I just got a call from a Duke alum to do an interview next week. Does anyone have any tips/what to expect/etc?
whoa, when did you turn in your application?
last week. I am applying early decision.
Interviews with Duke alums should be no different from other college interviews. The alums generally want to know you in a personal way, so try to keep the conversation casual. Make sure to make your interests known to the alum (interviewer) so that he/she can write an effective interview report about you. Also, make sure to ask questions about specific Duke programs that you might be interested.
Have a few items in mind to try to be sure to convey to your interviewer. Then, during the interview try to find opportunities to insert something about those items, especially if you can do so in a way that would naturally prompt a followup question about the item you want to try to highlight. Also, try to respond with paragraphs rather than one or two sentence responses. Ideally, you want a lively, two-sided conversation and not an question/answer session. Good luck!