Admission Interviews: What You Should Know
Admission interviews can be an exciting and nerve-wracking part of the college application process. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare can not only decrease your stress but also help you ace your interviews and come across in the best possible light.
Do All Colleges Interview?
Very few colleges require interviews, although some colleges do recommend them. The interview is usually an optional part of the application process for many schools. However, many other colleges, especially large public universities, don’t offer interviews at all.
Why Do Colleges Interview?
College applications and essays certainly give schools a lot of information about you, but the opportunity to speak face-to-face with you allows them to learn more about you as a person. Interviews enable colleges to see who you are beyond the pages of your application. An interview is also an excellent chance for you to explain or elaborate on essential points in your application. Most colleges use interviews as an opportunity to find out if you are a good fit. They want to know how interested you are and how you will contribute to their college. Think of interviews as more like an exchange of information-the college learns more about you, and you learn more about the college.
There are generally two types of interviews: on-campus and off-campus interviews. The on-campus interview can be with any number of people: a student who works in the admissions office, a faculty member, a part-time admissions counselor, or an assistant or associate admissions officer. Off-campus interviews generally occur with an alum from your hometown, held any day, usually in an office, restaurant, or coffee shop. However, the combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and the dramatic increase in the number of applications colleges receive each year has led many colleges to offer virtual interviews, sometimes with an admissions officer but more often with alum volunteers or current students.
Interviews can be either evaluative or informational. After an evaluative interview, the interviewer will complete an evaluation form or write a summary discussing your fit and admissibility to their college. In other words, these interviews “count” and may be used by admissions officers as one factor in making an admissions decision. On the other hand, informational interviews are a two-way conversation between you and the interviewer. This type of interview is often used to help potential applicants learn more about the college and decide if they want to apply or attend if admitted. You will not be evaluated during this type of interview, and the interviewer’s impressions play no role in whether or not you are admitted. However, the fact that a student did participate in the non-required, non-evaluative interview can show the admissions office that a student is genuinely interested in attending that school.
How Do I Know if an Interview is Required?
It’s important to check each of your college’s websites to determine whether interviews are required or recommended. When a college offers or recommends an interview, take advantage of that opportunity to further learn about and demonstrate interest in a particular college. If possible, avoid turning down an interview when offered so that admissions officers will not wonder why you said no.
The truth is that it is tough to “blow” an interview. You can only benefit from doing an interview, if nothing else, to get information about the college and also develop an admissions contact. A strong interview can create a friend and advocate for you in the final selection process. At the very least, you will become a three-dimensional person to one individual in the admissions office.
How Do I Know if I Can Interview?
In most cases, applicants are only offered an interview once they submit their application. Sometimes, an interview may be available for high school juniors or seniors. It is essential to check each college’s website to determine when interviews are available and how you schedule one. Sometimes, students who signed up for the college’s admission emails will receive information on how to sign up. Alternatively, an alum interviewer will contact the applicant directly to schedule something. Checking email frequently is essential to ensure you do not miss an opportunity.
How Do Colleges Decide Who to Interview?
An application is rarely reviewed before an interview. The invitation (or lack of invitation) to interview is often not a sign of how competitive a student’s application is but is usually a result of how many interviewers are available.
How Much Will an Interviewer Know About Me?
If you are interviewing with an admissions staff member and have already submitted your application, the interviewer may have access to it. If the interviewer is an alum, they may only know where you live and possibly what major you are interested in.
How Do I Prepare for a College Interview?
Bring Your Resume: Your resume will give the interviewer a peek into your interests and inform them how you might get involved as a student at their college. Your resume allows you to talk about familiar topics and not be thrown off by odd questions. If you are interviewing remotely, you can email the interviewer and ask if they would like to see a resume. Some interviewers prefer to interview without a resume and let the conversation flow naturally. Be sure you always follow the rules. If you are told not to share a resume, do not share your resume!
Conduct Extensive Research on the College: Admission officers want to know that you have researched their college before the interview. They especially want to know why their college is of particular interest to you. Therefore, before an interview, ensure you can thoughtfully answer the question, “Why this college? Before the interview, you should come up with at least three to five reasons why a school interests you. For example, your might note:
Specific departments that attract you;
Specific professors from whom you would like to take classes;
Specific classes that interest you;
Specific activities that you would love to get involved with;
The warm, friendly atmosphere of the college;
Anything else that identifies why that college is a good match for you.
It would be best if you prepared some questions before the interview; however, make sure to ask questions that are not obvious or that you could have found out by simply going to the school’s website. For instance, “How many students go to this school?” is not as impressive as asking something more specific like: “I’ve read that 60% of all students go abroad, and I was wondering what kind of programs are available and supported by your college.”
Many interviewers take offense if you come to an interview knowing little about their college. If you do not say what aspects of a college attract you, it is easy for an interviewer to assume you are not interested. The perception that you do not care enough about the interview or the college to do some homework is not what you want to leave with the interviewer.
Talk About Subjects that Interest You: Prepare your elevator pitch before the interview so that you are ready to answer the question, “tell me about yourself.” You cannot cover everything there is to know about you during the interview, so make sure to include subjects that interest you. For example, do you play ultimate frisbee? If so, mention that. It’s possible that your interviewer also loves the sport, allowing you to bond over a mutual topic of interest. Discussing issues you are passionate about or excited about will help you come alive during the interview and let the interviewer see how that passion transforms you.
Practice Ahead of Time: One of the best ways to ensure a successful interview is to practice interviewing beforehand using mock interview sessions. The goal of mock interviews is to get comfortable with answering questions and learn to be as relaxed (or appear as relaxed) and confident as possible. In addition, mock interviews will allow you to develop personal stories, examples, or anecdotes to illustrate your answers to the questions. For instance, if an interviewer asks about your favorite activity, give your answer and then have an example ready to demonstrate your point.
For more tips on how to prepare for a virtual interview, check out our blog here. These tips can be helpful for in person interviews as well.
What Should I Do After the Interview?
Before leaving the interview, do not forget to ask for the interviewer’s contact information if you don’t already have it so that you can follow up with a thank you note (an email is acceptable). Make sure to mention a specific topic you discussed during the interview. This additional comment will help the interviewer remember who you are.
The most important thing to remember is to be authentic during the interview. Interviewers understand that a student may never have participated in a formal interview before and want you to be comfortable speaking to them. Most interviews are casual conversations, but just be yourself even if you get some tough questions. What you say in answer to the question is less important is your ability to communicate, carry on a conversation, and think for yourself.
Do you have an admissions interview coming up and want some additional help? Contact North Shore College Consulting today to learn more about our one-on-one, individual college consulting packages.