Preparing for a college admissions interview must commence with an assessment of your key strengths. I’m sure you’ve written these countless times on your college applications, but try to piece together the true narrative of your accomplishments so far and how they will lead you to this next phase of your life.
More specifically, what skills have you learned that you hope to strengthen? What content areas must you learn to fill in the gaps? Know the ins and outs of your strengths and weaknesses and how the school at which you are interviewing will meet these. Don’t just think about the courses you’ve taken or the clubs you’re in. Think about the specific skills that you have, and those you don’t. Are you great at coming up with ideas but fall short in breaking them down into manageable steps in order to articulate a clear plan of action? Do you love working in groups because you are a leader and enjoy facilitating coordination among your peers, or do you prefer to fall seamlessly into the efforts of a larger team?
This level of introspection is necessary in order to frame your interview in the most mature and confident way. Every college knows you’re interviewing at multiple schools. But why are they special? What can they do for you? How can they make you into your best future self?
Now, once you’ve attempted to consider what has led you to this point and what attributes of yours you most hope to hone, write a series of questions that you would hope to ask your interviewer, in terms of how the specific school – its facilities, its curriculum, and its pedagogy – will help you reach the future you see for yourself. Consider aspects that may seem secondary to the curriculum, such as class-size, opportunities for mentorship and internships, and student-professor ratios. The school may have the most beautiful shining facilities, but if those are difficult to access and do not provide you with opportunities outside of the school, that’s something you’re going to have to fight harder for when you actually set foot on campus. Consider accessibility to all aspects of what you hope to achieve in your future as key elements of your brief college experience.
Remember, just as no two colleges are alike, neither are any two interviewers alike. They range from the very friendly to the coolly reserved. Yet an interview is much more than a custom; it is the best opportunity for you to get to know the college and for the college to gain insights about you. Along with your school records, test scores, activities, and evaluations, the interview can distinguish you from the crowd and give you individual identity. Here are some hints to make your interviewing experience pleasant and to decrease your anxiety:
After you have deeply considered what your needs are, what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, and what the school specifically has to offer to fill in those gaps, enter that interview room with heaps of humility. Yes, they want everything you have to offer, but confidence can’t overshadow the fact that you still have much to learn. Present yourself as someone who knows they have a bright future and envisions taking every opportunity at your disposal to achieve it. You will shine somewhere. Your goal is to show them that they are the school where that transformation will be brightest.
Now, are you ready to consider what you may be asked? Here are the most common questions:
And the most important:
You should! Here are some suggestions (it’s a huge list, so pick a few, and tailor them to your goals and interests!):
In the end, the best way to prepare for college admission interviews is to know yourself, with confidence – what you want, what you need, and what steps it will take to get you there. Remember that the person you are speaking with is only a small part of the process of your admission to the school, but they may give you insights that will inform your decisions within your collegiate experience for many years to come. Grant them that access to your goals and allow them to provide you with inspiration you might not have expected to find.
Alexandra Berube is the Managing Director and founder of Boston Tutoring Services. She is a Massachusetts-certified teacher with a Master’s Degree in Education from Lesley University, and a Bachelor’s degree in English and Child Development from Sarah Lawrence College. Boston Tutoring Services, LLC. is a private in-home and online tutoring & college admissions company that offers one-on-one instruction for K-12 students. They also offer Admission Consulting Services, including Essay Coaching and Interview Coaching.