<p>I submitted my RD Duke application before the 20th, which makes me eligible for an alumni interview. Do I need to request an interview? How do I do that? </p>
<p>Sorry if this has an obvious answer--I've had to specifically request interviews at my other schools though, and I don't want to miss the chance for Duke. Thanks!</p>
<p>No, you do not need to – nor should you – request an alumni admissions interview. I am a long-term Duke Alumni Admissions interviewer, and what follows is a top level synopsis regarding Duke’s approach, intended to assist you.</p>
<p>Our goal is to answer your questions, to make you more familiar and comfortable with Duke, and to discover things about you that are not documented in the “formal” applications process. We then write a brief report to summarize our conversation – and, yes, it is most important to view this as a bilateral discussion, not as an inquisition. The possibility of that report having an adverse impact on the admissions decision is very small, but it might have a limited positive effect.</p>
<p>Here’s an overview of the Duke’s system.
<p>At the “stratospheric” level, my suggestions are very simple:
<p>My last point will also be concise. I certainly understand that the seniors’s college choice – both the student’s and the universities’ decisions – is a huge deal for a teenager. However, PLEASE try not to be anxious or stressed. Generations of your older peers survived and prospered through this process and – believe it or not – you will, too.</p>
<p>CC’s Duke pages have addressed alumni interviews countless times in this – and previous – admissions cycles. Rather than repeat that information here, I strongly recommend you conduct a little research, which should resolve your unanswered questions.</p>
<p>@TopTier: thank you for your detailed post. I apologize–I definitely should have done more CC research before posting my question. However, I do have one question about the information you’ve provided. </p>
<p>I am an American citizen living in Asia. I have a P.O. Box address in the States, but no specific physical address (due to the way housing works in my city). My application lists only the P.O. Box for my address. From the rest of my application (school, school’s address, etc.) it would be clear where I live. </p>
<p>"- A data base, maintained jointly by Undergraduate Admissions and the Alumni Association, lists all applicants and includes very elementary information (such as name, potential major, address, telephone number and e-mail address, but NOT data re grades, class rank, SAT/ACT scores, extracurriculars, and so forth)." </p>
<p>Would this data base include the information that I am currently stationed overseas? Should I email some sort of clarification? I’ve looked for an answer to this question on the Duke website and CC, and have not yet been able to find one.</p>
<p>I suspect, but please understand this is only an informed guess, that Duke’s admissions database currently includes your US post office box and e-mail addresses, as delineated in your application. I doubt if anyone has yet read your application (as you are aware, the ED process only concluded a couple days ago) or – more crucially – if Undergarduate Admissions has updated the database with information that might be gleaned from your application.</p>
<p>Therefore, because your situation is quite unusual, I suggest you soon call or e-mail undergraduate admissions, explain your rather unique situation, and ask them to ensure that the AAAC (Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee) data be updated to reflect the best information for your potential January/February interview, as well as including more-permanent data that will apply in late-Match, when acceptance decisions are announced.</p>
<p>Thank you! I will contact admissions soon.</p>