Duke University admitted a new cohort of students from its waitlist on August 18, 2023, just days before the fall semester began on August 21st. The unexpected reopening of the waitlist, impacting approximately 200 students according to university estimates, created a compressed timeline for orientation and course registration.
A key challenge for these late admits was ineligibility for the FOCUS program, a popular seven-week pre-orientation experience designed to help students transition to college life.The submission window for FOCUS had already closed on July 15th, leaving newly admitted students without this support system. Duke’s New Student and Family Programs (NSFP) did not provide a comment regarding the logistical adjustments for orientation week before the article’s publication deadline.
Isai Lopez, a student who accepted admission after the waitlist reopened, described his initial surprise and subsequent feeling of preparedness. Lopez, a resident of Dallas, Texas, stated that Duke had been his “dream school,” and a substantial financial aid package was instrumental in his decision to enroll. He specifically noted the aid covered approximately 85% of the $83,835 total cost of attendance for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Lopez acknowledged navigating the initial influx of information independently, but praised Duke administrators and staff for their efforts to provide timely guidance. “I feel like I am more prepared than I was a couple days ago,” he said.
As of August 19th, Lopez had successfully registered for classes and received a housing assignment in West Campus’s Craven Hall. Though, he remains on the waitlist for one of his four enrolled courses: Biology 101, a foundational science requirement for many trinity College of Arts & Sciences majors.
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Ryan Kilgallen is a Trinity junior and a senior editor of The Chronicle’s 121st volume.
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