Surviving the Interview

For many students, the most worrisome part of applying to college is the personal interview.  It needn’t be, especially if you are familiar with the two subjects most likely to be discussed:  the college and you.  Before each interview, read the college catalogue, your responses in the “Getting to Know Yourself” section, and your personal data sheet.  Below are some tips to help you come through the experience like a pro.

• Be on time!  If you are chronically late, allow for plenty of extra time.

• Be yourself.  Don’t try to be someone you are not.

• Speak Clearly.  Don’t mumble when asking or answering questions, and maintain eye contact.

• Relax!  An interview is an exchange of information, not something you pass or fail.  Your presence on the campus and your readiness to talk about yourself and your college plans are indications of your seriousness.   The interview can help you determine if a particular college is the right place for you.  The exchange of information and the impressions gained on both sides – yours and the interviewer’s – should be meaningful.

• Be prepared.  The interviewer may encourage you to “just talk”, so you should be ready to discuss topics ranging from the very general (“Tell me about your school experience”) to the very specific (“How do you feel about nuclear disarmament or capital punishment?”)

• Respond directly and articulately to questions.  Keep the “you knows” and “like” to a minimum – none if you can help it.  It is perfectly all right to say “I don’t know” or “I need to think about that” in response to a question.  Be as natural, easy, and responsive as you can be.

• Be familiar with your academic record.  This will enable you to answer general questions about your academic performance in high school and your scores on standardized tests – if asked.

• Know your interests and your areas of strength.  Look over your list of extracurricular activities and be prepared to talk about them.  Bring up and qualifications you have that may not be apparent from the application.

• Have plausible explanations for any weaknesses in your record.  Remember, an explanation is different from an excuse.

• Be prepared to discuss one or two books you have read.  Think about what they meant to you.

• Be aware of current events.

• Thank the interviewer before you leave.

PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

The questions which follow can help you focus college selection and admission where it belongs:  on you as an individual.  You may feel embarrassed or self-conscious when you first consider these questions.  However, an honest and thoughtful self-evaluation can reveal what you should look for in colleges and prepare you for statements you will be asked to make about yourself in essays and interviews when you apply to college. If you are willing to look seriously at yourself, you can find the colleges which are right for you and present yourself effectively to them.

Your goals and values

1. What aspects of your high school years have you enjoyed the most?  Have you missed anything during this time?  If you could live this period over again, would you do anything differently?

2. What values are most important to you?  What do you care

           most about?  What concerns occupy most of your energy,

           effort, and thoughts?

3. How do you define success?  Are you satisfied with your

     accomplishments to date?  What do you want to accomplish

     in the years ahead?

4. What kind of person would you like to become?  Of your

      unique gifts and strengths, which would you most like to

      develop? What would you most like to change about yourself?

5. Is there anything you have ever secretly wanted to do or be?  If you had a year to go anywhere and do whatever you wanted, how would you spend that year? 

6. What events or experiences have shaped your growth and way of thinking?

Your education

7. What are your academic interests?  Which courses have you enjoyed the most?  Which courses have been most difficult for you?

8. What do you choose to learn when you can learn on your own?  Consider interests pursued beyond class assignments:  Topics chosen for research papers, lab reports, independent projects, independent reading, school activities, job or volunteer work.  What do your choices show about your interests and the way you like to learn?

9. How do you learn best?  What methods of teaching and style of teaching engage your interest and effort the most?

10. How would you describe your school?  Are learning and academic success respected there? Has your school environment encouraged you to develop your interests, talents, and abilities?  Have you felt limited by your school environment in any way?  What would you preserve or change about your school if you had the power and money to do so?

11. How much do you generally like to read, discuss issues, and exchange ideas?  What has been your most stimulating intellectual experience in recent years?

12. How well has your school prepared you for college?  In what areas of skill or knowledge do you feel confident?  Do you feel inadequately prepared for college study?  Have you been challenged by your courses?

