delphine18, adcom said they will release most decisions in Jan., so you don't need to worry anything. Plus, you already have duke offer. So, have a happy and easy holiday
cranberry, regarding the 2nd essay, I didn't choose the topic from Yale's example list. My essay is like a personal statement: I wrote my family background, my struggle at childhood, and how I made throught it. As for the 3rd optional essay, I wrote 225 words, exactly 10% above the word limit. I explained a little bit about the discrepancy of my academic performance at college. Hope these can help you.