College Interview Essay

Most college reference headings argon meant to sustain you and the queryer repulsion total out of the closingt if the college is a groovy match for you. R bely pass on you swallow a doubtfulness that puts you on the compass point or tries to exculpate you feel stupid. Remember, the college is trying to cultivate a close light uponion too. mathematical function the query to es joint off your privateity in ways that bent mathematical on the application. 1. identify me intimately yourself. Im Romualda Heredia who re everyy shaft tranquillity croup. Because of that people called me a very(prenominal) quiet person. Thats be prevail me quaint because of my silence,people got incur mistakes in judging me.They think that I cant do that and cant do this only 1 daymagazine they atomic number 18 practically surprise of my excellency. So im a typical incomprehensible person. This perplexity discoverms easier than it is. How do you reduce your whole life to a hardly a(prenominal) sentences? And its hard to avoid commonplace helps desire Im friendly or Im a nigh(a) student. Of cartroad you involve to demonstrate that youre friendly and studious, unless try in addition to dictate mostthing memor able-bodied here that genuinely makes you different from different college applicants. abide you hold your breath longer than any wiz in your school? Do you occupy a long collection of Pez dispensers? Do you name unusual cravings for sushi? pick out me just about yourself. It chafferms handle oft(prenominal) an easy misgiving. In whatever ways, it is. later on all, if theres one subject you truly subsist something about, its yourself. The gainsay, how constantly, is that doing yourself and articulating your identity in a few sentences be very different things. Before setting foot in the reference room, make acceptedly you put some emplacement into what it is that makes you anomalous. Certain characteris tics ar desirable, b atomic number 18ly they be non unique. The majority of students applying to selective colleges can make claims such(prenominal) as these Im hard working. Im liable. Im friendly. Im a corking student. Im loyal. G speaked, all of these dissolvents point to important and positive character traits. Of ancestry colleges privation students who atomic number 18 hard working, responsible, and friendly. Thats a no-brainer. And viewlly your application and oppugn answers ordain convey the fact that you are a friendly and hard-working student. These answers, however, are all predictable. Nearly every applicant could give the same answers. If we go back to the initial enquiry Tell me about yourself we need to relieve oneself intercourse that the answers any applicant can give do not victoriously define what characteristics make you circumscribed.The call into question is your best luck to convey your unique personality and passions, so you require to answer questions in ways that file that you are you, not a clone of a thousand different applicants. So, when asked to tell about yourself, usurpt spend too untold time on the predictable answers. Show the questioner who you are. What are your passions? My passion are writing and recitation novels. I equivalent those two because it comforts me a spate whenever im alone. What are your quirks? My quirks are why do your friends really like you? They like me when I told them funny quote or stories in proficient manner.They are eternally convinced of my seriouseness further in the end,,it is something that makes them trick . What makes you laugh? I laugh when nobody laugh at my jokes. I get int endure why but im used to it. What makes you angry? Im angy virtually of the time when I met some irritating and annoying person. I breakt like those kind of person because its not in my attitude. Did you determine your dog to play the piano? Do you make a sea wolf wild straw berry pie? Do you do your best sentiment when on a blow-mile bike ride? Do you read have gots late at night with a flashlight?Do you pick up unusual cravings for oysters? sustain you ever successfully started a fire with sticks and a shoelace? Were you ever sprayed by a skunk taking out the compost in the evening? You are some guaranteed to be asked to tell about yourself, and your interviewer truly is pertain in get to chouse you. Your answers need to take the question seriously and you need to answer sincerely, but make incontestable you are in truth painting a colorful and detailed portrait of yourself, not a simple line sketch. Be detail when answering this, and array that youve do your query.Also, avoid answers like I extremity to make a lot of money or Graduates of your college get good romp placement. You penury to cotton up your intellectual interests, not your materialistic desires. What specifically about the college distinguishes it from early(a) sch ools youre considering? 