College and University Blog

The college interview can be extremely stressful for students. Often it is the first real interview high school students have experienced. Fortunately, admissions committees realize that high school students have little interviewing experience and the process is usually straightforward. The interview probably isn’t going to make or break your application, but you still want to interview well.

Very few colleges use interviews to weed out applicants. A great interview could enhance your application, but it won’t make up for a weak academic record or poor test scores. Just taking the time to visit the college and talk to an admission officer makes a positive impression, because it shows that you’re really interested in the college.

College interviews generally fall into one of the following three categories:

• On-campus evaluative interviews. A representative of the college will interview you on-campus—typically in the admissions office. While you’ll be given a chance to ask questions, the main purpose of the interview will be for the interviewer to form an impression of you and make notes for the admissions committee. This is sort of like a job interview

• On-campus informational interviews. Informational interviews add a personal touch to the admissions process and are meant to answer any questions the applicant might have. Informational interviews could be with an admissions officer or other representative of the school. Keep in mind that notes may be taken and included in your file.

• Alumni interviews. Sometimes you’ll meet with an alumnus of the college near your hometown. Colleges do these interviews because it allows all students to have college interviews, regardless of whether they’re able to travel to the school. It also gives applicants a chance to ask questions. Be prepared for any type of question. Since you’re not meeting with a professional admissions worker, you’ll probably be evaluated (and you are being evaluated) on how your poise, passion, and ability to engage the interviewer in interesting conversation.

There are a few things to keep in mind about the interview regardless of which type you participate in:

This is a conversation, not a quiz. Interviewers are looking at the persona side of the student and are trying to determine if you would

Posted on 27 Jan