As early submission deadlines are fast approaching, students now need to turn their attention to the interview process. Here are our top 20 college interview questions and tips for how to prepare.
The interview process benefits both the applicant and the university. They present opportunities for the schools to get to know the applicants and for the students to get to know the schools. In many cases, interviews this year are more accessible. Students do not have to ruin their weekends meeting strangers in a mutually convenient coffee shops, as interviews will be conducted virtually. In addition, many schools are offering opportunities for students to connect directly with admissions officers and set up interviews, even prior to applying. Check out this list of 50 schools offering admissions interviews prior to applying!
Clean Up!
As with everything else, there are certain rules of conduct. Dress up (at least from the waist up) for your interviews. Let the interviewer know that you are taking this process seriously. Log in a few minutes early. Make sure your lighting and background are appealing. Turn off your phone and silence your notifications. Tell your mom that you are on an interview call. Make sure your room is clean, nothing on the bed, close the closet door, and don’t hang anything on the walls you wouldn’t want your grandma to see. Be polite, be respectful, do not text or search the internet while you are on the call, etc.
Be Prepared!
Whether your interview is with an alumni interviewer, a student, or an admissions officer, treat all situations with the same seriousness. Each school places different significance on their interviews, but we suspect that they will be more important this year. The good news is that you already are in the essay writing process, so your responses to interview questions will be at the forefront of your mind. Make sure you’ve done your research and know WHY you want to go to that specific institution.
With respect to format, in many cases the interview will feel just like a normal conversation. More experienced interviewers are not sitting with a list of specific questions and writing down your answers. Having said that, certain questions seem to come up over and over again. Our recommendation is you look at our questions below or do a quick internet search for “college admissions interview questions.” If possible, ask a friend, parent, or counselor to conduct a mock interview with you.
Make sure that you have prepared coherent and cohesive responses, returning to your top three points you wish to emphasize. Your answers should not sound rote or rehearsed, but natural and confident. Practice your responses out loud. You will be amazed how uncomfortable and awkward you will feel answering these questions, until you go through them a couple of times.
The Questions!
Here are some particularly annoying, but common, questions that our students have been asked:
- Tell me a little about yourself and your family.
- Why do you want to attend X School? What do you hope to find there?
- Why should X School accept you over all other candidates?
- What do you intend to study? Why?
- What are your major strengths/weaknesses?
- What is truly unique and special about you?
- What has been your most significant accomplishment to date?
- What has been your most formidable challenge? How did you conquer it?
- What has been your biggest disappointment to date?
- What did you like best/least about your education to date? Why?
- Where do you see yourself five years from now? 10 years?
- How do you spend your free time?
- If you had unlimited resources what would you do?
- What do you think is the most pressing issue of our time?
- Tell me about an event or situation that helped you to grow.
- What makes a good leader? Are you a good leader?
- Tell us about one of the times you led.
- What specific steps did you take to accomplish a project?
- What book is on your nightstand? What is your favorite book?
- How did you spend your time during the pandemic?
Finally, make sure that you have three questions to ask the interviewers about their school so that they know you are interested and prepared.
The College Curators are available for interview prep sessions. Please contact us at [email protected] for more information.