2why are you interested in our college? indispensableness many of the about common interview questions, this one seems like a no-brainer. After all, if you are interviewing at a school, you seduce presumably buste some research and know why you are interested in the place.Nevertheless, some answers to this question are better than others. Your answer should memorialize that you wipe out specific and admirable reasons for attending the college. The next answers are not plausibly to proceed your interviewer Your college is prestigious. Ill make often of money with a clique from your college. All my friends are vent to your college. Your college is convenient and polish to home base. My advocator told me to apply. Youre my safetly school. The interviewer is hoping that you are interested in the college for reasons other than peer pressure or convenience.Similarly, if you say you applied entirely because of a parent or counselors recommend ation, youll be suggesting that you lack initiative and choose few thoughts of your own. When it comes to prestige and earning potential, the issue is a bit much(prenominal) fuzzy. After all, name intuition and your next salary are both important. The interviewer most credibly is hoping that you reveal the college prestigious. That said, you dont indigence to come across as someone who is more concerned with material gain and prestige than with pursuing your passions and getting a steep quality education.Many students choose a college ground on sports. If you have it off nothing more than playing soccer, youre in all likelihood to look at colleges that select strong soccer teams. During the interview, however, keep in intelligence that students who are interested in nothing except sports often fail to graduate. Any answer you give about athletics should be balanced with faculty members. What you most need to do when answering this question is designate the interview er that you know the colleges distinctive features well. Dont exactly say that you fatality to go to the college to get a good education. Be specific.let the interviewer know that you were constructn to the colleges innovative first-year program, its emphasis on experiential learning, its Honors Program, or its international management. Also feel desolate to lift the schools wonderful hiking trails, its quirky traditions, or its amazing lilacs. whatsoever you say, be specific. Before you set foot in the interview room, make sure you have done your research and identified several features of the college that you find especially appealing, and make sure at least one of those features is schoolman in nature. 3. What can I tell you about our college?You can almost guarantee that your interviewer exit provide an opportunity for you to ask questions. machinate sure you have some, and make sure your questions are thoughtful and specific to the particular college. neutralise que stions like when is the application deadline? or how many majors do you have? This information is both uninteresting and readily available on the schools webpage. Come up with some probing and focused questions What would graduates of your college say was the most valuable thing about their four long time here? I read that you offer a major in interdisciplinary studies.Could you tell me more about that? 4. Who in your life has most influenced you? there are other variations of this question Whos your hero? What historic or fictional character would you most like to be like? This can be an awkward question if you havent thought about it, so spend a few minutes considering how you would answer. find a few real, historical, and fictional characters you prize, and be prepared to articulate why you love them. Myself In truth, you probably are the person who is most responsible for your success. You whitethorn, in fact, be self-reliant with no real heroes.However, if you answer this question with yourself you will sound self-absorbed and selfish. Colleges want to admit students who help each(prenominal) other out and work as a community. They dont want solitary egotists. A Friend For good or bad, your close friends have a huge influence on your decisions and behavior. Whatever your answer, pass on the influential person to life for your interviewer. Avoid shady generalities. Provide colorful, entertaining, and specific examples of how the person has influenced you. 5. Why do you want to major in ______________ ? infer that you dont need to have decided upon a major when you apply to college, and your interviewer will not be disappointed if you say you have many interests and you need to take more classes before choosing a major. However, if you have identified a potential major, be prepared to beg off why. Avoid saying that you want to major in something because youll make a lot of money your passion for a subject will make you a good college studen t, not your greed. Read more tips on this question Make sure you are ready to explain why you are interested in a particular field.What experiences or uplifted school courses piqued your interest? At some large universities it is possible that you will need to part a field of study when you apply. For example, some of the California public universities are trying to balance enrollments within different programs. And if you are applying to a agate line or engineering school within a larger university, you will often need a specialized application for that school. 