There was a time when the college interview was as much a staple of the application process as taking SATs and writing essays. As colleges work to attract bigger, more national and international applicant pools, though, interviewing prospective students has become increasingly costly and logistically challenging. Still, many colleges value direct, personal interaction with prospective students and include interviews as part of the process. As a result, colleges employ a wide range of different approaches to interviews for prospective students.
Many colleges offer students the opportunity to interview on campus, via Skype, or with admissions officers doing school visits or attending college fairs in proximity to where students live. Few, if any, colleges mandate on-campus interviews, but several require applicants to interview with alumni representatives. And other colleges and universities don’t do individual student interviews at all.
So, all this begs the question, just exactly how important are admissions interviews? Well, like just about everything else with this process, the answer is that it depends. It depends on how the colleges to which you’re applying use interviews. It depends on the relative strength of your application with respect to grades, test scores, co-curricular activities, etc. (good grades and strong test scores matter more than anything else). And it depends on how you come across in the interview.
A great interview will not make up for grades or test scores that are significantly below the normal range for the college in question. Likewise, a weak interview probably won’t sabotage your chances if your grades and scores exceed the college’s standard profile. Interviews make the most difference in the cases that can go either way. In general, a really good interview can help an applicant much more than a poor interview can hurt. So, if the decision comes down to choosing between two applicants with equally strong profiles, a good interview can make the difference.
Think of interviews as an opportunity to enhance and strengthen your application. A chance to illuminate who you are and what matters to you in a particularly compelling way. The objective is to convey that you are the kind of person who will succeed at and contribute to the college community. So, here are a few tips on how to make the most of your college admissions interviews.
- Be prepared. Review the website and admissions materials for the colleges where you are interviewing. You want to demonstrate that you are taking the process seriously and you have made the effort to learn about the college and what it has to offer. Telling the interviewer that you are interested in learning more about their undergraduate research programs is a good moment. Asking to know more about the business major they don’t offer is a bad one.
- Be specific. Even if you don’t know what you want to major in, be ready to talk about the subjects that most interest you. Tell them that you plan to take classes in biology and history and music; and tie your interests to specific courses or programs the college offers. Talk about your interest in government and why their semester program in Washington D.C. is attractive to you. If you want to be pre-med cite their high medical school acceptance rate.
- Share your passion. Talk about your artwork or the marathon you ran or volunteering at the local homeless shelter. Demonstrate that you care deeply about things and put your passion on display.
- Dress appropriately. It is no longer the case the men need to wear a coat and tie, and women need to wear a skirt or dress to college interviews. But it is good to dress in a way that demonstrates that you respect the time the interviewer is giving to you and that you are taking the interview seriously.
- Ask questions. This goes back to being prepared. Asking questions is a way of conveying both the range and depth of things in which you are interested. Questions also serve as great icebreakers and catalysts for conversation.
- Be thorough but concise. Give complete answers to the questions you are asked. Demonstrate that you can engage in and advance a thoughtful, adult conversation. But avoid long-winded, rambling answers. Take a moment to consider your response before answering. Demonstrating that you are poised and thoughtful is all to the good.
- Practice. There are certain questions you can anticipate getting in every interview (e.g. Why are you interested in ABC College? What academic subjects most interest you?). Think about how you will answer them and actually practice doing it out loud. There is a big difference between how an answer sounds in your own head and how it sounds when you say it out loud. Interviewing well is a skill. The more you practice, the better you will do when it counts.
- Be yourself. The best way for you to convey that you are the kind of person that the University of XYZ is looking for is to be yourself. Don’t try to fit a particular mold or give the answers you think the interviewer wants to hear. Give the answers that most accurately reflect your values and who you are as a person. Trust me when I tell you that people who conduct these interviews can tell when you are being authentic and when you are faking it. The best moments for them – and for you – are those moments of genuine connection when you are talking about things that really matter to you.
- Be relaxed, but not casual. It’s normal to be nervous heading into an interview, so you may benefit from learning and practicing some relaxation exercises. Being calm and relaxed will help you to think and speak clearly. But remember that an interview is a formal meeting and the person sitting across from you is evaluating both what you say and how you present yourself. So, it’s important not to be overly casual. Avoid using colloquialisms (e.g. “dude”) or profanity in any context. And be especially careful not to let your guard down with student interviewers. They may look and sound like your peers but they are making judgments about you in the same way a staff member or alumnus does.
- Send a thank you note. Sending a thank you note provides an opportunity to reiterate your interest in the college and highlight particular topics you discussed. And it’s just the polite thing to do.
Above all, try to look at admissions interviews as a learning opportunity. Good luck and have fun.