13. Have you worked up to your potential in high school?  Is your academic record an accurate measure of your ability and potential?  Are your SAT scores?  What do you consider the best measures of your potential for college work?

14. Are there any outside circumstances (in your recent experience or background) which have interfered with your academic performance? Consider such factors as:  after-school job, home responsibilities or difficulties, excessive school activities, illness or emotional stress, parental pressure, English not spoken at home, problems of course scheduling or other factors which are unique to your recent experience or background.

Your activities and interests

15. What activities do you most enjoy outside the daily routine of

      school and other responsibilities?  Which activities have meant the

      most to you? Looking back, would you have made different choices?

       *Don’t forget to include your participation in the Peter Jay

        Sharp College/SAT Prep Program.

16. Do your activities show any pattern of commitment, competence,

      or contribution?

17. How would others describe your role in your school or home

      community?  What do you consider your most significant contribution?

18. After a long, hard day, what do you most enjoy doing?  What do you do for fun?  For relaxation?

 The world around you

19. How would you describe your school, family, and community (neighborhood)?  How has your environment influenced your way of thinking?  How have your interests and abilities been acknowledged or limited by your school and home?

20. What do your parents and friends expect of you?  How have their expectations influenced the goals and standards you set for yourself?  What pressures have you felt to conform?

21. What has been the most controversial issue in your school or community?  How does the issue concern you?  What has been your reaction to the controversy?  What is your opinion about the issue?

22. Have you ever encountered people who thought and acted differently from you?  What view points have challenged you the most? How did you respond?  What did you learn about yourself and about others?

23. What distresses you most about the world around you?  Assuming the obligation and opportunity to change the world, where would you start?

24. Do you have any current heroes or heroines?  Historical heroes?

25. What books have you read which have changed your way of thinking?

Your personality and relationships with others

26. How would someone who knows you well describe you?  Your finest qualities?  Your most conspicuous shortcomings?  Would you agree with their assessment?  How have you grown or changed during your high school years?  

27.             Which relationships are most important to  

you and why?  Describe the people whom you consider your best friends?  Your best critics?  Your best advocates?  In what ways are they similar to or different from you?

28.             Describe the groups in your school. Which

ones do you feel you belong to?  Which ones do you feel alienated from?  What kind of people do you associate with and admire?  Generally, how do you respond to people who think and act differently than you do?

29. How are you influenced by others who are important to you?  What pressures have you felt to conform?  How important to you are rewards and recognition?  How do you respond to pressure, competition, or challenge?  How do you react to failure, disappointment, or criticism?

30. How do you feel about choices and making decisions for yourself?  What are the best decisions you have recently made?  How much do you rely on direction, advice, or guidance from others?  Have you ever chosen anything because it was new or interesting? What?

Interview Questions

A typical college interview lasts twenty to thirty minutes and usually opens with some warm-up questions.  The interviewer will then probably move on to more surprising questions.  Be prepared to answer questions about yourself, your school, your work.  Practice answering these questions before your interview.

Warm-Up Questions:

Which subjects interest you most?

Which extracurricular activity is most rewarding to you?

How do you spend your spare time?

What kind of reading/books do you like best?

Why is a college education important?

What is your best quality?

More Challenging Questions:

What are your career plans?

Why do you want to go to this college?

What are your major weaknesses? 

How can you overcome them?

Why were you selected or chosen for a specific award?

How have you prepared for college?

What would you change about yourself?

Surprise Questions:

If you suddenly decided not to go to college, what would you do instead?  Why?

If you had a million-dollar grant to give away, who would get it?  Why?

What have been the most important events in your life?

What’s the one most important impression of yourself that you would want me to report to the admissions committee?

DON’T INTERRUPT THE INTERVIEWER, LISTEN TO EACH QUESTION, TAKE TIME TO THINK, AND ANSWER COMPLETELY WITHOUT RAMBLING.