How can a student prepare themselves best for a college interview?
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. 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 might do well to avoid really extreme clothing. You might feel that you are making a “statement”, but it could be to your disadvantage.
– 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.
– 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.
I hope these tips help. If you’re well prepared, you should be able to . . . Relax and enjoy the experience!