Many colleges, especially the private ones, give students the opportunity to have an interview as part of their application process. These interviews can be on campus, in your hometown in person, or via Zoom. The interviewer might be a member of the admissions staff or an alumnus of the college. Most interviews take place after you’ve sent in your application in the fall or winter of senior year, but some colleges offer interviews as part of your college visit, or prior to applying, as early as your junior year.
Most interviews include four general sections, often in this order:
Ice Breaker
These questions are intended to help you feel comfortable and relax into the conversation. “How are you enjoying your college tour?” “What did you do this weekend?” etc. Don’t overthink these!
Tell Me a Little About Yourself
These questions will help the interviewer understand how to help you connect to the college. You might mention an academic area of interest, a sport or musical instrument, things you like to do on the weekends, etc. To prepare for this part of the interview, think of three things you’d like the interviewer to know about you and that you might want to continue doing in college.
Sharing Information About the College
The interviewer will want to tell you some important things about the college, usually including their core values, things you could expect as a student on campus, and experiences students have that they are proud to share with you. This could be everything from small classes and open curriculum to research and internship opportunities. A skilled interviewer will personalize this conversation with ways you might be able to participate in your interests if you were to attend the college. If the interviewer says something that intrigues you, follow up with a comment or question! Again, this interview should feel like a conversation.
Do You Have Any Questions?
Almost every interview ends with this question. The section below might help you think of some specific things you want to know about the college and give the interviewer a chance to share some personal insights. Spend a little time on the college’s website before your interview so that you don’t ask about things you could easily find out via google. Be genuinely curious. Your questions should reflect your interests and also give you some information you truly need to know before you decide to apply or attend a college.
Good Questions to Ask During the Interview:
Students often wonder what questions they should ask their college interviewers. It’s a good instinct to think about this ahead of time. If you’re genuinely interested in the college, it stands to reason you’d have a question or two of your own. And the best questions are those that are genuine, that come from a place of real curiosity, interest, and a recognition of the opportunity before you to speak with someone who went to the very college you’re applying to.
Here are a few question suggestions that could open up some interesting conversations with your interviewer. Don’t jettison genuine questions of your own to replace with these—they’re not inherently better than what genuinely interests you. But if you just can’t come up with any questions of your own, these are good bets.
When you picked this school, was it an easy choice for you?
What a great opportunity to learn about your interviewer’s college process. Maybe this school wasn’t their first choice. Maybe they were wavering between two schools and didn’t know they’d made the right decision until a semester or two into their time there. Maybe they transferred, or chose it because of the financial aid package, or their parents imposed their college choice on them. Your interviewer was once where you are today, a college applicant who didn’t necessarily have all the answers. Take them back to that time and see what you can learn from their experience.
What role did your college play in helping you get where you are today?
It’s always interesting to learn how a successful, engaged person ended up where they are today in life. Invite your interviewer to show you the connection between their time in college and their life today. The answer will give you a real glimpse into the influence colleges do—or do not—play in shaping life after college.
Are you still close with anyone that you met in college? It would be weird to ask your interviewer, “Are you married?” or “Do you have a best friend?” But asking about their connections to people they met in college is a different—and totally appropriate—story. Connections made in college are one of the most common reasons people look back fondly on those years. And there’s nothing wrong with showing an interest in the personal side of their college memories.
Do you think students you speak with are interested in this school for the right reasons?
There is no short list of “right reasons” to choose any school. But your interviewer probably has strong feelings about what makes this college so special, reasons that may not be clear on the website or in the college’s presentations that they make at college fairs. This question invites them to share those thoughts. And it never hurts to get your college interviewer to talk about what they think is important about this school.
If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything differently in college?
This question just hits all the right notes. It shows you’re interested in the interviewer’s perspective. It shows you’re thinking not just about getting into college, but also about making the most of it once you’re there. And it shows you’re not just like every other applicant who waits passively for the interviewer to ask all the questions. Your most important goal in a college interview is to have an interesting conversation with an adult. That means answering and asking questions, talking and listening. When you ask a good question that gets your interviewer talking, especially one about their time in college, sit back, listen attentively, and know that you’re doing your part to accomplish your goal.
