More than 500 Duke students applied to DukeEngage at the start of Winter Break, hoping to gain a distinguished spot in one of multiple group opportunities.
DukeEngage received about 515 applications for 294 spots in their 30 international and domestic groups programs this coming summer. Officials anticipate a roughly 58 percent acceptance rate this year.
The number of group program applications this year is a drop from last year's number of 611 applicants. The decrease is due to a number of factors, including changes to the DukeEngage application process and an earlier deadline, said Eric Van Danen, DukeEngage's director of communications.
"It's not surprising to us that we have fewer applicants because last year, students could apply for an individual project first, and if it was not approved, you had time to still apply for a group project," Van Danen said.
He added that having an earlier deadline could have also affected application numbers because many students still do not have a clear idea of what they want to do this summer.
This year, students had to choose between applying to a group program or an individual project. Last year, they could apply to both types of programs.
Some students, however, said they were not hindered by these changes.
Sophomore Pat Rutter, who applied to the DukeEngage program in Dublin, said he considered doing an individual project, but thought the experience would be too lonely and instead preferred to be with a group.
"The group projects were good enough that I didn't feel the need to do my own," he added.
But sophomore Sandeep Prasanna said he has been committed to pursuing an individual project in India and did not really consider the list of group offerings.
Students applying to group programs this year were also limited to only two programs-one international and one domestic-compared to last year when they could apply for up to three group programs, international or domestic.
"This year, we really wanted students to focus on something they were customizing themselves or a group program that was piquing their interests," Van Danen said.
He referred to last year's DukeEngage recruitment and application process as an "experiment," and added that there were administrative difficulties with having students apply to as many as three programs.
Van Danen added that DukeEngage has recently concentrated on being more site-specific. At DukeEngage information sessions during DukeEngage Week in the Fall, program officials emphasized the qualities of program locations.
"We saw it as a really good move procedurally to help students get to know specific sites in an intimate way as they were researching the program," he said.
Antonio Arce, staff coordinator of the DukeEngage in Chile program, said he has had many more students come talk to him about the program and the application process compared to last year.
"We're better prepared to tell students about the program, and they're better prepared to apply," said Arce, who is also senior program coordinator of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
DukeEngage officials will inform students of their placement in group programs as early as Feb. 2. The DukeEngage individual program application deadline is Jan. 23, and students will be notified of the decisions Feb. 27.
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