Madysen Rufener

The Chronicle had solicited submissions from alumni and current students for their rewritten Duke supplemental essay based on their time here. Read more about it here. Honoring your inner child College admissions serves up a promise: “We’ve identified you as one with potential — here is your chance to be someone who matters.” My original Why Duke essay radiated that energy. I wrote about the pressure of team sports and how it had forged my convivial, fiery spirit.

And tenting — the true Duke curriculum, which is why I saved it for last. Community buy-in and character development, even at the cost of 100k. It’s realizing your friend chose to tent with someone else because he was graduating early and wanted a better spot in Section 17 since we weren’t “hardcore” enough. So you bribe him by bringing a girl he’s interested in to tent. He still says no — but their late-night K-Ville chats turned into dating, now 2.5 years strong (who’s counting anyways).

The Chronicle is soliciting submissions from alumni and current students for their rewritten Duke supplemental essay based on their time here. You can submit here. Delete later The essays I wrote to get into Duke no longer exist. I love writing, and by that I mean I love writing about anything other than myself. So I wrote my personal essay in third person, and I wrote my “Why Duke?” about a girl I could eventually become. Years later, I’ve graduated, and I’m neither of those people.