117 Duke University Essay Examples That Worked

Prompt: Why Duke?

Self-healing polymers are as cool as the name suggests: materials that repair themselves using

complex chemistry with applications in spacecraft construction, electronics, medicine, and more.

But how can lifeless plastic molecules used in NASA spaceships regenerate from micrometeoroid punctures? One way is mechanochemical coupling: using energy from material deformation to rejoin structural polymer chains. Duke Professor Stephen Craig introduced me to self-healing

polymers in his hour-long introductory lecture on mechanochemistry.

These self-healing materials are just one of many reasons I want to pursue polymer chemistry with a certificate in materials science at Duke. I hope to build upon my research career with Prof. Stephen Craig, using his distinctive organic chemistry approach to discover new materials and

their properties. Duke’s Soft Matter Center and Materials Initiative would allow me to collaborate with professors and students from different fields toward a common goal: developing world-

changing materials. 

Apart from my scientific interests, my interest in philosophy has grown from preparing for

Quizbowl meets to researching the ethics of scientific innovations. The critical thinking skills cultivated in Duke’s liberal arts curriculum will enable me to expand upon history's greatest

thinkers, ideas, and questions. To learn to express and understand complex concepts necessary to succeed as a scientist, I intend to pursue a minor in philosophy.

Beyond academics, I hope to join Duke’s community of smart, humble, and down-to-earth Blue

Devils by trying out for the Quizbowl team, playing for the intramural tennis club, and engaging in the American Chemical and Materials Research Societies.

Prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

I stepped forward, blinded by the bright gym lights, and reached for the microphone. Standing in front of the two hundred-something students, I took a deep breath and introduced myself.

"Hi. I'm [Name Redacted] [Name Redacted]. Most of you know me, but for those who don't, I'm a sophomore, and I'm here to tell you about how High Tech High is going to help you get to college."

At the beginning of my sophomore year, I was offered the chance to represent the student body and work along with five other students to create lesson plans and other activities to expose students to the possibilities after high school.

At the time, my school consisted only of freshmen and sophomores, and as part of the very first graduating class, there were no upperclassmen to look up to. Ninety-nine other 15-16 year-olds and I were the oldest students on campus - we were the example for the freshmen, and with that came the truly unique opportunity to be role models and to leave an impact on the future of our school.

I realized this and decided I wanted to do more than just lessons and activities - they were great, but I wanted to present the same enamor that I had for the future after high school. I felt that only a current student could articulate the anxiety and anticipation surrounding the daunting years ahead, and only a current student could reassure their peers that those feelings were appropriate. I pitched my idea to my teammates, and we agreed to each focus on an aspect of pre and post-graduation experience, putting in extra hours after school to brainstorm and rehearse for our presentation at the next community meeting.

Our presentation ended up a success. Both students and staff were appreciative of our efforts - a student described it as "eye-opening" - then I knew that we truly did benefit our community with our message, even though that impact may have been small. We were pioneers: we transformed our school's landscape, ever slowly, ever slightly, but nevertheless transforming it - for the better.

Prompt: We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself.

My whole life, I’ve attended the same small, Pre-K-12 school. Playing make-believe, the awkwardness of adolescence, finding my passions – it all happened at the same place. The [School Redacted] community, then, has been definitive to who I am.

Growing up at [School Redacted] has changed how I connect with others. My grade consists of only forty people, diverse in interests and backgrounds. I’ve never had any option but to be friends with everyone, and I’m better for it. Whether we have different intellectual interests or political beliefs, befriending a variety of people has strengthened my academic understanding and personal worldview. 

Attending a small, relatively young school has also given me a unique opportunity to have an impact. The lack of established clubs and customs empowered me to be a go-getter and found an organization of my own. As an avid reader, I became interested in starting a literary magazine. The administration supported the creation of the club, but it was up to me to step up and lead. The opportunity to start something inspired me to take action: to recruit editors, form a brand, create a publication schedule, and more. 

As I now look to college and beyond, I know my time at [School Redacted] will continue to define who I am. Surrounding myself with people of all perspectives and being unafraid to lead – these lessons will stick with me.