Practice so your responses are natural but not too polished. You don't want to sound like you've said the same thing 10 times before, but you do want to make sure you get your point across. Find a friend, a relative, or your college counselor and spend a few minutes making sure you are making the impression you want to make. Spend some time before you go making sure you know what message you want to send. What is important that your interviewer learn about you? And do your research about the school. Try to have a couple of questions that can't be answered by a quick search of the school's website.

Yes it's possible. Current students are great at answering questions like "Would I want to have this applicant as a roommate?" and "Would I want this applicant to be one of the other members of a 5-person class?" That sort of feedback is valuable to admissions officers who may never have attended the instituation they worked or and/or may have graduated from college some years ago. If your interview is being conducted by a student, it's important to remember that it's still an admissions interview. Your job is the same: be polite, be professional, and make sure you tell your story.

Usually it does, yes. But looking at the website for information on how an interview is handled is a wise idea. Some schools don't offer interviews at all. Others only offer informational interviews, which don't actually count in the admissions process. A few schools require them, in which case you bet your bippy they count. Many schools, though, will recommend that you interview if possible. Schools in the latter group recognize that not every student is able to interview. Those who can, though, can make a difference for themselves in the application process. In general, it's a good idea to interview if you're at all able to. A strong interview can help an admissions committee make a decision about a student who's on the cusp of being admitted.

Interviews can be conducted by students, admission officers, or alumni representatives. Regardless of who's conducting your interview, your job is to be professional. Don't assume that because you're talking to a student you have permission to be less formal. Student interviewers are frequently the toughest judges. They're the ones best able to answer the questions like "Would I want to be this applicant's roommate?" and admissions officers value that feedback.

That's an interesting question. I can think of two ways having a theme song can help. First, if your theme song is one you can turn to for strength or inspiration internally, or somehow use as a mnemonic that can't hurt. Second, if you're willing to sing it for your interviewer, you can be pretty sure you'll be remembered.

The most basic tip is Know what you want to say before you enter the interview. What is important for the interviewer to know about you? What are the three most important things s/he should learn? Odds are that opportunities to talk about these will occur naturally over the course of the conversation but if you hear some variation of "Is there anything else you'd like to add?" and you haven't had a chance to cover one of your major points, grab that opportunity before it passes! Another good tip is to practice so your responses are natural but not too polished. You don't want to sound like you've said the same thing 10 times before, but you do want to make sure you get your point across. Find a friend, a relative, or your college counselor and spend a few minutes making sure you are making the impression you want to make.

Interviews can work in a variety of ways. Interviews can be offered by students or adults. They can be evaluative or informational. They can occur on or off campus. Interviews by students will almost always be on campus. They are a great opportunity for applicants to learn more about a school. And they provide a chance for a school to learn whether a current student believes the applicant will fit in well academically and socially. Interviews by adults can be conducted by admissions officers or alumni. Some alums are relatively recent grads, while others may have graduated decades ago. Evaluative interviewers give feedback that generally ends up in the applicant's admissions file. The primary goal of an informational interview is to answer questions the applicant may have (these may feel a little like sales pitches depending on the school and the interviewer).

Some schools require (or recommend - think of that as "require") an interview as part of the admissions process. Other schools offer interviews as a means for the student to learn more about the institution, but do not consider the interview for admissions purposes. And some large schools don't offer interviews at all because of the huge number of applications with which they deal each year. In any case, when you have an interview, you will want to put your best foot forward. - Get a good night's sleep the night before. - Have a good breakfast the morning of the interview. - Brush your teeth and use mouthwash before the interview session. You'll probably be nervous, which could cause a breath problem, but DON'T go into the interview chewing gum! - Practice having a firm handshake and making good eye contact. - Be clean and well groomed. - What to wear can be confusing sometimes. If you're going to interviews in the summer, it's likely to be quite hot, but that doesn't signal "beach attire"! When my son was visiting colleges and having interviews, we saw one young man, also a student visiting for interviews, in a black suit and tie. It was sort of embarrassingly "uptight". During that same series of college visits, we also saw another young man with oily stringy hair wearing a T-shirt that had some kind of death head on the front with snakes coming out of the eyeballs. Too far to the other extreme! Of course, you want to be yourself, not something artificial, but consider presenting your "best" self. That doesn't necessarily mean wearing your Sunday suit, but you would do well to avoid really extreme clothing. You might feel that you are making a "statement", but it could be to your disadvantage. - When speaking, slow down, breathe deeply, and resist the temptation to babble. - Think before you open your mouth to speak. Consider the question carefully before jumping into an answer. - You will probably be asked to talk about yourself, which shouldn't be difficult, but give it some thought ahead of time, so that you're ready to talk about the things which you feel are most important for you to communicate to someone who is interested in knowing more about you. The interview time will be limited, so you'll definitely want to address the most important things first. - Review your information about the school at which you will be interviewed. You may very likely be asked why you would like to come to that school, and you will make the best impression if you can speak about your interest in specific courses and programs offered. teaching methods which you find attractive, extracurricular activities with which you would like to become involved, and so on. I hope these tips help. If you're well prepared, you should be able to . . . relax and enjoy the experience!

Just as there are a lot of things that could be good to say in an interview, there are probably just as many that should never be said. On the top of my list would be: "I really want to go to another school (School X), but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get in or not, so I'm just putting your school (School Y) on my list as a safety."

This should be one of the easiest questions! You don't have to study for it! Try to enjoy your interviews. It's all about you. Relax, and enjoy being the center of attention! In answer to the question, "Tell me about yourself", be perfectly open and honest. Talk about what is important to you - your interests, your relationships, your extracurricular activities, your hobbies, accomplishments of which you're proud, what you're interested in studying, why you think school X will be a great place for you to study, your family, your pets, how much you love your dog, an outstanding experience you've had... The list goes on! Let your enthusiasm come through. There's no right or wrong answer! (Although, I personally think that saying, "Well, I just stay in the house all the time watching TV" would not be a very impressive answer. In fact, if that's the case, you might want to work on that a bit.

First -- relax. Take a deep breath, and try to be the best version of yourself. Don't try to be someone that you're not or try to be someone you think will impress your interviewer. Just be yourself. Second -- get to the interview five minutes early and bring a book. If you are on time, you are late. Third -- show respect for the school and interviewer's time by researching the school and asking thoughtful questions. Be sure to ask the interviewer (especially if he or she is an alum) about his or her experiences at the school!

For schools where the interview is optional, the applicants need to contact the admissions office to request and schedule an interview. For schools where the interview is mandatory, the admissions office will contact the student to set up a time and place.

In some schools where the interview takes place on-campus, you might be interviewed by a current student who is working at the admissions office. This is a great opportunity for you to find out more information about the school so try to view this as a positive rather than a negative.

It all comes down to common sense. Use your good judgment when it comes to the words that you choose. But in case your common sense eludes you during times of stress, try to keep these things in mind. Don't bad-mouth other high schools or colleges. Don't bad-mouth other applicants. Don't tell your interviewer that they represent your "safety school." Don't lie about your accomplishments.