<p>I sent my app in way before the RD Interview deadline, but I haven't heard from an interviewer. I called Duke and they forwarded me onto the Alumni Association office and all they would do is give me the phone number of the local interviewer but wouldn't say why I haven't been contacted. Anyone in the same boat? I live in SC.</p>
<p>BCgoUSC: I'm not sure Duke really cares that much about the interviews. My kid never heard from anyone either, and when reaching admissions, a woman on the other end of the line just said, "I'm sorry." Long pause/silence. Then, "I'm sorry. It is too late for an interview." And then click. A little odd. Again, if you read their material, I'm not sure an interview is that crucial to them; on the other hand, the interview can tell a student a lot..so it seems a shame for the student, who can learn so much about a school--its attitudes, approach, atmosphere, etc.--from the interviewer. Oh, well.</p>
<p>Thank you for the reassurance. I'm becoming kind of irritated with the attitude that the people at Duke have. I mean I have wanted to go there since I was a kid, but the vibes I get from the people at the office are kind of like brushing me off, so...</p>
<p>Please don't be turned off by the attitude of people who are probably receiving tons of requests for interviews which really don't matter at all in the admissions process here, for good reason. When I think back to my interviews they were all so different and depended so much on the interviewer and his/her questions and personality; I am sure each had a completely different impression of me. The good thing is Duke gives comparatively more weight to your teacher recommendations and this year Duke allowed personal recs so basically all Duke is saying is admissions trusts your favorite teachers and people to whom you are closest more than some random alumnus/a who spends an hour with forming a somewhat superficial impression of you as a person. Believe me, there are so many kids here who did not have interviews--I would say at least half--so Duke really does not care about them. You will not be at a disadvantage and you're saved from the unnecessary stress interviews cause. So basically I would not worry about nor be upset at Duke for not giving you an interview.</p>
<p>I'm not upset, I'm just kind of turned off by the lack of personal attention by Duke. I mean I visited Duke several times and they were VERY impersonal in my tours etc... The University of South Carolina has a personalized itinerary, personal interviews etc... for anyone who visits. I think I am ultimately going to go with USC because they seem to care much more.</p>
<p>Well, if USC is the right place for you then that's great, but I don't think you are looking at Duke's "impersonal" admissions in the right light. Duke receives 18,000 applications for a class of 1,600. They end up rejecting thousands of very well-qualified people just because there isn't room. Thus, it would kind of be deceptive (if not impossible given the numbers) if Duke gave royal treatment to every applicant, if not downright cruel--admissions officers realize there are many kids who have wanted to go to Duke their whole lives who could very well be disappointed. Duke isn't trying to lead kids on--they don't send mailings out after you apply like Wash U or other schools, and I think that is a very good thing. Also, it is kind of shallow to judge an entire school on the people in its admissions office. I would talk to some people outside of admissions at Duke and then you'll realize just how much Duke does care about its students (the stories I could tell you about the extremely personal attention I receive here by professors, advisers, etc are many). I think the basic thing you have to realize is that Duke and other highly competitive schools like it (e.g. Columbia, Brown, Yale, etc) are forced to reject so many exremely bright people, the last thing they want is to get applicants' hopes up prior to rejection. However, this becomes a completely different story once you're accepted/matriculate, and then I think you'll find Duke is much more personal than most (if not all) state schools.</p>
<p>BCgoUSC: I agree with incollege88; they are probably overwhelmed in the office, and those in the office probably know interviews don't really matter that much. Again, I always think the interview is as much for the student as for the interviewer. Like the tours and information sessions, a prospective student can learn so much about a school---not just how good the facilities are and if they have a core curriculum--but those intangibles, like attitude. And the tour itself is often the first introduction students/parents have with a school--you'd think all schools would be very very careful in selecting their tour guides (as well as give them excellent training). As we found out, too, that's not often the case. I wonder if schools realize how much those tours and the information session itself can make a lasting impression, good or bad.</p>
<p>Very true (and Duke does attempt this--1/9 people who apply to be tour guides are accepted). I just think it is silly to compare the admissions office of an extremely competitive school like Duke to one of a state school obviously hungry for very bright students like I assume you are, BCgoUSC. If you compare Duke to Ivies, Stanford, and MIT, you'll see that the admissions departments of the top universities really don't operate any differently from each other.</p>