When you fill out your applications, you will encounter this question: do you want to have an interview? The interview is one more chance for you to make an impression on the admissions committee, so you should definitely check the yes box.
Once you’ve submitted the application, you may be contacted for an interview. Highly competitive schools like Stanford are so overwhelmed with applications that they choose only a percentage of candidates to interview. They choose these applicants at random, so if you’re not contacted, it doesn’t mean anything.
If you are contacted, this is what you can expect, and how you should prepare.
Do Your Research
1.“Tell me about yourself”
Quite often this will be the interviewer’s first question. It is deceptively open ended. Surprisingly often applicants will answer this question by talking about their brothers and sisters, their town, or their high school, and then begin to ramble about things they do or like.
Tell the interviewer what your academic passion is, and how you have worked in high school towards mastery of this subject. And then come to a conclusion and stop. Mention only what aligns with your academic passion - if your passion is journalism, talk about how you read the comics in newspapers as a kid, and then became interested in other sections, how you serve as the opinion editor in your paper, how you went to a meaningful summer conference that really made you think about X, and how you recently won an award, and close with how you will continue pursuing journalism at this specific college.
2. “Why do you want to attend this college?”
Here is where you will want to do your research. Hopefully, you already did extensive research on the college when you wrote your “Why this college” supplement, referring not to the campus or the city but to professors, programs, activities, and elements that are unique to this university. Now do even more research - you might be asked for specifics about
Why this major at this college? (professors,study abroad programs, alumni relations, community service organizations, labs and other facilities)
How do you want to get involved outside of the classroom?
Why this college in particular? What most excites you about it?
Prepare. Practice. But don’t rehearse.
Most of us don’t really think about how we speak until we have a mock interview. This is where we discover that we say “um” or “you know” or “like” at least three times in every sentence, and that we repeat ourselves, and that we eventually trail off instead of coming to a point.
Have various adults, and even friends, ask you interview questions until it’s second nature for you to answer pointedly and succinctly, with examples, and without distracting interrupters. This doesn’t mean you should try to memorize and rehearse specific answers. The interview should feel natural, a spontaneous conversation between you and the interviewer, but you should be three times as articulate as you are in real life.
Practice making eye contact. If it’s a remote interview, practice over a remote connection like Zoom, looking into the camera instead of at the interviewer on screen. Find someone who will connect with you over Zoom and practice. Record the interview and review it!
Come to a single point
We covered this in “Tell Me About Yourself,” but it applies to every question - be sure to end each answer by making a point about why you want to go to this college.
Prepare good questions for the interviewer
Often these interviews are presented as informational opportunities for you to learn about the school, so you should come with questions prepared. While you are researching the school, prepare questions to ask your interviewer about it. If you apply to Brown, and learn that the school doesn’t require classes outside of your major, you might ask the interviewer what they think they gained and lost from this “open curriculum.”
It’s well known that you are much more likely to be successful in an interview if you ask the interviewer questions. Turning the tables helps you calm down, and helps you build a relationship with the interviewer. We all like to be invited to talk about ourselves.
The Big Day
Dress nice, but don’t overdress
You needn’t wear a suit or anything fancy, but you should present yourself well - wear a collar, and be sure that anything you wear looks neat and presentable, clean and unwrinkled.
Arrive early
Plan to arrive 20 minutes early. That way, you can be sure you won’t be late. Surprisingly, some applicants worry they’ll somehow look bad if they arrive early. You don’t have to worry about looking too eager: it’s not a date.
The Interviewer
Your interviewer will probably be a volunteer alum who lives in your area and graduated in your intended major. Because the interviewer is an alum, and some interviewers will be much more skilled than others, the interview doesn’t have a huge impact on your admission chances, so relax. In most cases, the interviewer will write a report or fill out a form which will become one more data point in the holistic review of your application.
Bring a portfolio, or at least a resume
This interviewer will not have seen your file, so do not assume that the interviewer knows anything about you. Bring a portfolio with a resume, copy of your transcript, maybe even samples of your work or something you have created. A resume, at the least.
And write a thank you email!
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