But rather than just taking the rejection on the chin, Siobhan decided to give the university a piece of her mind and wrote them an amazing letter back.
Siobhan, 17, from North Carolina, wrote the letter – which then went viral – which told of her disappointment at their decision.
She wrote: “Dear Duke University Admissions, thank you for the rejection letter of March 26, 2015.
“After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission into the Fall 2015 freshman class at Duke.
“This year I have been fortunate enough to receive rejection letters from the best and brightest universities in the country. With a pool of letters so diverse and accomplished I was unable to accept reject letters I would have been able to only several years ago.
She adds: “Therefore I will be attending Duke University's 2015 freshmen class. I look forward to seeing you then.”
Sadly, the officials at Duke University were not won over by her witty reply and wrote back to Siobhan and explained that her appeal, like so many others, was not likely to succeed.
“I understand how disappointed you are that we were unable to offer you a space in our incoming class,” the letter read. “I want to be honest with you... in the last ten years we’ve received about 500 requests for a review…and changed the decision four times.”
Now we would be fully behind Siobhan, but the good news is – she’s been taken on by the University of South Carolina – so we don’t have to be. We love her thinking though!