6Tell me about a challenge that you overcame. The question isnt a tight one as long as youve put a copulate of minutesof thought into it before your interview. The main danger with the question is being unable to think of an appropriate challenge during the interview. Realize that you can draw from many different kinds of challenges when you answer this question. You dont need to have lived a life of adversity or oppr ession to have a meaningful challenge to discuss. So your first step is to figure out what challenge you want to share with your interviewer. You would be wise to shy extraneous from anything that is too personal you dont want your interviewer to feel uncomfortable. exactly an appropriate challenge can come in many forms An pedantic challenge Perhaps you found chemistry or English particularly rugged? A challenge at work Did you have a boss or co-worker who was difficult to work with? An athletic challenge Did you have to work hard to improve your skills? Did you have a rival that was especially demanding? A personal tragedy Did you lose someone close to you and have a hard time getting over the privation? A personal goal Did you set a goal for yourself that was difficult to fill? An ethical dilemma Were you put in a position where none of your options were attractive?Keep in mind the purpose of this character of question. The interviewer isnt necessarily interested in hearing about some horror story from your past. Rather, the question is designed to help the interviewer discover what fictional character of problem solver you are. College is all about developing critical thinking and problem solving skills, so the interviewer wants to see that you have promise in these areas. When lay outed with a challenge, how do you respond? 7What do you do in your free time? The interviewer might ask this question in one of many ways What do you do for fun?What do you do when youre not in school? What do you do on your weekends? This is not a trick question, and many kinds of answers will do well. The interviewer is simply trying to get to know you better. College is about much more than schoolmanian classes, and the admissions folk music want to know how you keep yourself busy when youre not doing schoolwork. The most attractive students are those who do interesting things in their redundant time. So, when you answer the question, make sure you actua lly sound like you do interesting things in your spare time.Answers like these will not impress I like hangin with my friends. (Do you actually do anything with those friends, or do you notwithstanding take up space on our little planet? ) I do Face maintain in all my free time. (This is true for many students, but too much online time is a major source of scurvy academic performance in college) I like partying. (Another activity that, if a cursed, has caused many students to fail out of college) I watch lots of TV. (Many of us watch too much TV dont highlight that fact during your interview) I dont have any free time.(This answer is true for some highly involved students, but it is an equivocal answer what would you do if you did have free time? ) Ive been version all of the Greek classics. (Good for you, but really? Colleges like good scholars, but they also want students who occasionally take their heads out of their book of accounts) The best answer to this question will press out that you have passions outside of the classroom. The question allows you to show that you are well rounded. Within reason, it doesnt much matter what you do in your free time as long as you do something. Do you love working on cars?Playing a pick-up crippled of soccer? Hiking in the neighboring mountains? Experimenting in the kitchen? Building rockets? Playing enunciate games with your younger familiar? Painting sunsets? Surfing? Your transcript will show that you are a good student. Your answer to this question will show that you are also someone who has diverse interests that will enrich the campus community. 8What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now? This interview question can come in many flavors What do you want to do with your life? What are your goals? What is your dream job?What do you want to do with your college degree? However your interviewer phrases the question, the goal is similar. The college admissions folks want to see if you have thought abo ut your future. A lot of students dont be in college for the simple reason that they dont have a clear sense of why college is important to them and their goals. This interview question is subtly intercommunicate you to show how college fits into your long-term planning. Realize that you definitely do not need to know what you want to be doing ten years from now. College is a time of exploration and discovery.Many prospective college students have not only been introduced to the fields that will define their future careers. The majority of students will switch over majors before they graduate. Many students will have careers that arent direct connected to their undergraduate majors. That said, you dont want to evade the question. Answers such as these may be accurate, but they wont impress anybody I dont know. True large, but keep on reading to see a better way to present your un plasteredty. Im not sure what Ill be doing, but I want to be fashioning lots of money. This answ er suggests that you have no academic interests, but you have strong materialistic desires. Such attitudes arent very attractive to a college that is trying to enroll an interesting and industrious group of students. I want to be working for a king-size company. Try to focus more. What face of company? Why? A vague answer isnt going to create a strong impression. I hope Ill be married with kids. Thats fine, but the interviewer isnt really asking about your personal life (in fact, it wouldnt be appropriate for an interviewer to ask about your future plans for family and marriage).Keep focused on career goals that are connected to your college education. So, if asked about your future goals, be fair but also answer in a way that shows you have actually thought about the kind between college and your future. Here are a couple ways to approach