The Interview: Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

As part of the application, many schools require an interview.

Before the Interview...

Prepare to be interviewed by a variety of people: You can be interviewed by an admissions officer, current student, or alum.

Practice Interviewing: Practice your interviews with someone who can be objective, such as a neighbor or a teacher. Videotape or record your practice session. Answer these questions about yourself:

What do you want the interviewers to know about you?
How can you highlight your strengths and show the interviewers you have learned from past experiences?
How do you show them you have researched the school?
Develop answers to some commonly asked questions such as:

Why do you want to attend the particular college?
What are your extracurricular activities and interests?
What is your favorite book or movie?
What do you want to do after college?
What are some of your weaknesses?

Look presentable: It doesn’t matter what they tell you, dress up! Iron your clothing! Do not wear tennis shoes or clothing that you would wear to the beach. Make a lasting impression.

Arriving 15 minutes early is considered on time: Give yourself time to relax before your interview. Tell your parents to wait in the car or give them 5 dollars to get some coffee. This is your interview. Your parents should stay away.

Interview with the school, even if it is optional: If an interview is optional, attend, unless you are socially awkward.

Obtain a copy of the college brochure: Study up on the college. What is the college known for? Where is the college located? Bring your interview information with you, including the form informing you of the location and time of the interview.

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During the Interview...

Test scores and grades do not define you: The interview is your chance to prove that you have a personality. Test scores and grades do not capture your best aspects. Demonstrate to the college that you are personable and likeable. It is also your chance to ask questions about the college to show the interviewer that you have done the proper research.

Don’t Repeat! Expand: In your interview, don’t just repeat everything in your application. Expand! For example, on paper, you might have listed one of your extracurricular activities as soccer. However in your interview, you can discuss your role on the soccer team, emotions you felt after loosing or winning the state championship, or how your experiences on the soccer team has encouraged you to major in sports medicine. Interviews are also a good time to explain circumstances that could have affected your grades or test scores.

Arrogance will get you nowhere: Be confident, not arrogant. You may think you are the best thing since sliced bread but arrogance will just annoy the interviewer.

The school is your first choice! Think about it! The interview is more likely to give you a strong evaluation if he or she believes the school you are interviewing for is your first choice.

Stay calm and do not be nervous: Be yourself and stay calm. Show that you are a mature, companionate student who is ready for college. Try to not get nervous.

Ask questions: You want to show the interviewer that you have done your research. Ask intelligent questions and not ones that can be answer via the college brochure.


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After the interview...

Send a thank you note: Send a thank you note to all of your interviewers.

Learn from the experience: In the end, learn from all of your interviews. Evaluate you performance. What could you have done better? This won’t be your last interview.