Duke Alumni Interview- No word yet?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
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<p>I applied ED to Duke, and submitted my application on Oct. 30.
I've received several emails notifying me that I may be contacted by a Duke Alumni Interview, however I'm not sure if I will receive one. I know the alumni are very busy, but I'm growing nervous that I will never get an interview.</p>

<p>I live about 45 minutes from LA and I know there are a couple Alumni in the LA area, I am just unsure whether they will not contact me because they think I'm too far?
I found their emails on the Directory and I was wondering if it would be too audacious for me to email them requesting an interview. Will that make me seem impatient?</p>

<p>I know it has only been a week from submissions, but I don't want to ask a teacher for a another letter of recommendation unless I am sure I need one. Is there a certain date (I think I saw Nov 17) when I know for sure I won't be given an interview?</p>

<p>Also, would it hurt my chances if I do not receive an interview, nor send in another letter of recommendation? I honestly don't think a fourth letter would do any good, but I don't want the Admissions offices to think I'm lazy for not submitting one.</p>

<p>Thank you for all your help!</p>

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<p>Not submitting another letter of recommendation is fine. Anyways, you have 3 already, which is great!</p>

<p>“Again, your chances of admission won’t be affected in any way if you don’t have an interview, nor will they be affected if you choose not to send an extra recommendation.”</p>

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<p>@moonfingerpaint‌:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do NOT contact any Duke alumnus to request an interview. Probably less than one percent of Duke’s aggregate alumni population are AAAC interviews: approved by the University, with annual training materials, and – most important – with access to the AIMS data base that assigns interviews and documents post-conversation reports.</p></li>
<li><p>While we strive to provide every ED (and RD) applicant with an interview, there are many reasons we aren’t universally successful, including: (a) the volume of applications and the limited timeframe to conduct interviews; (b) the geographic location (probably not applicable in your situation); © the number of sanctioned AAAC interviewers in a regional area and their individual schedule availability; and (d) the unexpected, and often critical, personal and professional demands that Duke’s volunteer interviewers – all highly accomplished and busy individuals – may experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Even if an applicant is offered an interview, it is NEVER mandatory. In addition, those not offered an interview have, as you know, the option to provide an additional recommendation. Furthermore, in the broad scope of application information to be assessed by Duke Undergraduate Admissions, generally interview results are fairly inconsequential. </p></li>
<li><p>Finally, there’s a reasonable chance that the local AAAC coordinator and/or his interviewers simply have not yet had the opportunity to assign you to an alumnus and/or to contact you. After all, while we understand that this interview is “crucial” to applicants, it may well be slightly less so to (for example) an attorney who has just seen an ongoing and key case become much more complicated or a business person who has just learned he must make an immediate and unanticipated trip to the UK. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Please understand the foregoing points and please be patient (I appreciate how difficult that is). Good luck.</p>

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<p>@TopTier‌ Thank you for the advice! However I was inquiring about contacting the local chair listed here: <a href=“Duke”>Duke;

<p>Is that still inappropriate to email them?</p>

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<p>@moonfingerpaint: You can do so, but I suggest you do not (this is an individual opinion, however, and others might disagree). Here’s why: I currently co-chair Duke’s second largest regional alumni organization and I have 10+ years experience interviewing perspective undergraduates. Further, in the recent past, I served on the Alumni Association’s Board, on its Executive Committee and as a Vice President, as well as on the Annual Fund’s Executive Committee. I mention these significant Duke alumni leadership experiences so you will understand that I truly know many alums who are our AAAC interviewers. Without exception, they are very bright, highly motivated, and exceptionally conscientious VOLUNTEERS, who perform this service ONLY to assist Duke and to aid seniors (just like you).</p>

<p>For a moment, however, please become one of our AAAC interviewers or the coordinator in your locality. You volunteered for this service, but you are also very busy: Duke alumni normally have decidedly challenging careers, major family responsibilities, and other service commitments, often with unanticipated requirements. Currently, you are quite possibly too occupied to deal with applicant x, due to legitimate, higher-priority demands. Then you receive an e-mail from x that essentially – but politely – says, “I’m supposed to be interviewed as part of the ED application process and I haven’t heard anything” (yes, I am sure you would be more tactfully, but obviously this has to be the message’s crux). Is it possible that you – a very diligent, but also very engaged, Duke alumni volunteer – just might feel that this teenage undergraduate aspirant has quite a bit of temerity? If so, how pleased will you be to rearrange your schedule to accommodate his interview?</p>

