Selective colleges often want to learn about prospective students outside of the confines of their submitted applications—that’s where the college interview comes in.
Each of your college applications is a testament to your prowess as a student. With everything from your test scores to the essays you’ve worked hard on, university admissions offices can get an idea of what you’re like as a student.
However, they understand that there’s more to a person than what can be described on paper—that’s why very selective colleges often invite prospective students to an interview, where they’ll have a conversation with a representative of the school. Read on for tips and strategies for having a great interview that impresses admissions offices!
What to Know about College Interviews
A college interview is an opportunity for a student to express interest in their prospective school and demonstrate why they are a great fit at that institution. Universities send a representative (typically either an alumnus, student, or employee of the institution) to talk to prospective students and get a better understanding of who they are. This is your chance to share your experiences, ambitions, and enthusiasm outside of your application materials, all while you learn more about the school.
Types of College Interviews
Some universities hold evaluative interviews, while others only offer informational interviews.
Informational interviews won’t impact your candidacy. These are chiefly intended for you to learn more about the college from the first-hand experience of a student or from the expertise of a university employee. There are often opportunities to have an informational interview if you attend a college campus visit. (Even if they are non-evaluative, it’s still recommended to have an informational interview if your schedule permits.)
Evaluative interviews are the ones we’re focusing on in this article because they will impact your admissions decision. The interviewer will write a report based on your interview, which will be submitted to the admissions office along with the other parts of your application. Colleges with evaluative interviews often either strongly recommend or require it.
Which Colleges Offer Interviews?
Most universities that require (or, again, strongly recommend) interviews are highly selective. Esteemed universities like Yale, Stanford, Rice, MIT, Wake Forest, and Georgetown all conduct evaluative interviews for many applicants.
Other universities (like most of the Ivies) have eliminated their evaluative interview programs. To see if your university of choice holds interviews, check their website’s admissions page (or you can search “interview” on their site). If you’re unable to find that information, email the admissions office directly.
When do College Interviews Happen?
If you’re wondering how to get a college interview and when it would take place, the answer depends on your school(s) of choice.
Universities that hold interviews on-campus generally hold them throughout the summer and fall semester of students’ senior year. These interviews are held before application season, so they require students to register on their own.
Other universities hold interviews throughout the country (using their network of alumni to reach students) or virtually. These take place after the beginning of application season—most of the time, students are invited to interview after they apply. Depending on the school, students may have to apply early decision to be eligible for an interview.
How to Prepare for a College Interview
It’s key to be your authentic self throughout your application, including the interview. But that doesn’t mean you should “wing it”—take time to prepare ahead of your interview in order to present yourself in the best way possible.
1. Research the University
You want your interviewer to see how excited you are at the potential of attending the university. Learn about the institution’s history, student body, reputation, and values. Develop a strong understanding of what makes the school unique and why it’s perfect for you.
For example, Brown is known for its “create-your-own-major” program, and Rice has an esteemed space science department (in fact, the first in the country). Maybe you want to take advantage of distinguishing programs like these—or perhaps an entirely different academic aspect is drawing you in. Understand the university’s programs (both academic and extracurricular) that compelled you to apply, and be prepared to discuss them in-depth!
Your interviewer will come equipped with questions that test your knowledge of the school, so meet their expectations with research ahead of time.
2. Practice Answering Questions
An interview is all about you, so it’s a good idea to practice comfortably talking about yourself. Interviewers will ask questions about your academics, personality, ambitions, and interest in the university.
Answering Common College Interview Questions
Here are some questions that your interviewer is likely to ask. Take the time to prepare answers that demonstrate your authentic self!
1. “Tell me about yourself.”
In both college interviews and future job interviews, you’ll likely be asked, “tell me about yourself.” Many people find this vague question intimidating—how do you summarize everything about yourself, as a student and as a person, in one answer?
Think of it like a 2-minute synopsis of why you’d be a good candidate. Make sure that you cover your background (where you grew up or your upbringing), your academic interests, and why you’re interested in the college you’re interviewing for. These topics will form the core of your answer and most basic identity as a candidate.
Aside from that, choose what you want to talk about. What do you want to paint in your self-portrait? Some topics that many students discuss in their answers to questions like this are:
- Long-term ambitions
- Unique personality traits
- Strong academic skills
- Extracurriculars and hobbies
- Completed programs or internships
- Prospective majors/concentrations
Pick and choose which topics you’re most confident in, but don’t reveal all your cards in this answer. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to describe yourself and emphasize your interest throughout the interview, so don’t feel like you have to fit everything in immediately. Choose the topics you believe demonstrate your uniqueness and make you a great fit for the school while ensuring that you still have topics to discuss later on in the interview.
Finally, make sure to organize your answer coherently. It’s a good idea to move from past to present to future. Chronologically, you can describe where you’re from, who you are today, and your future ambitions in a clear structure the interviewer can follow. You can also include short anecdotes to help your answer flow and keep the interviewer interested. For example, you can talk about an event that inspired you to choose your prospective major or a time one of your skills helped you succeed both in and out of school.
2. “Why do you want to attend this university/college?”
If you had a great answer to “tell me about yourself”, it’s likely you already mentioned why you’re interested in the school. A question like “What interests you about this institution?” will allow you to give a more in-depth answer that shows you’ve done your research about the school.
