“What is the most creative thought you’ve ever had?” Caitlin’s first panicked thought was this: “What? I have no idea.”
Then her brain kicked in, and she blurted out something about chopsticks.
She told the dean that she wanted to learn how to use chop
sticks with her left hand because she thought this would impress colleges.
Was this a silly answer? Absolutely. But Caitlin figured that answering the question was far better than hemming and hawing and ultimately punting on it. And looking back, she believes that this was the turning point in the interview. The dean seemed to be intrigued by my gregarious daughter’s enthusiasm for eating Kung Pao chicken lefthanded, and he continued to ask her questions 35 minutes longer than the interview was scheduled to last.
The point of sharing this anecdote is to drive home this point:
There aren’t necessarily right and wrong answers in a college interview.
Admissions officers don’t want kids to fail. They like teenagers
or they would have chosen another occupation.
Admissions staffers strive to extract from kids a sense of who they
are. They want a student’s personality to shine through. Did my
daughter even intend to practice eating left handed? No. But the
answers she provided during the interview showed that she is selfconfident,
a quick thinker, and an entertaining storyteller. It wasn’t so
much what she said, but how she said it. Months later, she received an
acceptance letter from Dickinson, along with a merit scholarship.
As you anticipate spending face time with admissions officers,
here are some things to keep in mind to increase the chances of
having productive and successful interviews:
Ask about interview opportunities. Many large public universities
don’t have the luxury of conducting one-on-one interviews with potential
students. Because of the large numbers of applicants, their
admission policies are often largely dictated by a child’s grade point average
and standardized test scores. But that’s not the case with plenty of
private colleges and universities, which take a more holistic approach.
Before visiting a school, ask whether interviews are available or required.
If the answer is yes, find out which kind are conducted. Some
schools use informational interviews that allow students to ask the interviewer
questions about their institutions. Typically, the admissions
officer does not fill out a written evaluation of the meeting and so your
admission file will not mention what took place.
In contrast, many schools rely on an evaluative interview. These
interviews can be stressful because the admissions officer will typically
write an interview summary afterward. At these schools, the interview
is just one of many factors considered beyond grades and test scores.
The caliber of a student’s school, extracurricular activities, admission
essay, recommendations, and the applicant’s level of interest, her character,
and whether her relatives are alumni may all be considered.
Some schools require interviews, but they don’t always need to take
place on the campus. Some schools use regional admissions officers or
alumni to conduct interviews at hotels in other parts of the country.
Prepare for the interview. The best way to sabotage an interview
is to show up knowing little if anything about the school. If your
knowledge of a school is nil, an admissions officer is going to wonder
why you’re sitting in his office. What’s more, interviews aren’t one
sided. While you will be expected to answer questions, this is also a
time for you to elicit information about the campus from your host. If
you don’t know enough to ask intelligent questions, you’re in trouble.
Dress appropriately. There’s definitely no need to wear a suit
and tie to interviews, but you should look like a well-dressed college
student wearing comfortable clothes. (Be sure they are ironed.)
Watch the slang. Don’t pepper your conversation with “um,”
“you know,” and “like.” Practice ahead of time to try to eliminate these
sorts of words from your conversation. And during interviews, don’t
slouch, stare at the floor, play with your hair, or display other nervous
mannerisms.
Ask intelligent questions. During campus visits, use the opportunity
to pose meaningful questions. While you might want to know
whether the school has a vegan meal plan or which is the best dorm,
often the most valuable questions go unasked. A great source for more
insightful questions comes from the National Survey of Student Engagement
(NSSE), which is trying to be a welcome alternative to the
ratings frenzy perpetrated by U.S. News & World Report’s annual college guide.
Unlike U.S. News & World Report’s publication, the NSSE is curious
about what kids learn after they are enrolled in schools. You
should download a handy brochure, A Pocket Guide to Choosing a
College: Are You Asking the Right Questions?, from the NSSE’s Web
site at http://nsse.iub.edu/html/students_parents.cfm. The questions
in the brochure focus on such areas as student and faculty interaction,
academic workload, and class collaboration.
Be yourself. Don’t pretend to love Leo Tolstoy and William
Shakespeare if you’re into science fiction novels and Japanese comic
books. Resist trying to figure out what you suspect are the “right” answers;
you don’t want to sound phony. The interview is a time to brag
about what you’ve accomplished without sounding conceited. On the
flip side, you should put the best light on any black marks tarnishing
your record such as a “D” in honors calculus class. And before the
interview starts, take a deep breathe!
Action Plan
Research a school before an interview and be prepared to ask intelligent
questions. During the interview be sure to relax.
Source: The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price
