The Dean of Admissions at Duke University, Christoph Guttentag, recently gave an interview talking about what it takes to get accepted at Duke specifically and to a highly selective college in general.
Dean Guttentag’s comments are consistent with what other selective college admissions officers have discussed so nothing too surprising here. But, if you are wondering why a student with strong grades and test scores isn’t accepted to a college like Duke, this video may help you understand that process better.
Dean Guttentag does mention the hot button topic of social media and a student’s level of involvement. Basically, the policy at Duke, and this is true at many colleges, is that they don’t affirmatively seek out information on the student on the various social media.
However, if they become aware of information that may put the student in a negative light, they may take that into consideration in the admissions process.
Dean Guttentag also discussed the importance of the application essays and the problems that they see when parents help with those essays.
I have linked to a number of sites in the past where various admissions officers have discussed admissions to highly selective colleges. What is most interesting in viewing the various videos is the fact that the comments on what it takes to get in has changed very little over the many years of these videos.
Getting admitted to a highly selective college is very challenging and even more so if you are focused on one particular college. But if you have a list of colleges that are good fit for you both academically and socially, then getting admitted is a much more straightforward process.
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