College interviews are basically a conversation between a student and a representative of the college to determine whether or not the student is a good fit for the college. The interview is more of a conversation than a job viva. Usually, an alumnus, a person from the admissions department, college students(sophomore or senior), or someone else from the college conducts the interview. It is a way to get to know better about a prospective student’s personality, behavior, and more. Interview is the real time picture of your application.
Are College Interviews required and important for admission?
It is totally optional for most of the colleges except for some elite institutions, including Ivy League Colleges. However, it will not impact your admission decision. Though it is optional, it is important and recommended by the college for every applicant. As the USA College Admission is a “Holistic” process where each and every component of your application is evaluated closely, applicants are highly recommended to take the opportunity of an interview to show themselves.
Why are College Interviews important?
The very first reason is that it shows the demonstrated interest of an applicant in a particular college. In addition, the admissions committee will get to know you better in detail. They try to understand your communication skills, your English proficiency level, and your personality by asking some basic and personal questions.
When can you schedule the College Interviews?
Usually, interviews for colleges are open from September until March. But taking the interview date from October to January, near the deadline, is recommended so that AO’s memory is still fresh when they evaluate your application. You can schedule your own interview by the available date shown at the university, which is convenient to you. However, you can’t conduct any interviews at the top institutes like Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Yale, UPenn, and a few more. At this top institution, you need to be eligible for the interview after your application is reviewed. The university will call for an interview via email if they feel it is necessary.
Note: You can schedule an interview without applying to a university to learn more about the university, as it is just a conversation between you and the representative of the college. (It is applicable for most of the colleges.)
The medium, duration, and dress-up for the College Interview:
For domestic students, most interviews are conducted on the university’s campus. However, as it is quite difficult for international students, there are other options for virtual interviews, which are generally conducted on Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or the university’s own virtual system.
The duration of an interview is normally between 15 to 45 minutes. But if you can conduct your interview informally with the interviewer, it can last more than an hour, which is a good sign. It totally depends on how you can vibe with the interviewer.
Anything you find comfortable, you can wear. There are no rules or dress codes for virtual interviews.
What types of questions are frequently asked in a College Interview?
In the interview, some basic and personal questions are asked by the interviewer to make the student comfortable. However, some common questions that are asked in an interview are listed below:
- Why this College?
- What major are you taking and why?
- What is the background history to take this major?
- What element specifically inspired you to apply to our college?
- What do you want to be in your life?
- What classes did you enjoy in your high school and why?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What makes you different from others?
- What do you do when you get free?
- Tell me about one of your favorite books.
- Share a funny incident that is memorable to you.
- What do you do for entertainment?
Note: These are the frequently asked questions by an interviewer. However, it is not necessary that the listed above 12 questions will be asked in all interviews. It totally depends on the interviewer.
What are the questions you should ask the interviewer in a College Interview and WHY?
As I mentioned above, the interview is more like a conversation and it’s completely casual and informal(if you match the vibe). So, there is an opportunity at the end of the interview where you can ask some questions and get a better idea about the college you want to go to.
The reason behind asking the interviewer is to show them you are super interested in that particular college. It also shows that you have researched the college very well. It creates a positive sign in your admission decision.
The common questions you can ask are:
To Admission Officer:
- What makes you excited about the work at this college?
- How does this college make a student different?
- What are the research and career opportunities at this college?
To an Alumni:
- What was the experience of the alumni at that particular college?
- What are the things that are memorable to the alumni about the college?
- How does that college help him/her in the career path?
To other Interviewers:
Apart from that, a student can ask anything to other interviewers including admission officers. For instance, the campus life, diversity, meal plan, dorm life, Halal food, transportation, career opportunities, clubs, sports, library, and so on.
What should you do after the College Interview?
At the end of the college interview, say thanks to your interviewer and let them know that you had a great time with him/her. After 2-3 days later, email them with a thank you note and show them your genuine interest. This reminds them of you and helps them remember details when they write a review of your interview and send it to the admissions committee.
How to ace the College Interview?
Confidence is the first and the only weapon that you need to ace the interview.
You must be confident as well as fluent with your voice. Don’t take it as a viva or job interview. Take it as a conversation.
The first interview matters. The advice here is to schedule your first interview with a college that you don’t care about. It is because you can be cool at that moment and you will get to be familiar with the interview environment. If your first interview goes well, you’ll see confidence will grow like magic and the rest of the interviews will go smoother. If it doesn’t go well, repeat the interview with a college interviewer that you don’t care about again until you feel OK.
DO NOT fear interviews. In life, you’ll need to attend interviews for many different things. If you start well, you’ll see how magically you become comfortable with it.
Ace your interviews by keeping in mind these key insights.
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