<p>I’m sorry but a suit in Starbucks looks more weird than the “copy machine guy” look.</p>
<p>@slik nik: I agree, it is very possible to be overdressed and it is not necessarily a good thing. There are appropriate attire for all kinds of situations and occasions, if one lacks the judgment to figure out how to dress fittingly, then it shows a lack of maturity and may even convey negative first impressions (aka being a “gunner”). Thus, the “I’ll wear a suit so that I’ll never be underdressed” mentality is a bad habit that should never be adopted or should be broken if already in place.</p>
<p>I am a parent and a Duke alumni interviewer, so I’ll give my two cents. When I meet with a student I expect them to look neat and appropriate - no ripped jeans or ratty t-shirts, but as long as they look well put together I am good. Honestly, for me, the best thing for a student to wear would be something that I don’t remember afterwards. 
So in that case, I think a suit might be overdoing it, because it would stand out in my head. But really, the most important thing is to try to be relaxed and just try to give the interviewer a sense of who you are. Not having anything interesting to say is far more damaging to my impression of a student than what they are wearing.</p>
<p>I hope this helps!</p>
<p>Hi Lisa, thanks for your input.</p>
<p>I was wondering what information are the interviewers given from Duke? Do you know our test scores, GPA, Ethnicity, etc?</p>
<p>We are given no information except which school you are applying to (Trinity/Pratt) and what your possible intended majors are. I think we do know ethnicity too for what it’s worth. I generally do not ask about scores/GPA - I figure for the most part people know what they need to be competitive for Duke admission. Again, I mainly focus on how articulate the kids are, how at ease they seem with me, how interesting their lives are beyond school, etc. I know that not all kids that age are comfortable talking to adults, but I don’t really know how else to evaluate.</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, I really believe that these interviews are more for your information than for selection purposes. I’m not sure my reports make a whole lot of difference in the outcome. :-)</p>
<p>I just got back from my interview. It was at my interviewers house. She told me before hand to dress casual and that she would be wearing jeans, so I wore jeans and a sweater (Im a guy). I too think a suit is overdoing it unless you are meeting at his or her place of business. Mine wasn’t as informal as everyone seems to think. It went well, but it definitely was very question based (she had specific questions written out) and less of a casual conversation. She didn’t want to know anything about my GPA or test scores, she was adamant about that. Almost all of her questions had two parts. Some of the weirder (well the only really weird one is the first one haha, the rest are fairly normal) questions were: if you had to write something next to your picture in the yearbook what would it be? What would the yearbook staff write? Positives/Negatives about Duke? What you think one of your teacher recommenders would write about you positively? What would they say negatively/ that you need to work on or could improve upon something in college? In 2016 how will you be the same? How different (this one annoyed me, if I knew how I would be different, I would have changed already =P). I think it went well, but I wouldnt say it was amazing. Just be yourself! </p>
<p>To Lisa: I want to write a thank-you note. Would it be bad if I did it by email right now/would you view that as weird?</p>
<p>E-mail is fine for a thank-you note, that is what pretty much all of my students do. Then again, it seems like I am more casual about it than your interviewer…My students don’t have my address anyway so they couldn’t send one by mail.</p>
<p>Lisa, does Duke give its interviewers a specific set of questions to ask? Or, are interviewers allowed to ask whatever they please, excluding quantitative data like test scores, AP scores, GPA, etc…?</p>
<p>We are given suggestions, but they are mainly meant to stimulate conversation. Again, it doesn’t really matter what the actual answers to the questions are, it is just a matter of having a conversation that allows the interviewer to get a good sense of you as a person. I would just try to relax, honest! It probably would be helpful to have some questions in mind to ask about Duke - one of the things we are supposed to gauge is your interest in Duke.</p>
<p>Hi, I’ve been doing Duke interviews for 15 years. As a rule, I’d say dont wear a suit. It’s completely unnecessary. Try to let your personality come through. I say wear just a little bit nicer than you would to school. I like seeing students’ style come through. I don’t think a tie is a great idea either, unless that’s really who you are. The best outcome for the interview is that it is a great conversation where you both get so lost in the conversation that it doesn’t feel like a formal interview. </p>
<p>I would never judge a student negatively for anything they wear, however. I also give the students a lot of leeway for nerves etc. Most interviewers are nice people who are pulling for the kids they interview.</p>
<p>The one student who came in jeans ended up winning the AB Duke! </p>
<p>Stanford, wear the suit if it makes you happy and feel good about yourself. Just know that it might come off as a little naive and unsophisticated to the wrong interviewer. </p>
<p>DO NOT OFFER TO PAY FOR YOUR INTERVIEWER. It’s 100% inappropriate and is somehow patronizing. Each should pay for his own, unless the interviewer insists on paying (which still seems a bit inappropriate to me. Maybe an NCAA violation or something </p>
<p>Around Christmas I make my students hot chocolate. One got whipped cream on his nose and won me over by the graceful and funny way he handled it!</p>
<p>^I agree with this. I heard of fellow students who get grilled in the MIT interview like it’s a job interview, so I was glad that my Duke interview was completely relaxed. I have come out alive by an intentionally edgy job interview for my current internship, but really enjoy a more informal chat, and that was what my Duke interview was. I think the most challenging question she asked was what I would do to change my high school, but being a class officer I had 3 issues on my mind already. </p>
<p>We definitely were lost in the conversation, it diverged to talking about my weird interests in marine biology and how she used to volunteer at the local aquarium and rare sharks in the puget sound… lol! :D</p>