You Scored an Interview. Now What?

By Greg Foster

"Be so good they can’t ignore you." — Steve Martin

College interviews typically play a minor role in admissions decisions, especially when they aren't required. Think of the interview as a valuable supplement to your application—a chance to provide additional insights that can sway admission officers when they’re on the fence about your candidacy.

Topic 1: Personal Background

Tell me about yourself.

They want to know if you have a strong awareness of self. Those who do will approach this question with a high level of confidence.

What to do: Talk about your hobbies and interests; talk about the issues that resonate strongest with you; talk about what inspires you; talk about what your friends, teachers, parents admire most about you; discuss what makes you, well, you. Don’t be surprised if the interviewer uses your response to explore some other areas of you in more detail. So, this will be your opportunity to control the questions coming your way.

What are your strengths?

They want to know more about your personality traits. Your ability to identify strengths (and weaknesses) indicates you are highly aware of self.

What to do: Give them an honest assessment of your strengths. Whatever you say, back it up with thoughtful and concrete examples. This should feel like a mini-story where you are sharing how and when you began to identify your strengths. Avoid the cliché “my mom has always told me I was [insert strength of choice]”.

Whom do you admire the most?

They are checking your value system.

What to do: Whomever you choose, be prepared to give 2 to 3 solid, detailed reasons why you admire this person along with a very brief example of each reason

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Topic 2: Interests

What books/authors are you reading?

The most selective colleges take this question very seriously. They are probing your interests/curiosities and they want to understand how well read you are.

What to do: Speak to the types of books you are reading/have read, e.g., poetry. You could say, “I’m generally a fan of Greek literature, but I’m in a poetry phase right now and devouring whatever I come across. I’ve grown fond of poems by [poet] because of his/her [insert reason].” Articulate why the book is worth reading, e.g., “The New Jim Crow discussion on mass incarceration as the new racism resonates with me because…”. Be warned: “Pop culture” books or books considered required high school reading will be seen as frivolous by the admissions team.

Name a class you have taken that has changed the way you think.

They want to know if your mind is open to learning and exploring.

What to do: They are not necessarily looking for someone that will frequently change their mind/thinking. Just be open to it. If there is a class that has forever changed your thinking, then talk about it in a way that excites them as much as it excites you.

What do you do for fun?

Exploring your general interests/hobbies.

What to do: “Binge watching 10 seasons of Friends episodes” is not the response. The admissions team wants students who will do productive and interesting things even when they aren't studying. Use this question to show that you are well-rounded with a variety of interests. For example, “I love the game of soccer and how it brings people together. To share this love, I officiate soccer games on weekends for special needs students.”

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TOPIC 3: FIT

Why are you interested in this college?

They want to gauge whether you’ve done your research and see real value in their college helping you to achieve your life goals. They want to know that you’ve done more than the superficial review of marketing material and feel connected to one or many aspects of the school. After all, if you want to be a citizen in their community, there has to be something that connects you.

What to do: Research the school and figure out why you love it / want it, then talk about that. It could be an academic department, the community, a group of professor, or anything that you connected with.

What would you change about your high school?

They want to understand what matters to you. This will give insight into the type of things that will drive your passion at their school.

What to do: Try to link your response to one of your interests but make sure your response focuses on actions/solution that benefits other students as well.

What will you bring to our campus?

This is an opportunity for you to be specific in explaining what is uniquely you and how you will diversify the college community.

What to do: Before they interview, come up with a couple of adjectives that describe you, then explain why those adjectives best describe you. Then articulate how those adjectives will manifest themselves in college. Resist the temptation to using the adjectives everyone uses. So, give it serious thought.

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Topic 4: GOALS

What will you do after graduation from college?

They are probing whether you are a goal oriented person.

What to do: You don’t need to have your future mapped but you should have a sense of the things that interest you. It could be anything from starting a business to bicycling across the US. Resist the cliché trap, e.g., “to do something that contributes positively to society”.

Other considerations.

There are hundreds of questions you could receive during your interview. If you focus on your responses to questions in this guide, you’ll be able to leverage your responses for other questions. Occasionally, you will be asked an out-of-the-box question that doesn’t fit the traditional interview framework. That’s ok. They just want to observe your thought process. In those cases, pause then assess what they are really asking you, then jump in. Remember that you know you better than anyone else, which means you are in control. Be cool, be real, be authentic, and follow-up with a thank you note.