Below are the supplement essay prompts for Duke 2025-2026. I've added my insights on what a strong essay looks like.
Required Prompt:
What is your impression of Duke as a university and community, and why do you believe it is a good match for your goals, values, and interests? If there is something specific that attracts you to our academic offerings in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering, or to our co-curricular opportunities, feel free to include that too (250 word limit).
Duke 'Impression & Fit' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What is the Duke 'Impression & Fit' essay?
A:
Describe your impression of Duke: university, community.
Explain why Duke matches your goals, values, interests.
Include specific academic (Trinity/Pratt) or co-curricular attractions.
Q: Form your Duke impression?
A:
Research beyond rankings. Find unique Duke characteristics.
Look for specific campus traditions, student initiatives, or research culture.
Example: "Duke's commitment to interdisciplinary research, evidenced by the Bass Connections program, defines its academic community."
Q: Connect goals to Duke?
A:
State a specific academic or career goal.
Show how Duke's resources directly support this goal.
Example: "My goal to develop sustainable energy solutions aligns with Duke's Energy Initiative, specifically the Smart Grid Lab."
Q: Connect values to Duke?
A:
Identify a core personal value.
Show how Duke's community or mission reflects this value.
Example: "My value of community engagement resonates with DukeEngage's global service projects, particularly its work in rural health clinics."
Q: Connect interests to Duke?
A:
State a specific intellectual or extracurricular interest.
Show how Duke offers unique avenues to pursue it.
Example: "My interest in computational neuroscience connects with the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, especially Prof. Doe's research on neural networks."
Q: Specific academic offerings (Trinity/Pratt)?
A:
Name specific courses, professors, or research opportunities within Trinity or Pratt.
Show a precise fit.
Example (Trinity): "Trinity's 'Global Health Ethics' course (GLHLTH 201) aligns with my interest in health policy, complementing my biology major."
Example (Pratt): "Pratt's 'Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering' lab under Prof. Smith offers direct research opportunities for my biomedical engineering focus."
Q: Co-curricular opportunities?
A:
Identify specific clubs, organizations, or campus traditions.
Explain how you will engage and contribute.
Example: "I will join the Duke Applied Machine Learning Club. I aim to contribute to their open-source projects, applying my Python skills."
Q: Manage word count?
A:
Limit: 250 words.
Structure: Combine Impression, Goals/Values/Interests, Specific Offerings concisely.
Listing resume items without connecting to Duke's specific offerings.
Lack of specific research into Duke's programs.
Optional Prompts (250-word limit each)
You can answer one of the following four optional prompts:
Optional prompt 1:
We believe a wide range of viewpoints and experiences is essential to maintaining Duke's vibrant living and learning community. Please share anything in this context that might help us better understand you and your potential contributions to Duke.
Duke 'Viewpoints & Contributions' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What is the Duke 'Viewpoints & Contributions' essay?
A:
Share viewpoints, experiences.
Show potential contributions to Duke's community.
Goal: help Duke understand you better.
Q: How to choose your viewpoint/experience?
A:
Pick a specific, impactful experience. It shaped your perspective.
Example: "Growing up trilingual: shaped my understanding of cultural nuances in communication."
Q: How to show your viewpoint?
A:
Detail how your experience changed your outlook. Show, not tell.
Example: "Witnessing resource disparity in my neighborhood: drives my focus on equitable access solutions."
Q: How to show contribution?
A:
Identify a specific skill or perspective you bring. Link it to Duke.
Example: "My experience founding a peer tutoring network: I will apply these skills to Duke's Academic Resource Center, expanding peer support."
Q: Connect to Duke's community?
A:
Research specific Duke groups, initiatives, or programs. Show how you fit.
Example: "My passion for interfaith dialogue aligns with Duke's Religious Life groups. I will organize cross-cultural exchange events."
Q: Manage 250 words?
A:
One core experience. One clear viewpoint. One direct contribution.
Meaningful dialogue often involves respectful disagreement. Provide an example of a difference of opinion you’ve had with someone you care about. What did you learn from it?
Duke 'Respectful Disagreement' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What is the 'Meaningful Disagreement' essay?
A:
Describe a respectful disagreement.
