Duke University is consistently ranked in the top ten national colleges, making it one of the best in the United States. Similar to many of its peers, Duke requires students to complete its supplemental essays as a part of the application process. Essays are an excellent medium to gauge your college readiness. There is one obligatory essay and two optional essays at Duke. Writing any optional supplements that relate to you is a good idea since it gives you a better chance to make a lasting impression on the admissions officers.
What can you do to make your supplemental essay stand out?
Duke wants to see if you can write effectively and simply while still adhering to all of the required grammatical rules.
Duke also wants to get to know you as a student and potential member of their student body. Beyond your exam scores and other academic qualifications, essays are a terrific method to understand you as a person, make sure you stay authentic and stick to your passions. The admissions committee can see through your answers.
Finally, your Duke essays are where you can show your enthusiasm for Duke. It’s critical to devote time and attention to each of the Duke supplement essay assignments.
Prompts for Duke’s Supplemental Essays:
PROMPT-1(Required)
Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attracts you? (200 Word Max).
What’s the best way to write this?
To make your Duke admissions essay stand out, you’ll need to be precise, concise, and honest. Because there is word lit, it’s advisable to concentrate on one or two key points rather than trying to pack as many ideas as possible into your brief essay.
The important thing to remember here is to be clear about why Duke is the ideal school for you. We recently spoke about talking about professors, but you may also talk about specific classes you want to take, academic groups you want to join, or even research possibilities. That means you’ll have to do some homework, but trust us when we say it’ll be worth it.
PROMPT-2 (OPTIONAL)
Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you‘d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you‘ve had that would help us understand you better, perhaps a community you belong to or your family or cultural background, we encourage you to do so here. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 Word Max).
What’s the best way to write this?
Take this question as a chance to tell us more about yourself. Write about something true and significant if you have something to say. But don’t try to create an experience that isn’t yours—it will come off as phoney and false. Lean towards authenticity if you choose to respond to this question. Don’t be afraid to be open and honest. While the question mentions Duke’s dedication to diversity, don’t feel obligated to fabricate varied experiences in order to fit in.
Tell us about your distinct point of view. Make it clear why this point of view belongs to you and only you. Your experiences and interactions shape your perspective, so you might emphasize how they have influenced you.
PROMPT-3(OPTIONAL)
Duke ‘s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. If you would like to share with us more about your identity in these areas, you can do so here, or use any previous essay prompt you feel is appropriate. (200 Word Max).
What’s the best way to write this?
Unless you have a strong desire to do so, there is no need to push a response to this question. Duke places a strong focus on fostering an inclusive atmosphere in which students feel free to express themselves. Consider answering to this optional question if you identify as LGBTQIA+ and your sexuality is an essential or defining aspect of your life. Be confident and explain why. Perhaps your sexuality has just lately forced you to reconsider your worldview, and you’d like to elaborate on the nature of that shift. This is your opportunity to do so in this essay.
Tips on how to write a Memorable Duke Essay:
A few pointers to remember when you’re writing your Duke University supplemental essays:
Set aside some time for yourself to think: Writing a brief essay might appear to be a simple and quick task at first glance. Despite Duke’s request for only 250 words, the objective is for it to be as impactful as a 600 word essay. With a 250-word question, carelessly jumbling together wide and lofty concepts won’t get you very far, so give yourself plenty of time to prepare, draft and redraft your response until it’s ready to submit.
Make a concise point: When it comes to creating an effective answer, specificity is the magic component. Include anecdotes and examples that closely relate to what you know and value about the Duke community. Don’t just state you generic and impersonal statements, such as “I want to make the world a better place.” Consider relevant experiences that demonstrate your passions, academic and professional goals.
Authencity is supreme: Spending hours and hours writing about topics that don’t actually matter to you is unproductive. Be truthful! Highlight the issues that are truly resonate to you and dig deep internally as to why they are important to you. Finally, the goal of any additional essay is to allow you the chance to portray yourself, your experiences, and your accomplishments in your own words. So have a good time with this. Show yourself off a little.
How will Rostrum help you?
Supplementary essays are a vital component of your application, and writing anything mundane will not get you into such a prestigious university. Rostrum Education with its team of highly experienced college counselors are there with you every step of the way. We provide Personalised Essay Assistance to each one of our students, from brainstorming essay ideas to editing it with a fine-tooth comb. We help you represent yourself and experience in the best way. Book a free consultation with us to learn more.
