<p>Okay so I have my Duke alumni interview on Monday.
I’m really nervous, I am international so I didn’t think I would be doing any interviews. But he called last night and I’ve been stressing a bit.
That’s not my question though. I’ve read a lot of the “interview” threads and I’m worried, because when he asks what my future plans are (after college, in my life and such), I know what I want to say, but nobody has said it’s okay to say this kind of thing
SO … when he asks me… is it okay if I say:
“I am not sure what I want to do with my life yet, I have a lot of different interests, one of the main reasons I want to go to Duke is to discover just what I do want to do, I think it would provide a good environment for me to do that”… or something to that extent.
It’s the total truth. I have no idea what I want to do with my life!
So is that okay, or are they going to look down on that?
thanks guys:)</p>
<p>I don’t think they’d look down on that. But I’d take it a step further, and show them that you’ve done your homework. When you say “one of the main reasons I want to go to Duke is to discover just what I do want to do, I think it would provide a good environment for me to do that” you should explain why.</p>
<p>In other words, how will Duke provide a better environment than, say, Dartmouth or Georgia Tech? How will Duke help you discover just what you want to do, more so than, say, MIT or Oberlin?</p>
<p>JMHO, I don’t think you’d be penalized for not knowing your future plans, but I think you should provide an answer that is less canned and more ‘magnetic’, if you will.</p>
<p>Good luck on your interview!</p>
<p>Great! Thank you. I will for sure elaborate on it - I have done my homework! Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>I’ve given an “I’m not quite sure” response to that question at all of my interviews where it was asked. The American undergraduate experience in particular is designed for students to be introduced to new subjects or learn much, much more about old ones. It lacks the high degree of specialization that university systems in many countries have. So, I think it’s fine to say that you’re interested in a diverse range of subjects.</p>