<p>In addition, remember the interview’s context provided in my previous post (#2, above): (a) alumni interviews normally are not a major application evaluation element and (b) if you are not contacted by a defined date, you are permitted to provide an additional recommendation in lieu of the interview. These Duke policies exist specifically to ensure no applicant will be impaired if he is not interviewed.</p>

<p>Please be patient and please understand that your application – with or without an interview – will be thoroughly and assiduously assessed by Duke. </p>

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<p>All of the interviewees in my region have already been assigned by the chair except 3 students. It may be the case that the regional chair hasn’t yet had time to assign all the interviews. I received all of my ED assignments by Nov 1. The deadline to return comments to the Admissions Committee is Nov 23. </p>

<p>So I suggest to sit tight. The later your application is submitted reduces the chances of you being assigned an interview. Since you submitted your application so late, you might not be granted one this year. But either way, as @toptier points out, you will not be penalized for this.</p>

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<p>I also have not been offered an interview yet, and I submitted my app on the 31st. However, I don’t think that the lack of an interview will make a difference. </p>

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<p>@TopTier‌ @sgopal2‌ @consanguineous‌ I understand. Thank you all for your advice! I apologize for my impatience; I will sit tight and hope for the best!</p>

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<p>I would just like to add that I submitted my app on the 28th, live in one of the largest metropolitan areas of the US, and have not yet received an interview either. TBH I’d probably wreck my interview if I ever end up receiving one because of nerves and sheer lack of time to prepare for it, so I’m kind of glad I haven’t received anything yet. I already sent in way too many teacher recs anyway. :(</p>

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<p>@Constantius‌ AHH thank you! Your comment makes me feel a lot better! Good luck to you and your Duke-ish endeavors :)</p>

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<p>Same here. Submitted on 28th and no word on interview yet. Live in medium-large metro area. though, relatively small number of duke alumni probably. I already submitted a supplemental req w my common app.</p>

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<p>@moonfingerprint Thanks! Good luck to you too. :)</p>

<p>@hagzzz I submitted a supplemental rec as well, but then there were some misunderstandings and weird things going on with Naviance… so I ended up submitting 3 teacher recs and a supplemental one as well for a total of 4. Naviance… why???</p>

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<p>@Constantius‌ :/. Shouldn’t hurt though. We’ve had some issues with naviance as well. Counselor had to email recommendation as an attachment to a few of my schools due to them not uploading correctly. Luckily, everything worked fine for duke. Maybe we’re low on priority list for interviews since we already have a supplemental rec submitted, hehe. Honestly though I’m in no hurry to obtain an interview :p.</p>

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<p>@‌hagzzz Well, there’s always that saying “the thicker the file, the thicker the applicant”, so sending in too many recs probably seems as though I’m trying to compensate for a weaker part of my application. What really happened though was that I requested too many teachers on Naviance thinking I’d ask one teacher in particular to write a rec for me for some particular RD schools, but he ended up submitting one for ED saying that he would be penalized by the school/district if he didn’t send one in… or something like that. Hurrah, 4 recs. Can’t tell if it’ll actually harm or help at this point. :/</p>

<p>Haha, crossing my fingers for no interview! If I end up receiving an email for one, I’d probably have to push it back into early December at earliest because my schedule is just so swamped. That probably wouldn’t make the interviewer so happy since they’re volunteering on their own time in the first place…</p>

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<p>Considering evaluations are due Nov 20, that would not be possible…They’ve already made the admissions decisions on the majority of applicants by early December. Having said that, if you haven’t been contacted by now, I’d say chances are good that you won’t have an interview…</p>

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<p>Hi I also submitted it on the 30th and have not been offered at interview. I know it says that I can sumbit an additional recommendation but i already submitted 2 additional through common app- so would I still be able to sumbit another additional recommendation since I thought this would be considered seperate from the common app since this is in place of the interview </p>

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<p>@Hersheybar315‌: Yes you would; this is (as you’ve indicated) “considered separate from the common app, since it is in place of the interview.” Please, just be sure that you submit this recommendation only if: (1) you have not be contacted for an interview and (2) the specified deadline for being contacted has passed. </p>

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<p>Thank you!!!</p>

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<p>My son never got an interview last year but still got in and is very happy at Duke. His application was well before the deadline for interview consideration. </p>

<p>So my recommendation is to not stress about it. You have done everything in your control.</p>

<p>Good luck! </p>

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<p>I have another question. I was wondering if ethnicity plays a big part in admissions. Do colleges have a set percentage of how many of a particular race they can accept? So would u be competing with applicants of the same ethnicity as u? For example I am Asian- so would my application be compared with other Asians and then duke selects the best Asians from the pool? </p>