College Interview Preparation

Interviews can be a stressful part of the college admission process. Some universities require the interview as part of your admission, while some require an interview for certain scholarships. Still other universities use the interview as an opportunity to get to know a student and his or her interests better.

Whether the interview is conducted on campus, at your high school, or in a nearby town, it should be an equal exchange of information between you and the admission representative. You have the opportunity to present personal qualities that may not initially stand out in your application. You also have the chance to learn more about the university or college to see if this might be your “best fit” choice.

As you prepare, it is pretty easy to think of questions that may be asked of you. Then again, some of them might be things you haven’t thought about. But rest assured, they are not trick questions. The idea is to foster a conversation so that the university representative can learn more about you and your interests. Here are some sample questions:

• What factors are most important to you in your college selection process?
• Given those factors, why are you interested in University X?
• How would others describe you? Your teachers? Your peers?
• What is your favorite book/film? Why?
• What are you interested in studying and why? Who or what influenced you to explore this area(s)?
• What activities are you involved with in your school or community?
• Do you have a leadership role? Do you plan to continue any of these in college? Beyond college?
• Given the years spent in high school, can you point to one experience that changed you? How were you transformed?
• When you graduate from University X, other than your degree, what is important for you to take away from the college experience?

Again, these are just a few examples. Remember that you should prepare your own questions too. Here are a few ideas:

• What are the hot topics on campus?
• What is the make-up of the student body?
• What majors are most popular/least popular?
• How has the type of student enrolling at University X changed in the past five years?
• What do you offer freshmen to help make the transition to college?
• What do your graduates tend to do immediately following graduation?
• Is this a commuter campus where students go home on the weekends?
• What clubs/organizations are popular?
• Are there any special traditions?
• Why is this school a good match for me?

Good luck!