In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about how to write the Duke University waitlist letter.

Side Note: if you’re smart enough to get waitlisted to Duke, you’re smart enough to get accepted.

The question therefore is not whether you have the stats or the brains to get in. The real question is whether you can write a compelling Duke University waitlist letter that impresses the admissions officers enough to get you accepted.

Oh, and it’s not just about writing a good waitlist letter.

It’s about writing it in a way that stands out amongst the rest of the admissions pool.

Here, we’ll show you how to do exactly that.

Table of Contents

1. How to Write the Duke University Waitlist Letter / LOCI
   • Don’t Exceed More Than One Page –Unless Absolutely Necessary.
   • Duke Waitlist Letters and LOCIs Need More Than Updates. They Want to Know the Lessons You Learned.
   • Find Your Regional AO’s Email.
   • Write With Civility.
   • A Duke Waitlist or LOCI Should Demonstrate Continued Interest… Obviously!

How to Write the Duke University Waitlist Letter / LOCI

You can find the prompt in your waitlist email. We’ve pasted the text below.

“If you would like to provide the Admissions Committee with additional information–such as end-of-year grades– recent activities or awards, etc. –use your Duke admissions portal. To upload a document, click the “My Application Details” tab and then select “Student Miscellaneous” from the drop down list. Next, click “Choose File” to select your PDF, text file, or Word document. Upload. Items uploaded to the portal, unlike those sent via email, are immediately available for the Committee’s review.”

Duke University Additional Information/ Waitlist Letter/ LOCI.

Don’t Exceed More Than One Page –Unless Absolutely Necessary.

In general, this rule applies for essentially all college letters for waitlists, appeals, and LOCIs.

You don’t want to exceed more than one page. In addition, you should keep your text in Times New Roman, 12 pt font. This ensures you don’t annoy admissions officers with unnecessary information that could only serve to waste their time or communicate what you were already going to say in a more unnecessarily gratuitous manner.

You want to make sure you’re communicating what you say in a straightforward, eloquent, and precise manner.

Of course, there are exceptions.

You can certainly have an unusual experinece that is far too convoluted to explain within the confines of one page. If that’s the case, it’s certainly fine to write your Duke University waitlist letter to be more than 1 page.

However, it would be wise to preface the waitlist letter by putting a paragraph in the beginning stating that your situation is unusual and requires quite a bit of explanation to fully articulate.

Duke Waitlist Letters and LOCIs Need More Than Updates. They Want to Know the Lessons You Learned.

This is an interesting element to the Duke University waitlist letters that we’re quite surprised is often missed.

The nature of the waitlist letters is to not just know what you’ve been up to for the past few weeks. It’s also to know what to make of said past few weeks.

You can say that you’ve had the chance to conduct research, start a new club, fix changes in a new project you’ve been conducting, or a whole myriad of other things. Sure.

But, what do those updates say about you as a person? Do they demonstrate something about your character? Specifically, what does it reveal about you and how does that show you’ll be a great addition to Duke’s community?

Find Your Regional AO’s Email.

One way to make your Duke waitlist or LOCI letter look sharp is to address your regional AOs directly when writing. So, instead of saying, “Dear Duke University Office of Admissions”, you can start with the AO’s name to get more personal.

But, this is for keeping your waitlist letter looking sharp.

Whether directly addressing an AO has a direct effect on admissions is a different matter. This is what Duke has to say about contacting your regional AO.

“Please note that Duke does not consider personal contact with regional admissions officers or other admissions staff as a factor when making admissions decisions.“

Duke University Official Website

So, do you need to find you regional admissions officer’s email in order to write the Duke University waitlist letter? Well, no. But, knowing your regional AO’s name is going to help with making your waitlist letter / LOCI look more presentable and professional.

Again, Duke does not consider contact with regional AOs as part of their decision-making process.

Yet, making your waitlist letter look clean and sharp compared to the rest is good for sanding out. Think of it as part of college admissions best practices.

Write With Civility.

Remember to be formal with your writing.

You don’t need to write with purple prose. And, you don’t need to be gratuitous in your language. Don’t be sanctimonious and don’t try to overdo it.

Simply be polite yet keep it professional.

That means thanking them at the beginning and end of the letter for their time in considering your application. It also means having the right tone when addressing your reasons for wishing to attend their school.

So, don’t bother with fancy imagery or flowery words like you normally would in your regular application essays. Those are reserved for more personal and creative writing. The waitlist letter is to demonstrate to admissions officers updates on your journey and your continued interest.

Speaking of continued interest…

A Duke Waitlist or LOCI Should Demonstrate Continued Interest… Obviously!

When writing the Duke waitlist or LOCI, remember to show that you would still like to attend their school and how the school is the right fit for you.

The keyword here is fit. That means showing admissions officers why Duke just happens to sync up with your needs and your achievements, thus making you the perfect candidate.

It also means you’ll need to prove that Duke is your #1 school.

And, in all transparency, that’s hard.

After all, it’s normal to have an interest in multiple schools. So, how exactly should you provide to admissions officers that Duke is the only school for you? Well, you can’t. But, you can certainly get rather close to it by making a solid case.

Perhaps there’s a really great reason for attending Duke that would greatly benefit both your social life and your future career prospects. Or, perhaps there are specific resources that would benefit your future plans and projects that cannot survive without the said resources available at Duke.

Whatever your case is, it’s very useful to show Duke that you have solid reasons for wishing to attend their university past superficial reasons that many other students probably already have.

If you don’t know how to write the Duke University waitlist letter, need your letter revised and edited, or simply need to brainstorm some ideas, we’re here to help! Schedule a free consultation with us today, and our college admissions experts and advisors will reach out to you within 24 hours to help you create a winning waitlist letter that beats the competition.