Top Tips for Acing Your College Admission Interview Questions

Most colleges conduct interviews with applicants as part of the application process. These college interview questions can be on campus, with a college representative in your hometown, or even online (as is becoming very common these days).

Regardless of where or how the interview is held, the admissions officer assigned to your application will factor in the interview when evaluating and deciding on your application.

While the interview is only part of the admissions process and won’t single-handedly make or break your application, it is important to treat it as seriously as possible.

Here are the top 7 tips from the CollegEnroll team on how you can put your best foot forward during the admissions interview:

Regardless of which college you apply to, there are a few college interview questions that will always be thrown at you. The questions usually fit into one of three categories:

• Why are you interested in this specific college
• Why are you pursuing a particular subject/major
• What do you do outside of study/classroom time

Make a list of varying responses for each type of question, and pick out the ones that you think will work best for the specific college you are interviewing.

Colleges conduct interviews not only to judge a student overall but also how keen they are to attend their college. If a specific college is your third or fourth choice, it’ll show during the interview process.

To avoid giving off that impression, do some in-depth research about the college. Sprinkle in facts you’ve learned into your interview answers and your eagerness to attend will shine through.

Like many things in life, practice makes perfect when it comes to college interviews as well. Provide a friend or family member with a set of questions that you think are very likely to come up, and have them conduct a mock interview with you.

There will be some questions that will leave you either fumbling for words or on a mini-rant – catch these early during the practice sessions before the big day.

The fact that the college admission process goes beyond just grades should make it obvious that colleges are interested in who you are as a person overall, and not just as a student.

Don’t restrict who you are or your personality during the interview – talk about your passions and act natural. A stiff demeanor will only make you feel anxious and bury the best aspects of who you are.

Don’t feel that you should be rushing through your answers in order to get through as many interview questions as possible – it is an interview, not a test. If you feel like elaborating on an answer, go right ahead.

The onus of managing time is more on the interviewer and they’re usually more than happy to listen to what you have to say.

The interview is one of the best opportunities for you to better know your prospective future college. Most interviewers will always offer the opportunity to answer any questions you may have for them – the questions you ask will also reflect how seriously you are taking the admission process.

Does the college help with job placements upon graduation? What kind of networking opportunities are available? Can students apply for scholarships or financial aid once classes have begun? These are just some of the types of questions you should be asking.

You’ll probably be feeling very thankful for getting the opportunity to be interviewed by the college you’d like to attend. Why not let them know about it? Toward the end of the interview, let the interviewer(s) know how grateful you are for the opportunity. If you have either email ID, also consider sending them a short note expressing thanks.

Often the college rep interviewing you is also trying to impress you so that you pick their college to attend. Use the admissions interview to enter into a good, meaningful conversation, and everything you have done to prep for the interview will pay off.

• Don’t be nervous; just act your normal self – this is the opportunity to put your best foot forward.
• Do your research about the college and the questions you’d like to ask, so there are no surprises during the interview.
• All colleges tend to ask the same questions – try to “personalize” the responses so that they reflect the thought you have put into while applying to the college.