Think of a few central ideas that excite you about attending this school, and spend a few sentences discussing each one and how you resonate with it. Let’s say your top three reasons for applying are the institution’s engineering programs, its campus and location, and its unique study abroad programs. You can connect its engineering programs to your strong math background and ambitions in civil engineering, describe how you’ve always wanted to live on the east coast, where the campus is, and explain why you value multicultural experiences like studying abroad.
Use this question as an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge about the college/university while you position yourself as a fit for its culture.
3. “How would this university/college benefit from having you as a student?”
Think of this as the inverse of the question above—rather than explaining how the school would benefit you, you’ll explain how you’ll contribute to the school.
Describe what you’d bring with you as a member of its student body. If you’re wondering how you would be able to impact an institution as a student, here are some examples:
- Participating in undergraduate research that could be published.
- Tutoring other students in your area of expertise.
- Actively participating in both classes and campus events.
- Leadership experience to bring to campus clubs and organizations.
- Working as a TA or research assistant for a professor (or other on-campus jobs).
4. “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
This question is asked to gauge not only your academic skills, but your personality and how you speak about yourself. As you prepare for your college interview, think of some adjectives you align with and consider what they say about you. Remember to always position your weaknesses as challenges you’ve learned how to work through, rather than things you are burdened with.
Maybe your greatest strength is your empathy, which makes it easy for you to get along with peers and excel in subjects like English and history, where you need to think from different perspectives. Then, perhaps you’ve always had a hard time doing mental math—you can elaborate on this and turn it into a positive by describing how you religiously carry a pen and paper and take extra time to study math concepts to make sure you stay on track.
When you brainstorm your strengths and weaknesses, be authentic. Consider weaknesses you’ve had in the past that you’ve overcome and strengths that are unique and set you apart from your peers.
5. “What are your interests?”
Finally, your interviewer is likely to ask about who you are outside of school. Maybe they’ll ask about your hobbies, your favorite book, or other personal interests.
Again, be authentic and thorough in your answer. Explain the reasoning behind your favorite book, whether it’s the characters, writing style, or subject matter. Tell a story from when you started your favorite hobby, and what skills it helped you develop. However you choose to explain your interest(s), explain why you chose them and connect them to your ambitions or skills (whether academic or not).
Interviewers want to get a well-rounded picture of you as a person, so they ask about your interests to get a better understanding of what’s important to you.
3. Prepare Questions to Ask the Interviewer
A college interview isn’t just a one-way street. You need to ask your interviewer questions, too!
Maybe the interview ends up feeling more like a conversation, where you can allow your answers to lead into questions you ask. More often, the interviewer will tell you they’ve allowed time towards the end of the discussion for your questions. Either way, you’ll want to have intelligent questions prepared for them.
As you’re getting ready for the interview and any confusion or curiosity about the school comes to mind, write it down! Maybe you’re curious about an aspect of the campus culture, or want the interviewer’s own opinion about their favorite aspect of the school. The best questions are ones that originate authentically and aren’t easily answered with a simple look at the university’s website.
Which questions you ask will also depend on who your interviewer is. If they’re an alumnus, ask them about their own experiences at the school, such as what their favorite class was. If they’re from the admissions team or work at the institution in a different capacity, ask about any new initiatives at the school or programs set to launch soon. Below are some more questions to ask in a college interview.
If the interviewer is an alumnus:
- What did you enjoy from this college that other schools don’t offer?
- How did your education here help you get where you are today?
- Would you have done anything differently throughout your college experience?
- What did you like about the campus/location?
- What was your favorite professor like?
If the interviewer is not an alumnus:
- What’s your favorite aspect of working at this university?
- How are students at this college different from those at other colleges?
- What are the work opportunities like at this college for students or recent graduates?
- Are there many opportunities for learning outside of the classroom, such as class trips, study abroad, or other programs?
While we hope these questions are helpful, don’t plan all your questions in advance. Make an effort to think of some during the interview, based on your discussion and the interviewer’s background. This emphasizes your initiative and active engagement in the conversation.
4. Present Yourself Well
Our last college interview tip is to make a good impression outside of the conversation itself.
Presenting yourself with confidence and engaging with the interviewer politely are testaments to your character as a professional young adult. If you stay slouched the whole time, dress too casually, or don’t speak with the interviewer politely, it’ll make a poor impression on the interviewer’s report—no matter how well-rehearsed your answers are.
Here are some tips on making a good impression during your interview.
- Arrive early. Wherever you’re meeting them, try to arrive 10-15 minutes early. Not only will this show initiative, but it’ll make sure you won’t be late if there’s traffic on the way.
- Dress for success. Clothes that are wrinkle-free and neat are a must, but what you wear in particular depends on your own style and the venue of the interview. For example, rip-free dark jeans and a blouse or polo is a casual but clean look that is fitting wherever you meet.
- Shake your interviewer’s hand. When you greet your interviewer, shake their hand and express that you’re glad to meet them. Make sure the initial impression you make counts.
- Keep good posture. Enter the room with good posture, and maintain it when you sit. Keep your arms and legs uncrossed. Gesture with your hands, maintaining casual and polite body language.
- Ask for their contact information at the end. Sending a thank-you note a day or so later to your interviewer demonstrates your professionalism and kindness while reminding them of your conversation.
Enhance Your College Application
If you get invited to do a college interview, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to personally show your school of choice who you are and why they should admit you! We hope these tips have helped you understand what an interviewer is looking for and how to present yourself professionally.
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