Visiting Duke; Common App - Trinity College of Arts & Sciences/ Duke a good match

If you are applying to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you?

Ever since I was about 5 years old people have been talking to me about attending Duke University and I was always against the whole idea. I never really knew much about the institution but I just knew that I didn't want to go. All I ever really heard about Duke was that you had to be smarter than the smartest to get in and that everyone there just worked all day every day. So, I never really thought I would fit in there. I sort of felt like attending Duke would mean I'd have to give up having fun and being young. Luckily though I got the pleasure of visiting your campus my 11th grade year of high school and I have been attached ever since then. Visiting Duke was the most amazing college tour I have been on thus far.

Through my visit I learned that being at Duke I could get the best of both worlds. Attending this university meant that I would be getting the chance to gain access to one of the top eight medical schools in the country. While also enjoying college and being young. One of the most exciting things I witnessed was the college rivalry between Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill. The annual camp out seems so fun and I would love to be a part of that. The overall atmosphere of Duke was nothing like I imagined it to be and I am just so happy that I got to tour the campus and see what it was really like for me because I loved every minute of it.

The prompt says you should respond if you're applying to the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. I'm not aware of what that comprises, but you discuss medical school in your answer. Are you indeed applying to the college of Arts and Sciences? If you are, I think your answer should be more specific towards that college itself. Duke knows they have a top eight medical school and they know they have a college rivalry. I think they'd want to see why you value the program of arts and sciences and how you plan on using that program as a launch pad to whatever you plan on doing in your future.

I find the sports rivalry to be pretty trivial and the top eight school thing to be a boring fact. Duke wants to see why their arts and sciences program is best for you and what you're going to do with it after college. Anybody can say they like the sports teams and spout off facts about how awesome the college is.

Be more specific.