<p>I applied a few days ago, not thinking about doing an interview and well after the supposed dec 10th interview deadline.</p>
<p>Tonight I got a call from a alum who lives near me asking me if I wanted an interview.</p>
<p>I guess Duke called her and told her.</p>
<p>We are meeting in a few weeks at a Starbucks to talk.</p>
<p>I have no idea what to expect or what to think about before.</p>
<p>I would love to go to Duke but it is kind of a reach school for me I think.</p>
<p>Does the fact that they are giving me an interview without me asking or anything have anything to do with they liking my application or is it just a standard thing?</p>
<p>Good question. I think more than anything it's based on where you live. Because you submitted your application after the interview deadline, you're obviously not guaranteed an interview. However, because either a) there are few applicants in your area, or b) there are many interviewers available in your area, Duke was able to offer you an interview. </p>
<p>I say go for it. I interviewed this past fall and I had a great time. I had a great conversation with my interviewer, and time flew.</p>
<p>My advice would be to be yourself. That's the only thing I did at my Duke interview and asked a lot of questions about the school.. I asked about frats, FOCUS, and many of Duke's programs.</p>
<p>^That is definitely not typical and seems way over-the-top for the interviewer, if you ask me. Interviewers are given pretty much 100% discretion about what to ask, though, so the questions one person receives will probably not be the same as another person. Although there are generic questions that most interviewers ask....</p>
<p>Regardless of the why, use it to your advantage. If you really like Duke, be prepared to talk about that, about why you'd be a good match for Duke, and have a few questions to ask to show you are really interested.</p>
<p>the interview is a lot of fun believe it or not. use it to your advantage, thats whatthey want. seriously BE YOUR SELF, ask questions. LET them convince you that you should go to duke if you got accepted. ASK QUESTIONS. be interesting and just act like your having a good time. It really is nothing big. the interviewers are fellow bluedevils, so of course they are awesome.</p>
<p>My D got an email for an interview today, about 10 days after submitting the Duke supplement. We were actually relieved to avoid the interview....</p>
<p>My son had an interview a few weeks ago. He thought it went well - better than the one he had for another school. I think interviews are a good idea if you really want to attend the school. It allows the interviewer to see who you really are and how you would fit in with the school.</p>
<p>schnebar: To answer your original question, the interview offers are standard and have nothing to do with them liking your application (sorry). They are offered to students whenever possible as long as there are alumni in your area that are available to do interviews. The encouraging words and advice the others have posted previously are good--I would do the interview and try to gain some knowledge about Duke and let them know more about you. As far as jenkster's experience--that certainly isn't the norm. I have never heard of an interview being recorded. Good luck.</p>
<p>She seemed nice and said we are just going to talk and get to know each other and talk about Duke and Durham.</p>
<p>I am not that nervous but if she asks me questions like what is the hardest thing you have ever been through in your life I do not have a set answer. I do not want to sit there and be silent.</p>
<p>Should I think about those standard questions like why do you like Duke and what experiences have changed my life? Or are we just going to talk about random stuff like what I did last summer and how life is living with my grandma?</p>
<p>shnebar - I think the questions you are asked depends on the interviewer. My son was not asked any questions like that. He brought his resume and they reviewed some of his ECs talked about his interests and the alumni spoke about what he got out of Duke. The interviewer actually made my son even more excited about the school.</p>
<p>There are no set questions the interviewer might ask. Many questions you can't practice in advance, but I would be prepared to talk about a variety of questions--sort of like a job interview. All interviewers have different styles and "favorite questions." However, it's not that there are any right or wrong answers--just be yourself and speak what comes to mind, and try to be poised and collected during your interview. It's not just the content of what you say but also how you present yourself. Interviewers aren't out to trick you or set you up for failure, so don't worry. :)</p>
<p>My d has done a lot of different interviews at this point, and it all just depends on the interview. Some ask big general questions, some ask really detailed questions, some ask off the wall questions. Think about some things you'd like the interviewer to know about you, and do a search on CC for interview to get an idea of the kinds of questions that get asked.</p>
<p>And after you panic (joke), then relax, and be yourself.</p>
<p>Not to worry you, but my interview was...difficult, to say the least. I handed her my resume when I started and she couldn't have cared less, didn't look at it once. Anyway, though, to help prepare you, here are some of the questions I wasn't expecting that made me rather uncomfortable:</p>
<p>-What do you think is the biggest problem facing your generation?
-What is a challenging book you read recently and how did it challenge you?
-What was the most difficult obstacle you've had to overcome and how did that change you?</p>
<p>I know these questions aren't that unheard of for an interview, but I'll admit I struggled through them. However, its quite possible I just had a tough interview, so don't think its typical. </p>
<p>(Plus, to be honest, it was the day after I'd gotten accepted to Yale, and I really didn't want to be at that interview.)</p>
<p>Any thoughts on the valve of preparing for facts about Duke questions? My D got one at another interview and was not able to answer. (was asked if she was aware of a joint science program and she was applying as a Science major). I think she "should" have known this (I did!) but she is who she is, and I know she won't "study" for this, and that's why I wasn't sorry when I thought she'd missed it. She did love her Duke visit, but it's a "feel" thing and not a well researched one...</p>
<p>"If you were an animal, what kind would you be?"
"What book are you reading outside of school? What is it about?"
"What was the most telling/most changing/inspirational moment of your life?"
"What can you contribute to the Duke community?"</p>
<p>Affle:
About the resume that you said the interviewer didn't look at--Don't worry--that's the preferred way to handle the situation when a candidate provides a resume. If they are given a resume, they aren't really supposed to focus on that, particularly during the interview. However, they may find it helpful when writing about you in the interview summary later. Interviewers don't know anything about your academic status, scores, courses, etc unless you tell them during the interview, and providing a resume is entirely optional. Most students don't, in my experience.
Don't worry about getting tough questions--it's not really about what you say but how you handle the situation. You probably did better than you think.
Good luck to all.</p>