Highly-selective colleges are always going to be picky. They receive applications from the most qualified students from around
the world. And almost everyone who applies gets rejected (about 10-15 out of
every 100 applicants gets in). That's not going to change.
So you can lament that your test scores aren't high enough or that you don't have
enough AP classes or that you haven't yet achieved statewide or nationwide or worldwide acclaim
for one of your activities.
Or you can reject that thinking. You can reject the idea that not being good
enough to get into an Ivy League school equates to just not being good enough at all. Reject the idea that your
admissibility to Duke is a measure of your worth. Just reject it.
Instead, embrace the idea that hundreds of colleges will almost certainly
take you exactly as you are.