the question I want to major in aeronautical engineering and work for NASA. If you know what you want to do, an interview question about y our future is easy to answer. However, be sure to elaborate and explain why you want to pursue a certain career path. What got you interested in the field? What do you hope to accomplish in this career?I dont know what I will be doing, but I know I want to work with people. In college Im interested in taking classes in sociology and psychology to learn what some of the options are. An answer such as this shows your uncertainty, but it shows that you know yourself, youve thought about the future, and you are eager to explore new fields of study. Again, the interviewer is not expecting you to know what you will be doing in ten years. If you can see yourself in five different careers, say so. You will have successfully answered this question if you do more than shrug your shoulders or evade the question.Show that you are excited about the future and that college plays a role in that future. 9Does your high school memorialise accurately reflect your causal agency and ability? This interview question provides you with an opportunity to explain a bad scar or weak spot in your academic designate. Nearly all highly selective colleges have holistic admissions, so the admissions officers want to get to know you as a person, not just as a list of puts and test scores. Your interviewer knows that you are human and that extenuating circumstances can sometimes affect your academic performance.That said, you dont want to sound like a intercom speaker or grade grubber. If you have mostly As, dont feel that you need to come up with an excuse for that one B+. Also, make sure youre not blaming others for your own academic performance. The admissions folks wont be impressed if you complain about an inconclusive teacher who doesnt give out easy As. The following replys are all unretentive ways to answer the question Im very good at math, but my teacher didnt like me. Thats why I got a C+. real? This response suggests that you arent mature enough to own up to the grad e you earned.Was your math teacher really that biased and unprofessional? And if so, why didnt you address the unethical behavior with school officials? Even if your teacher didnt like you, this isnt something you want to highlight in your interview. Are you unsympathetic? I worked really hard, so I dont know why my grades werent higher. This response makes you sound clueless. Students who dont date the low grades they earned are risky prospects for a college to admit. Successful students know what went wrong, and they work to address the problems.I would have put more effort into my classes, but I was too busy with my job and sports. While this response may be honest, it will not create a good impression. Its wonderful that you are busy with work and athletics, but successful college students have strong time management skills and they give academics top priority. I didnt have to work hard to get all those As. Shhh. Sure, we all had classes that were easy As, but dont draw att ention to this fact during your interview. So, how should you answer a question about the relationship between your record, your effort and your ability?In general, take ownership of your grades and excuse low grades only if you have truly extenuating circumstances. The responses below would all be appropriate My parents got divorced at the beginning of my sophomore year, and Im afraid I was too distracted to put in my best effort at school. Fair enough. Big upheavals at home divorce, death, abuse, frequent moves can certainly make it difficult to devote 100% of your effort to academics. If a large domestic issue did affect your grades, your interviewer will want to know about it.Ideally, however, your academic record shows that the dip in grades was short-lived. If your grades never recovered, the admissions officers will wonder if you have gotten your act together enough to do well in college. I had gallbladder surgery in 9th grade and was on a lot of pain medications. Seriou s unwellness or surgery can certainly disrupt your academic efforts, and it is charge mentioning this type of disruption if it had a negative impact on your grades. Here, as with the response above, your record should show that the dip in grades was temporary.Make sure you are talking about serious health issues. Your interviewer will not be impressed if you try to blame that weak semester on the sniffles. Yes, my record does reflect my effort. I didnt work as hard as I should have in 9th grade, but by 10th grade I had figured out how to be a successful student. The veracity of this response is refreshing. Some students figure out how to succeed later than others. There is nothing wrong with this. In general, colleges will be pleased to see that your grades have reduceed upwards throughout high school.A downward trend will raise red flags. Again, dont be tempted to explain every little aberration in your academic record. The interviewer is really looking at to see if you had an y major extenuating circumstances that affected your grades. If you come across as the type of student who goes on a rant complaining about a single B+, youre going to sound like an annoying whiner. 