Duke Interview: How much weight does it carry?

I had my alumni interview for Duke last week and it couldn’t have gone better. We talked for almost 2 hours and she said she’d write a glowing recommendation for me and that I’d be an asset to Duke’s class of 2023. Obviously she’s part of the alumni association but she said she’s super involved at Duke and knows literally everyone. How much weight will my interview have? I’m just curious because this interview could really help considering other parts of my application aren’t that strong

A good one can’t hurt, but the interview is a relatively insignificant factor.

Impossible to say. My D interviewed with Duke alum last year and it was a mismatch – he was the stereotypical Duke Wall St. ambitious type and she’s an earthy, crunchy, science nerd who wants to save the world type. It was the only interview where she walked away thinking ‘that was okay but not great.’ She felt like she nailed the others. She did not get accepted – her only rejection in fact.

Duke is obviously very competitive in RD so honestly I doubt the interview was THE reason – but it likely didn’t help! Point being, be glad it was so good and you don’t have to worry about that, but college admissions experts say that interviews are more about cultivating their alum base than finding their next class.

Good luck!!

Interviews carry insignificant weight in the admissions process, but certainly, it cannot hurt you in any way as long as you do not really mess it up. As one who knows many alums that volunteer to interview for top schools, many volunteer to interview to keep connections to their school, so that their sons/daughters get a bump during their college admissions process. Thus, I would not put your bets that the interview will really help you, but again, it cannot hurt you if you felt like you had a good one. Good luck with the process!