Why I Applied ED to Duke University

Simply put, applying to college early is a huge stress reliever. Your chances of getting admission are increased since you are in a smaller applicant pool, and you can have a potentially stress-free senior spring (and no college apps to write during winter break!). It’s also really valuable to apply early to a college and have a backup plan if things don’t work out. You have a lot more time to change up your essays or reassess the portfolio of schools you are applying to. For myself, applying ED meant there were a lot fewer college apps I had to write, and it was convenient to start planning to move in and start researching classes and organizations much earlier.

However, applying early decision is also a binding process, and you may even have to rescind your applications to other schools once you have gotten into your school.  If you would like a wide range of places and choices to choose from, ED may not be for you - and that’s ok! I remember feeling a little bummed out about having to rescind my applications from UC Berkeley, UCLA, and some of the other state schools I had applied to. Sometimes it is nice to have choices, even if in your mind there was only ever one choice. Think about this before you apply ED!

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Surprising to many, I never actually visited Duke prior to applying ED - unless you count when I visited Duke gardens briefly when I was in 6th grade. For most of my childhood, Stanford was my “dream school”. Around junior-senior year of high school, I realized that I wanted to have a new experience, a little further than 10 minutes from where I grew up. I knew I wanted to study environmental science, go to a school with good sports, a medium-sized student body, and be in an area which would allow me to experience the full 4 seasons. The North Carolina climate seemed great, the running club Instagram was exciting, Duke basketball was incredible, I liked the course offerings for undergraduates, and had some extended family only 20 minutes from the campus. And so, I went “all in” with my ED application. A lot of people ask me if the reason I applied ED to Duke was because it was my “dream school”. No -  because I had no idea what it was like! I valued the security ED provided me. And, over time, as with any good experience, looking back - Duke was truly the perfect place for me.