My first college interview is tomorrow...

[renegade7]

advice? What should I bring (the site said nothing about a resume, printed transcripts, etc. and they already have everything submitted online) and how should I dress? Because I have friends who said that they went to theirs in nice semi-casual clothes (polo shirts and khakis) and friends who went in suits and ties. Lastly what sort of questions might I be asked?


Nerves =/

 

[JesterRaiin]

advice? What should I bring (the site said nothing about a resume, printed transcripts, etc. and they already have everything submitted online) and how should I dress? Because I have friends who said that they went to theirs in nice semi-casual clothes (polo shirts and khakis) and friends who went in suits and ties. Lastly what sort of questions might I be asked?

Nerves =/

Chill.
The most important thing is to be as much confident and relaxed as possible.
Not overly, but enough to maintain normal dialogue.

So, dress something that'll make you feel safe - nothing really fancy or overly dramatic unless it's your style. Resign from "in you face" clothes. No "fight da system" t-shirts, no eeee, Kefija, no golden chains or other strange jewelery.

As for questions, usually at least some concerns the person in question - you.
- Describe yourself in 3 or more/less words/sentences.
- What's your biggest achievement/disappointment/weakest point ?
- Your hobbies and interest.
- Who do you hope to be ten years from now ?
- Do you have some idol (one of Founding Fathers is always relevant but you have to know at least some facts about them) ?
- What do you know about this college/its patron ?
- What do you think about current world situation ?

Remember : you don't have to know all answers. Just don't say "i don't know", or "yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy".
When faced with the question you don't know what to say, think for a moment or pretend to think and say "i'm not exactly sure right now, however it shouldn't be that hard to find out and if it's really important i can do it" or something.

Remember : you don't have to answer every question. Nobody has the right to ask you about your religion, sexual preferences or such. You can always say that you're not feeling comfortable discussing such things with strangers. Some questions (like "what do you think - who will be the next president") can be answered with vague statements "it's hard to say, for now i'm observing all of them and haven't made my mind".

Nobody expects you to know everything about everything so to say. Your reactions will be as important as your answer. So, try to be relaxed and trust your wits.

Good luck !

 

[Angie7F]

First of all, if you are the kind of person that panics if you are the only one dressed casually, then wear a suit.
You cAn never be over dressed.
I had a school uniform so I just wore that...

For the interview itself, just be who you are.
Faking it is bad because it you are not sowing who you really are, and they will have zero info to base their evaluation on.

Also try to prepare for at least what your weaknesses are, strengths, accomplishments, why you want to g to that school, what you want to do after graduating.
Try to incorporate the following when generating an answer
- the past: this is the reason and back ground
- the present: this is what you aree thing now
-the future: this is to show how you will take it a step further.

 

[Archangel768]

Nothing to contribute as I don't even know why you would be 'interviewed for a college'. Is it some kind of special one with limited spots available or what? Really, I have no idea...

 

[GirDraconis]

They just want to put a face and voice to your credentials. You may look good on paper but they want to make sure you don't seem like a complete moron in person. Honestly, go in looking business casual. Maybe some nice pants and a button-up t-shirt. Maybe some nice shoes as well.

 

[gazumped]

Usually what they want to know is are you right for the course... and is the course right for you?

Think about some main points they might ask about your experience with your subject(s). For example, if you're doing literature you might want to have some interesting things to say about why you like your favourite books or authors.
Make sure you have an idea of what's different about the course or college, which I assume you do as you picked it for a reason. These are things you can say when asked why you want to be there, and it will also give you an idea of things you might want to find out before you start. (Don't be afraid to ask intelligent questions about the course, so long as they're not obvious things that you should have already learned from the website or open day.)

As for things to bring, if you think it might be of use and it won't be too much of a pain then bring it. They won't hold it against you if you haven't brought something that wasn't asked for, but if they happen to express an interest in taking a look at your resume and you have one with you, it shows that you're keen and prepared.

 

[renegade7]

Nothing to contribute as I don't even know why you would be 'interviewed for a college'. Is it some kind of special one with limited spots available or what? Really, I have no idea...

