I recently had an interview with a Duke alumni at a local coffeeshop. I felt very comfortable talking to her but got nervous about what she would think about my answers. We talked about my extracurriculars a lot and I definitely got across my passion for STEM and empowering women in STEM. I forgot to go in depth about Why Duke, which I regret. I cited Duke Engage and then attempted to clarify with her that Duke Engage is not to study abroad to take courses but for volunteer service, but I’m afraid she may have taken that as I didn’t know what the program was and just name dropping. I also forgot to mention my love for the school spirit (basketball) and the WISE program at Duke which I regret. I’m afraid that my interview went poorly or at least worse than I wanted it to and will affect my chances of admission. 
Any advice?
The interview can make your application, but it won’t break it. It could’ve been a helpful boost to you, but a ton of other factors go into the admissions decision, and the interview won’t matter if everything else is great. If you get rejected it won’t be because of the interview. Don’t stress yourself out.
“The interview can make your application, but it won’t break it.”
@sciencenerd123 has it backward. The best interview will have very little impact, a mediocre interview will also have very little impact, but a horrible interview can tank an application. A horrible interview is one where there are clear signs that the applicant doesn’t belong on the Duke campus. It sounds to me that the OP had a good interview.
@sherpa but if they get rejected, then it won’t be because of the interview. I don’t think it is worth very much either way
^ Exactly
Duke interviewer here. Sherpa is correct. The interview counts for very little. Since alumni are blinded to the student’s stats, there is often very little we learn during a 1 hour interview that can tilt the scale.
But however there have been a handful of times during my interviewing career where a student completely botched the interview. I can only assume a negative review by an alumni didn’t help, and could have been the tipping point towards rejection.
So in summary it sounds like the OP is just a little anxious which is understandable. I really doubt this would have any serious impact on the final decision made by admissions.
Relax, OP. It sounds like you did fine. As others have said, the interview will rarely make a difference in your admissions decision. The only time it might be a factor is if you completely wow the interviewer or you completely tank it. Completely tanking it means being rude, being a complete no-show, showing no interest in or insulting the school, or saying things that evidence that clearly evidence that you are generally an unlikable person. And if you do any of those things in an interview with an alum, there are likely other red flags in your application. Minor slip-ups or failure to articulate yourself as perfectly as you’d envisioned in your prep for the interview likely won’t make any difference at all. It’s normal to be nervous, and interviewers realize that. Even the best applicants that I’ve interviewed haven’t been perfect.
Also a Duke interviewer: I agree with sgopal2 and bluedevil06! Relax and move on…
Ditto what @2Devils @ @sgopal2 said. I haven’t interviewed in many years, but the form was basically just a checklist – do you recommend highly (best interview ever), recommend, neutral, or do not recommend. I can only remember checking the “highly box” once & writing a short unsolicited paragraph rec on the back of the paper (this was way back in the 90s or early 00s) & once for the “not recommend” (student failed to show up TWICE for the interview, and never called to reschedule after the 2nd missed appointment). I’m sure you did fine. The interviewers know you’re nervous & have a lot on your mind during the interview. As long as you don’t come across as a sociopath or completely disinterested (or egotistical), you did fine.
The checklist was scrapped more than 5 years ago. We used a holistic written evaluation now.
Having interviewed students for nearly 10 years, I have some basic etiquette advice:
- If you list a phone number in your application, ensure this is a number that you check every day. If (like at my home) you NEVER check the house line, do not list it.
- The same goes for email - check your email every day. Adults communicate via email. And, we communicate efficiently by email. Keep responses on a 24-48 hour response window, and ALWAYS use proper grammar, spelling, and letter format.
- Realize that the interviewers contacting you are not only volunteers but are busy people. The interviewers in my region are primarily physicians, lawyers, and a few of us are consultants or business owners. Many regularly work 80+ hour weeks. Some interviewers ask when you are available and find a time from there - respond quickly and candidly. Some offer you a specific time, like an employer would for a job interview. Those of us who use the specific time method are often much more limited in our free time. Do not as for a different time. It simply does not exist. Make it work. Do not assume that you are the only applicant we are trying to schedule (regional chairs likely speak with 25+ applicants a season, in particular). Do not assume that we are available “after school”. Be flexible and realize that you’re the applicant here. If you wouldn’t do it for a job interview, don’t do it here (and if you aren’t sure - ask your guidance counselor what to do.)
- Interviews run from 12/15-2/15 on average: don’t worry if you haven’t been contacted on January 5. But, feel free to reach out to our ALUMNI OFFICE or the ADMISSIONS OFFICE. Do not call an interviewer you know, or track down your friend’s interviewer. They simply don’t know.
- We get that not ever kid is effusive and outgoing, but please - be personable, be conversational. If interviewing is not your thing, best to submit a 4th recommendation.
- Ask questions. “What’s your favorite Duke experience” is fine, but be specific in other questions. Go beyond the surface. We know what’s on the website, and if you’re asking about that, we can see your underprepared.
- If your parents MADE you apply, and you are going to “throw” the interview, decline it. Please don’t waste our time - we do our best to not waste yours.
- Always send a follow up thank you. Not that it’s necessary, but you should be doing this for your references, your future employers, etc. Get into the habit now.
Lastly, remember that the interview is one piece of a giant puzzle.