Admission Interview Tips
Help your students put their best foot forward
High school students may feel daunted at the prospect of talking with interviewers about their goals and experiences. How can you help your students feel more confident about interviewing?
Interview facts
First, make sure your students know what the admissions interview means to the college and what it is intended to accomplish. There are two basic kinds of college interview. If students plan to (or are required to) interview, they should find out which type of interview the college is offering them.
The evaluative interview is intended to help the institution assess the student as a candidate. The interviewer speaks with the student, takes notes, and reports his impressions to the admissions committee. His evaluation becomes part of the student's application file. The interviewer is often an admissions officer but may be a faculty member or an alumnus.
The informational interview is intended to give the student information about the institution. This can be a one-on-one talk with a college representative or a group information session for applicants. The interviewer may be an admissions officer, but might also be a faculty member, an alumnus, or even a current student at the college.
Although the informational interview's main purpose is to answer student questions about the college, it is quite possible that the college representative will also evaluate the student and pass his opinion on to the admissions committee. Students should therefore always be aware of the impression they are making.
Interviews of either kind can take place on or off campus (for example, the school may match up applicants with alumni interviewers who live in the same area).
Few schools require an interview. Many offer evaluative or informational interviews as an option. Some institutions do not offer interviews at all. These include some public universities whose applicant pools are so large that offering interviews to all candidates is not feasible, and also some private colleges.
For example, Stanford University's undergraduate admissions website states, "We choose not to offer interviews at Stanford. . . . [A]n interview program . . . would duplicate many of the resources we already provide prospective students, while also shifting the focus of applying to college away from student exploration and toward student competition, thereby increasing student stress and possibly promoting gamesmanship."
Benefits of the interview
Tell your students that it's usually to their benefit to interview if interviewing is an option. And they don't have to visit the campus to do it —potential interviewers can range from an admission officer on campus to a current student or alumnus in the area. Interviewing is one more way for a student to display a strong interest in a school, and it lets the interviewer get to know the personality behind the grades and test scores.
An interview is also a chance for a borderline student to present herself as a winning candidate by virtue of sincerity or charm, to explain any extenuating circumstances that affected academic performance, and to describe the ways she will contribute to the school.
How you can help
Help students practice interviewing; play the part of a college admissions interviewer and ask them to talk about their high school experiences and college goals.
Point out their interview strengths as well as what they need to work on.
Acquaint students with interviewing basics such as making eye contact, smiling, shaking hands, and so on. Many young people have had little experience in formal or businesslike situations.