Hello 7EDU readers and welcome back to Tuesday's weekly blog!
For the high school students that have applied early decision (ED) to the colleges that they are interested in, congratulations! Many colleges and universities have early November as the designated deadline to apply ED, so kudos to the learners that have filled out all the required documents and applications in time for the due date.
But now what else do you need to do after you have successfully submitted your early decision application? There is more work to be done to ensure your admission to the college of your dreams!
Two words. College interview.
While it is important that your SAT and ACT scores are up to the expectations and standards of the admissions office, your college interview is another integral component that will assess your suitability to the university.
Don't forget to register for this week's open webinar (November 8 from 5:30 - 6:00 pm PST) with a professional educator, Jun Liu, where she will be sharing how to Ace The College Interview.
The Basics Of A College Interview
This may or may not be the first interview that you are participating in as a senior in high school. But you can most definitely expect an interview to have the objective of getting to know an applicant or potential candidate.
A college interview, in particular, aims to learn more about you as a personal and academic individual together with what you will be able to contribute to the university campus.
While many schools utilize a college interview as a part of their application process, you may be meeting with someone from the admissions office, a current student or graduate of the college, or even taking part in a video interview.
The college interview is not the almighty deciding factor of whether you will be accepted into the university, but it is a valuable element that offers a college representative an opportunity to get to know you beyond a traditional application submission.
The Tough Questions To Expect
Most students and parents ask about the general outline of a college interview - a great step towards being prepared and aware of what to expect.
With that in mind, it is additionally important to be aware of the common difficult questions that are often raised at college interviews. Here are several usual questions that puzzle candidates. We have included tips in addition to these complicated questions so you can best prepare beforehand on how to respond.
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How will you contribute to our school?
This college interview question seeks to gauge the amount of information that you have researched and learned about the university. Moreover, the question is a chance for you to express what you are passionate about and are looking forward to being a part of once you are an admitted student.
What you should say: Be sincere about what you really care about (not what you think the interviewer will want to hear). While there are various interests that you have, try to be more specific with this question. Pick one particular passion that you have and expand further on how you hope to apply this interest alongside what the campus has to offer. Always remember that if you are genuine about your interests, this will shine through for the college admissions interviewer.
Besides the university courses that you will be taking, how will you be forming the campus community that you are living in for four years? Are you interested in choreography? Are you interested in expressing your written skills? Or maybe, are you an activist for mental health? Utilize this question to convey the current campus organizations that you hope to be active in that will relate to your passions.
What other schools are you applying to?
This question may be rephrased to something more broad such as, "How are the schools you are applying to similar and different from one another?"
With this college interview question, the interviewer attempts to assess your degree of interest for their college in comparison to others in addition to how probable it is that you will accept an offer from them.
What you should say: most of the time, college interviewers are instructed not to ask this question (or to not let the candidate response impact the applicant's evaluation). But in the case that you are asked this difficult question, go with a generalized reply. It is recommended that you convey the commonalities of competing universities and why this particular college has distinguished itself among the others.
Mention the similar standards that each college on your list has and include a component of how this university uniquely offers what you are looking for in contrast to the different schools.
Why should we accept you over the other student applicants?
Your interviewer is hoping to understand the exceptional qualities that you have as a student and as an individual. This is the time to highlight your talents while remaining modest.
What you should say: There are a ton of positive words that students can look up to describe themselves, but being ambitious, motivated, or any other adjective will not help to exemplify what makes you different from the rest of the other candidates. Using your passions, interests, and experiences collectively will be a better approach towards expressing what makes you an extraordinary individual from the others.
Apply your personal story to this question to highlight beyond the accomplishments that are listed on your paper application.
Need an SAT study plan? Make your very own with our key tips in our previous blog article!
Depending on the school that you are interested in attending, interviews may or may not play a role in the admission process. Nonetheless, practicing prior preparation for any type of interview is a fundamental skill to learn and improve on.
These college application interviews are a supplement to your entire application so remember to do your own prior research and practice!
7EDU Impact Academy offers many college preparation services including one-on-ones, counseling, and specific courses. Feel free to contact us at (408) 216-9109 or info@7edu.org if you have any questions or comments.