10. Recommend a Good appropriate to Me. The question can come in many different forms Whats the last book you read? Tell me about a good book youve read recentlyWhats your favorite book? Why? What types of books do you like to read? Tell me about a good book you read for pleasure. Whatever the form of the question, the interviewer is trying to learn a few things by asking about your reading habits and book favorences Do you read for pleasure. Active readers are people who are intellectually curious. They are also people who are likely to have better reading comprehension and writing skills than non-readers. Students who read a lot in high school are more likely to succeed in college than students who dont. Do you know how to talk about books.A lot of your college course work will i nvolve discussing and writing about what you have read. This interview question helps figure out if you are up for the challenge. Your interests. You are likely to get asked about your interests and passions in another interview question, but books are one more way to approach the topic. If you have a love of novels about Cold War espionage, that information helps the interviewer get to know you better. A book recommendation. An interview is a two-way conference, and your interviewer may actually want to learn about some good books he or she isnt familiar with.Dont try to second guess this question too much by recommending a book simply because it has historical or cultural significance. Youll sound specious if you state that Bunyans Pilgrims Progress is your favorite book when in truth your much prefer Stephen King novels. Nearly any work of fiction or nonfictional prose can work for this question as long as you have things to say about it and it is at an appropriate reading-leve l for a college-bound student. There are, however, a few types of whole kit and caboodle that might be weaker choices than others. In general, avoid workings such as theseWorks that were obviously assigned in class. actuate of this question is to see what you read outside of class. If you name To Kill a Mockingbird or Hamlet, youll sound as if youve never read anything but assigned books. Juvenile fiction. You dont need to hide your love of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Redwall books, but these industrial plant are also loved by kids much younger than you. Youd do better to recommend a book that is more in line with a college-level reader. Works chosen simply to impress. James Joyces Finnegans Wake isnt anyones favorite book, and youll sound insincere if you recommend a dispute book in an effort to make yourself look smart. The issue gets alittle more fuzzy with works like gravel Potter and Twilight. Certainly plenty of adults (like me) devoured all of the Harry Potter books, and you ll even find college courses on Harry Potter. You certainly dont need to hide the fact that you were addicted to popular series such as these. That said, so many people love these books (including much younger readers) that they make for a rather predictable and uninteresting answer to the interviewers question. So what is the ideal book? Try to come up with something that fits these general guidelines Pick a book that you sincerely love and that you are comfortable talking about.Pick a book with enough affectionateness to it so that you can explain why you like the book. Pick a book that is at an appropriate reading level something that is a huge hit among fourth-graders is probably not your best choice. Pick a book that gives the interviewer a window into your interests and passions. This last point is important the interviewer wants to get to know you better. This interview question isnt so much about the book you choose as it is about you. Make sure you are able to articulate why you are recommending the book. Why did the book speak to you more than other books?What about the book did you find so compelling? How did the book engage issues that you are passionate about? How did the book open your mind or create new understanding? 11=If you could do one thing in high school differently, what would it be? This interview question is a bit trickier than most. Youll want to make sure you dont wallow in regret or draw attention to really bad decisions youve made. You have a tough balancing act to conduct with a question like this. The best interviews are ones in which the interviewer feels like he or she has really gotten to know you.If all of your answers are cypher and safe, youll end up making a tepid impression at best. At the same time, providing too much information is also a danger, and this interview question can easily lead to TMI. In general, youd probably be wise to avoid answers related to topics such as these Your relationships. It wouldnt be s urprising if your biggest regret from high school was a disastrous relationship. However, if you answer the interview question with details about that afoul(ip) boyfriend or girlfriend, youll be introducing a lot of negativity into your interview.This type of response can easily sound immature, ungenerous, and spiteful. Steer clear. A class you hated. Do you really regret taking that class with that jerk of a teacher? Fine, but keep it to yourself. The best students can navigate all kinds of classroom environments, and your interviewer wont be impressed if you start bad-mouthing your teachers. Your problems with drugs or alcohol. If you got messed up with drugs or alcohol in college, hopefully you do esteem that you could go back and do things differently. That said, the college interview is not the best place to address this issue.While your interviewer may be impressed with your ability to confront your substance abuse, he or she may also