and SAT.

as other posters have said, you are basically a reach for most of these schools, so apply everyone and hope to get into 1-2

warhawk gave a good list, but i would add northwestern, georgetown, BC.

you should have no problem getting into UMich

next year is always the most competitive year... and i'm sure you'll hear some stupid statisic about how you made it into the elite 1% of people who got into your school.

that crap doesn't matter. start figuring out your story and what you want to do. "i've always wanted to be in nyc" isn't going to get you a final round interview.

Man, just apply to every ivy and every other top school,nyu stern, stanford,,, You are well positioned as I said earlier. Decide when u have an offer or offers. Do apply to schools that u think u cant get into as well cuz u never know. I had a 1260 and a high shool average of 95 and I got into Columbia, Stern, u of chicago and wait listed at stanford which eventually didnt happen, I did attend columbia and it was good enuf. This is over a decade though so things may have changed. NON-MINORITY btw

recruited athlete?

10 years ago and today's college process are like comparing living conditions in USA and a 3rd world country. Every year getting into college gets harder and harder, and a 1260 in today's age will probably land you a low-tier or instate state school.

But a 1400/1600 still gives you a shot but assuming that you're entering your senior year, I'd study all summer for the SAT's again to take in the fall. 1400 is a little below average in the top schools like Duke, so definitely get that higher and make nice w/ your teachers and put effort into the essay. other than that, there's nothing else you can do at this point. gl

Let me just say I had a 34 ACT (equivalent to a 1530/1600, 2290/2400 SAT), number 1 in a class of 30, solid EC's and all that and I got rejected at 11 of my 12 schools I applied to. I'm going to Vanderbilt in the fall but I was waitlisted then REJECTED from Columbia with those stats and legacy status. So absolutely NOTHING is a sure bet nowadays.

A buddy of mine had a 35/36 on his ACT. 4.0 GPA. Numerous extracurriculars (captain of two sports teams) and was a very very well rounded candidate.

He STILL didn't get into Duke. Being white gives you a huge disadvantage, especially at Duke.

As mentioned before, look at schools like Michigan (that's where he ended up going instead) and Virginia as well. I certainly would not rely on being admitted to Duke (I don't know much about Emory).

my high school didn't actually calculate a GPA, but in my experience it's pretty meaningless, because school quality varies so much. A B+ average at a top nyc private school is much harder to achieve than a 4.0 at some public schools. And the SAT scores reflect that.

My advice is to apply to a bunch of schools. I applied to 12....duke, stanford, mit, all the ivies (except cornell), northwestern.... do they still have the common app?