Do you imagine the college entrance interview to be something like an interrogation of a suspected terrorist: lights shining in your face, people playing good cop/bad cop? For an unprepared student this might be true, but by knowing what to expect and how to respond, your interview can be a breeze. Here are some generalized questions that will likely come up in an interview situation, and the best and worst ways you can respond.
Q: What made you pick our school? Good: Show your knowledge. Show the interviewer that you know how many graduates are placed in a job in their field of study, for example. Bad: Stay away from any comments that suggest you were pushed into this situation, even if you were. Emphasize what YOU know, not what others have told you.
Q: What will you add to this campus? Good: This is the area to sell yourself. Do you do something unique? Get information beforehand on clubs and organizations and pick one to talk about. Even if you aren’t convinced you want to join the club, convince them you will. Bad: The worst answer to this question is: "I think I'm a lot like everyone here, so I would blend in well and not cause any problems."
Q: "What kind of tree would you be and why," and other random questions These kinds of questions are asked for two reasons: either you are being unresponsive and the interviewer hopes to get something real out of you or you seem really fun and they're genuinely fascinated in your personality. It will be easy to tell. This tests your openness to random acts of weirdness. Go with it, and don't be shy! There are no wrong answers to these questions, unless you stare blankly or giggle a lot.
Other questions you could be asked: What was the best and worst thing about high school? Which of the classes did you enjoy most or worst? What sort of college environment are you looking for? If your roommate had to know one thing about you in order to be on your good side, what would it be? What’s your biggest fear about going to college?
Part II: What they can tell just by looking at you So, you have the question-and-answer thing down. You're all set, right? Wrong! If you are giving all the right answers but sending out the wrong signals, you're just as likely to be given a bad review as if you had just finished telling them that not all the arrests were your fault. Think about these signals before approaching your interview: CLOTHING The saying "the clothes make the man" is not just a cliché. Superficial or not, what you wear can say a lot about you. Are you dressing to impress or are you wearing the same clothes you wore to a baseball game the night before? You may want to reflect your individuality and that’s fine, but be aware that some interviewers look for your ability to dress for the task at hand. It’s just as important in college as it is in a business situation.
EYE CONTACT This seems self-explanatory, but many people are not aware of how this affects the interviewer’s overall impression. If you look away when you are answering a question, the interviewer can think you are not telling the truth. This is especially important in the question about why you want to go to their school. To seem passionate, you have to look someone in the eyes.
PAUSE When asked a question, take about three seconds to consider your answer, even if you know it right away. Show that you give thought to something before it comes out of your mouth. Any longer than five seconds, however, conveys confusion or lack of confidence. "LIKE...” A professor at Boston University gave this name to the distinct habit of using “like” in the middle of a sentence. The same goes for "ummms" and "you knows." These are extremely distracting to the interviewer. Once or twice is understandable, but if you have a nervous habit of introducing these words into your everyday speech, practice your answers until you're confident enough to recite them in your sleep. Listen and comment If the interviewer tells you something about himself, such as his major, comment when appropriate. One girl got five stars when I told her I was a magazine journalism major and she asked me what magazine I wanted to work for. This is mostly appropriate in the beginning of an interview, and later, when you get to ask questions.
Part III: You’re asking for it Always go to a school prepared with a list of questions and a pen. Even if the questions are answered in the interview, or if you mostly know the answer, keep your notebook out. It shows that you've done your homework, that you want to learn more and that you really are interested in the school. Question-and-answer time is a very important time that many prospective freshmen ignore.
There are three types of responses to the question, "do you have any questions?" There’s the person who shrugs and says "nope, none I can think of," suggesting they are not particularly interested in your answers or not prepared to ask anything. The person who says they have no questions, but emphasizes that it's because they were answered in a tour, brochure or by the interviewer’s comments. Then, there's everyone's favorite, the person who has a list of questions. Good topics to ask about are dorm life, campus safety, class size, availability of help (if it's a student, ask her to name specific incidences in which a professor was helpful or not).
The best questions prospective students have asked me were: "Was there anything that you were not prepared for when you came here?" and "What's the best thing about going to this school and what's the worst?" These open-ended questions not only encourage dialogue, but show that you are looking at the big picture as well as the numbers. The people who asked these questions got rave reviews. Armed with this behind-the-scenes report and your already great personality, you’re ready to tackle the interview. Good luck!
