How important is the interview when it comes to admission to a top school such as Duke? I’ve heard that an interview doesn’t even make a big difference in the entire process. Also, can those applying regular decision be eligible for an interview? Should I do it if I were given the chance?
I was an alumni interviewer last year and my impression was the interview did not make a big difference. However, I spoke to a friend who worked in the admissions office and I was told that they did take interviews very seriously. My guess is it falls somewhere in between - it probably matters very little if you’re already a stellar applicant on paper and it probably matters a lot if the committee is on the fence about the applicant. In general, I think it’s still true that a bad interview will hurt you more than a good interview will help you. Personally, I was accepted without an interview.
Regular decision applicants are eligible for an interview, but it really depends on how many available interviewers live in your area (we’re all volunteers). It’s first-come first serve and area-dependent so getting an interview or not getting one is not indicative of how well your application is doing in the pool. The interview is an opportunity for you to ask questions about Duke and potentially have someone write you a good letter. It’s great especially if you have something really cool that didn’t fit into the application that you want to talk about and talking to someone might help you get a feel for the school and whether it’s a good fit for you down the road. I’d encourage you to take the interview if you can (if nothing else it might be good practice for interviews for other schools where they matter more), but do not feel like you would be at a disadvantage for not doing it.