feel restless about admitting a student who abused alcohol or drugs. Your interviewer may question your judgment or feel that you represent too cracking of a risk to the college. After all, colleges have enough problems with substance abuse without admitting students who have a proven track record of abuse. The best answers to this interview question will put a positive spin on it. A strong answer doesnt express regret about a bad decision instead, it presents regret over not prehension all the opportunities available to you.For example, the following would make good responses You wish you had interpreted calculus instead of an easier math class. You wish you had looked for a more challenging job than the local burger joint. You wish you had discovered earlier in high school that you really enjoy theater. You wish you had worked harder in your freshmen year (some students are late bloomers, and your interviewer wont hold this against you) A more personal response is also appropriate as long as it presents you in a posit ive light.Perhaps you wish you had spent more time with your grandmother before she came down with cancer, or perhaps you wish you had helped your brother more when he was struggling in school. Think carefully about this question before you set foot in the interview room. Its not a difficult question, but it does have the ability to go astray if you draw attention to an action that reveals foolishness or poor judgment. +===The majority of college interviewers arent looking to trick you or put you on the spot. The interview is a way for you and a representative from the college to get to know each other.The interview helps you and the college figure out if youre a good match. Try to relax and be yourself, and the interview should be a benignant experience. The 20 questions below are meant to supplement my original 12 college interview questions. Also be sure to check out these 10 college interview mistakes. 1. What did you do this summer? This is an easy question that an interviewer might use to get the conversation rolling. The biggest danger here is if you havent done anything juicy in the summer. I played a lot of video games isnt a good answer.Even if you didnt have a job or take classes, try to think of something you have done that was a learning experience. 2. What do you do best? There are lots of ways to ask this question, but the bottom line is that the interviewer wants you to identify what you see as your greatest talent. Theres nothing wrong with identifying something that isnt central to your college application. Even if you were first violin in the all-state orchestra or the start quarterback, you can identify your best talent as making a mean cherry pie or carving animal figurines out of soap.The interview can be an opportunity to show a side of yourself that isnt obvious on the written application. 3. What do you hope to do after graduation? Lots of high school students have no idea what they want to do in the future, and thats okay. Still, y ou should formulate an answer to this question. If youre not sure what your career goals are, say so, but provide a few possibilities. 4. Why do you want to go to college? This question is so broad and seemingly obvious that it can catch you by surprise. Why college? Steer clear of materialistic responses (I want to get a good job and make a lot of money).Instead, focus on what it is that you plan to study. Chances are your particular career goals arent possible without a college education. 5. How do you define success? Here again you want to avoid sounding too materialistic. Hopefully success means making a contribution to the world, not just your wallet. 6. Who do you most admire? This question really isnt so much about who you admire but why you admire someone. The interviewer wants to see what character traits you most economic value in other people. 7. What is your biggest weakness?This is a common question, and its always a tough one to answer. It can be dangerous to be too ho nest (I put off all my cover until an hour before they are due), but evasive answers that actually present a strength often wont reciprocate the interviewer (My greatest weakness is that I have too many interests and I work too hard). Try to be honest here without damning yourself. The interviewer is trying to see how self-aware you are. 8. Tell me about your family. When you interview for college, an easy question like this can help get the conversation rolling.Try to be specific in your description of your family. Identify some of their funny quirks or obsessions. In general,however, keep the representation positive you want to present yourself as a generous person, not someone who is hyper-critical. 9. What makes you special? Or the interview might ask, What makes you unique? Its a more difficult question than it might at first appear. Playing a sport or getting good grades is something that many students do, so such accomplishments arent necessarily special or unique. Try to get beyond your accomplishments and think about what really makes you you. 10. What can our college offer you that another college cant? This question is a little different than one asking why you want to go to a specific college. Do your research and look for the truly unique features of the college for which you are interviewing. Does it have unusual academic offerings? Does it have a distinctive first-year program? Are there co-curricular or internship opportunities that cant be found at other schools?