#college interview

If I was a thirty year old like making, you know, dick jokes with an acoustic guitar, I'd kill myself.

Bo at the age of 30 in 2020/2021:

Source: 3:38 in

Hello! So these are the tips I usually follow for interviews

Have prepared answers for common questions. Ask your seniors who have given the same interview what questions they were asked. Websites like Quora usually have people talking about their interviews. Anticipate every possible question, make a list, and prepare pointers for the answers. But don't rote-learn your answers. Understand your pointers and say it in your own words.

Be honest, but feel free to exaggerate. Make sure that you make yourself sound as great as possible.

Make sure you're abreast with current affairs. If you get a question you don't know, DO NOT BLUFF. The interviewers will know, trust me. If you want to make a guess, as them if you can make an educated guess on the subject before proceeding. Tell them you'll read up more on the subject of you don't know anything. Ignorance is excusable, the unwillingness to learn is not

Research the college well. Know the prominent events, the stuff the college is famous for. Make sure that your decision to go there looks like a well-researched one

For indian entrances at least, there will be telegram groups dedicated to the preparation for the interviews. I joined one such group and there people would post their interview questions as and when they were done with it. It helps a lot, and it doesn't hurt to gauge the competition either.

22.01.21

thank you for your ask !! i’ll try my best to answer.

college interview tips, advice, & questions asked

here are the questions that were explicitly asked of me:

what attracts you to ___ university?

what are some of your extracurriculars?

will you be okay being across the country for this school?

did you have the chance to visit ____ university yet?

do you have any questions for me [the interviewer]?

do you cook? (he was just curious lol)

here were the questions that i answered through conversation, meaning these were questions my interviewer probably was going to ask but i explained them while answering the questions above:

why do you want to be ____ major? or like why do you want to study __?

where do you see yourself going, in life, job, etc.? why do you want to pursue this?

what is important to you and why? what are your values and how were those values shaped?

what are your circumstances that were not reflected in your application?

what do you do in your free time?

what is your favorite class?

why is going to college important for you?

always have questions prepared for your interviewer. have them prepared for during your conversation and for when they ask you if you have any more questions. here were mine:

what did you major in? did you know your major before coming or did you change it from your original major?

what were some of the activities that you participated in at ____?

what is dorm-life like? were you able to bond with your roommate?

why did you choose ___ university?

the alumni network must be insane if they can interview almost every applicant; what’s the alumni network beyond applications and interviews? do you still keep in touch with your college friends and classmates?

what is the atmosphere like? are the students super competitive or do they collaborate?

what were some of the defining moments of your experience?

i met with my interviewer at starbucks and he said he lives in the area, so i asked him if he was from here. he said no, so i asked how he ended up here/why he chose here to live. ya know–gotta have some small talk and normal conversation.

before the interview

dress nicely but not like ‘prom’ fancy. polo shirts are fine and sweaters are fine. i felt that i was kinda overdressed (i wore black slacks, white button-up under a sweater, and a thick coat, pointy flats). don’t wear super dirty sneakers, sweats, or leggings.

prepare, but don’t over-prepare. this is a conversation, not an essay that you’re reading aloud to each question. 

research the school. what makes them unique. why you’re a good fit. your major at the school. what does it offer that you want and would utilize? what clubs can you join? 

eat. brush your teeth. take a mint.

be like 5 minutes early. if you’re too early, that’s fine, just sit in the car or wait somewhere. bUT DO NOT BE LATE. for some, first impressions can really matter. being on time/a little early let’s them know that this is a priority for you and that you really care about having this opportunity.

relax. it’s not make or break. you will end up where you belong in the end. college admissions nowadays is really hard. don’t beat yourself up over it.

during the interview

pretend it is a friend asking you these questions. don’t ever say, ‘i’m glad you asked that, here’s why ....”–it’s kind of cringey and you will come off robotic.

you don’t need to discuss grades. the people reading your application see that. the interview is to see how you are as a person. the interview serves as a way to fill in the gaps in your written application to give your admissions officers as full of a perspective as possible.

try not to come off as self-absorbed. always let your interviewers talk about themselves. my interviewer joked that he was talking too much about himself, but i really enjoyed hearing him talk about his life and i wish i could’ve heard more. people really have interesting lives that are worth listening to.

after the interview

relax. it’S OVER !! you did it !!

treat yourself to some ice cream or a popsicle or like a bucket of chocolate.

don’t dwell on it. you’ll be thinking about what you could’ve said, what you should’ve said, etc. it’s over, and it’s okay.

SEND A THANK YOU NOTE OR EMAIL. you should probably touch on things you discussed, and if you really want to, you can squeeze in a little of what you did not talk about. this email should ideally be sent within 24 hours.

I get it: Interviews can be scary. What should I wear? Are jeans okay? What if they ask me a question I don’t know the answer to? How do I remember everything I want to say. OMGAGGGGGGGHHHHH.

Before I was the College Essay Guy, I volunteered for a few years as an alumni interviewer for my alma mater, Northwestern (#GoCats). The range of students I interviewed was pretty huge—from those who’d clearly spent time preparing for a college interview to those who were, well, not so prepared.

Inspired by those experiences, I put together a Complete Guide to the College Interview, which offered college interview tips and strategies on everything from how to prepare for the “Why do you want to attend our college?” question to a giant list of commonly asked college interview questions.

Then I met Atlanta-based educational consultant Monica James, who for years taught public speaking and interview skills to executives but has since been helping students prepare for their university interviews.

We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you master your college interview.

CHECK OUT THE GUIDE HERE.