Most colleges (at least in the US) recommend an interview with a prospective student to, as some have said, "Put a face to the credentials." A student with good grades on paper could turn out to be a complete moron in person, whereas someone who might not have great grades could turn out to have a huge potential at a certain school.

 

[JesterRaiin]

(...) certain school.

And... ?
How was it ?
Share your experience man.

 

[Angie7F]

(...) certain school.

And... ?
How was it ?
Share your experience man.

I have an example for you.
There are universities in Japan that require all students to be able to study and communicate in English.
You can have the best grades, but if they interview you and feel that your English is not strong enough to a point you will totally struggle on a day to day basis, they may favour someone that has a slightly lower grade but has excellent English.
Skills like that are hard to prove by test scores because you can study and prepare for tests, but in actual conversational situations, you cant bluff it.

 

[JesterRaiin]

I have an example for you.

Arigato gozaimashita !

I'm a big fan of "raw skill and improvisation over sophisticated test"

 

[renegade7]

(...) certain school.

And... ?
How was it ?
Share your experience man.

Went pretty well. He saw my high ACT score (33 ftw) and I explained that my grades were low because I struggled with ADHD/Depression in 10th and 11th grade...basically he said that since my test score and essay were good all I need for a good chance of admission is a couple good recommendation letters.

 

[Legiondude]

"Passion"

I was informed by one of my college professors in the Fall semester that college professors loathe it, because it's overused to the point of uselessness

Granted this was months after I was interviewed for an 80k full ride scholarship and didn't cut it, but yeah, avoid that word like a plague while speaking

 

[Launcelot111]

I applied to one school that wanted an interview with me, and that one school was the only school that flat out rejected me, so learn from my mistakes

Look nice, get a good night's sleep, BE THERE ON TIME or if you have their number and are running late for a valid excuse call them and let them know you're late as soon as you can.

As for things to bring, I didn't need any documentation on myself, and if they don't ask anything from you, I wouldn't bring it. Maybe a pen and paper if you have questions for the interviewer so you can write down the answers if the interviewer recommends anything to you.

Make as great an effort as possible to be friendly and alert and interested in the conversation. If you get asked a question, don't just answer in two words, elaborate. If you did something very cool in high school, go in depth about that when it comes up. Be honest about what you're interested in, because that will be easier to elaborate on. Try to have some questions ready for the interviewer because that will show interest and forethought and preparedness. You could ask "what was your favorite part of College X?" or "What new things have they done since you graduated?" and "What did College X do to inspire you to stay involved as an alumni?" Try to ask something that the website doesn't answer.

18 year old me hated interviews with a passion and the college interview was his second one ever, so if you can get someone to ask you some random questions about your interests, then practicing your answers a little big can help you avoid sitting there thinking in the interview.

My interviewer was very friendly, I don't know if that's par for the course or not, but with a little practice and confidence, you should be fine regardless

 

[Angie7F]

"Passion"

I was informed by one of my college professors in the Fall semester that college professors loathe it, because it's overused to the point of uselessness

Granted this was months after I was interviewed for an 80k full ride scholarship and didn't cut it, but yeah, avoid that word like a plague while speaking

Argh, "Passion".
That was the it word about half a decade ago wasnt it?

Now that i am on the interviewing side, i know I would avoid people who try to get away with the "P" word...

Interesting article I read.
Sometimes you think you did well in an interview, and you dont make the cut.
Other times you think there is no way you passed and you get surprised later that they did in fact choose you.
Apparently, sometimes interviewers will grill you more and make you feel bad about the interview because they are interested in you and will ask questions that make you sweat.
This is why you get the impression that they hated you.

On the other hand, when they are not interested in you at all at the time of the interview, they just ask easy textbook questions and try to leave a good impression with you so that you wont hate them and bad mouth them even after they reject you.

So, dont feel discouraged when they grill you in interviews.
Always keep in mind that when you are being grilled, that is the moment where you can really outshine your competitors