Five Tips On Bringing Your Best Self to College Admissions Interviews
By Kalen Cobb, Associate College Counselor
Congratulations on being offered an opportunity to interview with a college! Some schools extend interviews to all applicants, others only offer it to students who they are keen about, and others don’t offer any interviews at all. However you made it to this point, let’s figure out how to make sure you bring your best self to interview day.
1. Get your mind right
Before you even begin preparing for the interview, it’s important you feel comfortable and are in a good space to be able to shine. While everyone is different, it can be helpful to incorporate daily mindfulness activities into your schedule to practice being more present, alert, and at peace. My favorite app that I use to practice these skills is Headspace. They offer meditations, sleep sounds, and mindfulness workouts through their subscription-based app and also share free content on their YouTube. Some exercises that might be helpful in this process are the Unwind Mini Meditation or this longer Reset meditation. They even have cute graphics to go along with the exercises! If that’s not your style, create a playlist with your favorite songs that you know will put you in a good mood.
2. Do your research
Ok, so you’ve taken the time to make sure your mind is ready for the task ahead. Now what? Put your detective hat on and get to researching. Assuming that you’ve already done some level of research before you submitted your applications, this search will be tailored to help you come up with questions for your interviewer and make sure you have a solid grasp on the school and its offerings. Here are some things you definitely need to know:
School name (You’d be surprised how many people forget which school they’re interviewing with!)
Intended major / general areas of interest. Even if you are undecided, you should know why you believe this school will support you in declaring your major.
Why is this college a good fit for you?
How will you contribute to the college (culture, academics, sports, etc.)? What extracurricular activities or personal achievements are you hoping to continue?
Current events
Trends or recent changes happening at the school
Come with questions! Particularly questions that cannot be easily answered by doing a quick search of the website. Your interviewer might not know the specifics of the microbiology program you’re interested in, but they probably will have good insight into campus culture, where to get the best slice of pizza at 3am, how competitive the students are, general questions about academics, etc.
3. Do your me-search*
Bring your application to life and take the time to figure out what you want to express about yourself:
What excites you about being a potential student at this college?
What interests do you have outside of the classroom?
How would you be as a roommate or classmate? How do you work with others?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
What are your values?
What’s an example of an obstacle you’ve recently overcome?
4. Practice, practice, practice
Interviewing, like any sport, is an acquired skill. To get better at it, you need to practice diligently. First, I recommend writing down or recording your responses to get the ideas out of your head and into the world. Sometimes what sounds amazing when we’re saying it to ourselves needs just a little fine tuning to be great. Second, practice sharing your responses with a trusted adult (family member, college counselor, mentor, etc.) or peer. Take turns asking questions so you can get a feel for both sides of the interview and to see what it’s like to actively listen to someone else.
5. Finish strong
So you have questions you want to ask and practiced what you want to say, now it’s time to meet your interviewer.
Breathe. Remember those mindfulness exercises we talked about earlier? Listen to one or two the day of your interview to get your mind calm. You can also listen to your favorite song or stand in a power pose to get that confidence flowing.
Dress for the part. First and foremost, you want to be comfortable and presentable. It’s not just about putting on a suit, skirt, or dress, it’s also about feeling good in what you’re wearing. While you should not wear jeans or sweatpants, you should wear something that is clean, fits well, at least business casual (shirt and slacks, dress or skirt), and allows you to move naturally.
Trust your gut. At the end of the day, a college admissions interview is a conversation. It’s a chance for the admissions committee to get to know you beyond your application and an opportunity for you to make sure the school is a good fit for you. You’ve done the pre-work, answer the questions naturally and be yourself.
Send a thank you note after your interview. Just as you’ve prepared for the interview, so too has your admissions interviewer. To show your appreciation for their time, send them a thank you note, including 1-2 highlights of your conversation. Thank you notes are like the dessert of the application process.
Again, congratulations on being offered an interview! Applying to college can be daunting so it’s important to celebrate the small achievements along the way. If you found these tips helpful and would like personalized support in your college application process, check out our services or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!
*One of my favorite professors in my masters program, Dr. Laura Yakas, coined the term “me-search” to explain a similar concept of conducting research that is personally meaningful or important.