While current Duke students were enjoying their well deserved winter vacations, 1,494 high school seniors from around the world were on edge. They were anxiously awaiting word back from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions on the status of their early decision applications to join Duke"s Class of 2009.
Almost one-third of those applicants--465 in all--were admitted Dec. 15, while 262 students were denied admission and 767 were deferred and will be reconsidered for admission in the spring.
Based on early decision results, the admissions office could become more selective this year: only 31 percent of early applicants were admitted this time around, compared to last year"s rate of 36 percent and 33 percent the year before.
Demographically speaking, the Class of 2009 figures to be especially diverse. Approximately one-fourth of the 465 students already admitted are students of color, and half are women. About 43 percent have applied for financial aid.
'The group as a whole is slightly more diverse racially and economically than last year,' said Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions. 'Beyond that, I"d say that in many ways they are typical of early decision students we"ve admitted in the past several years--very bright, very talented and very enthusiastic about Duke.'
In addition, 82 of the new Blue Devils have indicated that they plan to study engineering, up from last year"s number of 68, reflecting the University"s new commitment to the Pratt School of Engineering, which hopes to increase enrollment by 100 over the next two years.
'We wanted to start with a good core of students who have a strong commitment to engineering and to Duke,' Guttentag said.Jeff Hu, a senior at the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham, was admitted from the early decision pool and plans to study biomedical engineering. He interned with Duke"s biomedical engineering department last summer and was impressed with the increased focus on engineering.
'Over the summer I noticed there was a lot of construction going on, and there"s a new building, CIEMAS, which was opened recently,' the Cary, N.C., native said. 'When I worked with post-doctoral students and resident professors, I realized that they were a lot like my Science and Math professors. And I really like the atmosphere there. It"s very encouraging and very open.'
Guttentag said the early admission process benefits the undergraduate community because it attracts students that are very keen on Duke.
'The enthusiasm for Duke of those students who apply under our early decision program is always especially striking,' Guttentag said. 'The balance between their exceptional academic and personal credentials and their wonderful sense of spirit helps maintain Duke"s special quality.'
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