Focus: a difference of opinion with someone you care about.
State: what you learned.
Q: How to choose your disagreement?
A:
Pick a specific, low-stakes conflict. Avoid sensitive topics.
Focus: intellectual or practical disagreement.
Example: "Debated optimal strategy for a robotics competition. Not personal values."
Q: Detail the disagreement?
A:
Identify the core issue. Name the other person's role (e.g., teammate, mentor).
Show initial differing viewpoints.
Example: "My teammate advocated for a direct robot path. I argued for a longer, safer route."
Q: Show respectful dialogue?
A:
Describe your actions. Show active listening, data presentation.
Avoid emotional language. Focus on logic.
Example: "Presented simulation data supporting my route. Listened to his counter-arguments on speed."
Q: What did you learn?
A:
State a concrete, actionable lesson.
Show intellectual growth, not just compromise.
Example: "Learned to integrate risk assessment with efficiency goals. Our final path combined both insights."
Avoid: trivial disagreements (e.g., movie choices).
Avoid: showing you were "right." Focus on mutual learning.
Avoid: generic lessons (e.g., "I learned to respect others").
Optional prompt 3:
What’s the last thing that you’ve been really excited about?
Duke 'Last Excitement' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: How to choose your excitement?
A:
Choose a recent intellectual breakthrough. It must showcase a deep, personal dive.
Example: "Not 'getting a good grade on a test,' but 'finally debugging a complex Python script that simulated population growth'."
Q: Detail the excitement?
A:
Narrate the discovery process. Detail your active engagement.
Example: "Spent hours analyzing historical census data. Discovered a correlation between local policy changes and demographic shifts. Visualized findings using Tableau."
Q: Why this excitement?
A:
Explain the intellectual hook. Connect it to your core drive.
Example: "The data patterns revealed a hidden story. My excitement stemmed from uncovering truth, understanding complex societal dynamics."
Q: What did you learn?
A:
Articulate a precise insight gained. Show refined problem-solving.
Example: "Learned to validate data sources critically. Now approach social statistics with deeper skepticism, seeking root causes."
Generic excitement: "getting good grades," "vacation."
Experiences lacking intellectual depth or personal drive.
Vague descriptions of feelings.
Repeating information from other essays.
Optional prompt 4:
Duke recently launched an initiative “to bring together Duke experts across all disciplines who are advancing AI research, addressing the most pressing ethical challenges posed by AI, and shaping the future of AI in the classroom.” Tell us about a situation when you would or would not choose to use AI (when possible and permitted). What shapes your thinking?
Duke 'AI Ethics' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What is the Duke 'AI Ethics' essay?
A:
Describe when you would/would not use AI.
Explain what shapes your thinking.
Connect to Duke's AI initiative.
Q: When to choose AI?
A:
Use AI for pattern recognition in large datasets.
Example: "Deploy AI to analyze climate data, predict extreme weather events. Human experts then interpret results."
Use AI for repetitive, high-volume tasks.
Example: "Automate grading multiple-choice quizzes. Frees human graders for qualitative feedback."
Q: What shapes thinking (efficiency & scale)?
A:
Efficiency: AI processes data faster, identifies trends human eyes miss.
Scale: AI handles vast amounts of information.
Example: "AI processes millions of medical images for anomalies. Human diagnosticians confirm findings."
Q: When NOT to choose AI?
A:
Avoid AI for tasks requiring empathy, nuanced judgment.
Example: "Do not use AI to conduct student disciplinary hearings. Human understanding of context, intent, and rehabilitation remains critical."
Avoid AI where bias risks high impact.
Example: "Do not use AI for loan approvals without human oversight. Algorithmic bias can perpetuate systemic inequalities."
Q: What shapes thinking (ethics & human judgment)?
A:
Ethics: AI lacks moral reasoning. Human values must guide decisions.
Nuance: AI struggles with complex social contexts, emotional intelligence.
Accountability: Humans bear responsibility for AI outcomes.
Example: "My thinking aligns with Duke's initiative: prioritize human-centered AI design, address ethical challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration."
Q: Manage word count?
A:
Focus one AI "use" scenario. Focus one AI "non-use" scenario.
