Commonly Asked Questions in the College Interview

Be confident!

The college interview is an important part of the college application process at many US colleges and universities. Although it is rarely the deciding factor in whether an applicant will get admitted to or
rejected from a specific school, the college admissions interview is a great opportunity for candidates to showcase themselves, share information that are not available in their application file, discuss their expectations about the school and the program, and talk about their future career plans and goals.

Conducted by a faculty member, admissions committee member, an alumnus, or a current student in
the school, interviews give candidates a chance to meet with someone who represents the college. Most college interview questions are meant to help them and the interviewer find out if they are a good match to the school and the program.


Common Interview Questions

Below are some typical questions asked during college interviews that can help you prepare and think about your answers ahead of time.

• Why are you considering this college?
• What makes you think that this college would be a good match?
• Where else are you applying and why?
•  What do you hope to major in?
• What do you expect to be doing ten years from now?
•  How do you define “success?”
• What have you liked or disliked about your school? 
• How would you describe yourself to someone who did not know you?
• What newspapers and magazines do you read?
• What books not required for school have you read recently?
• What television shows do you watch?
• Tell us about your family.
• How do you spend a typical afternoon after school? Evening? Weekend?
• What extracurricular activities have you found most satisfying?
• What are your strengths? Weaknesses? 
• What has been your proudest achievement so far?
• If you could talk with anyone living (or deceased) person, whom would it be and why?
• What events have been crucial in your life?
• What is the most important thing you’ve learned in high school?
• What mark do you feel you’ve left on your school?
• What do you want to get out of your college experience?
• What makes you unique?
• What could you contribute to our college community?
• Talk about a significant challenge you have encountered.
• Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your transcript?
• What is your greatest passion?
• How would your friends describe you?
• If you had high school to do over again, what might you have done differently?
• What are your goals for your senior year?

Other Pointers to Remember

Different schools have different interview questions and guidelines. You can be interview either by one school representative or a panel of interviewers.  There is no official set of interview questions, as well. All you can do is to anticipate what they could probably ask you, and how you will respond to their questions.

Feeling nervous is normal, but you have to contain your emotions during the interview. It is important that you be confident and show that you are well-prepared for the interview and are ready to take on
whatever is in store for you during the entirety of the college admissions process.

How Participating in Sports Can Boost Your College Application

Sporty!

Getting into a good college or university in the US does not only require exceptional academic
knowledge. Aside from grades and test scores, admissions officers are now looking at how versatile and accomplished students are in terms of extracurricular activities, such as athletics and community
service.

An active participation in a particular kind of sports can help you boost your college application.
Whether you are a member of your high school’s basketball varsity team or a top player in your school’s tennis tournament, playing a school sport takes dedication and hard work – two qualities that college admissions counselors like to see in their applicants.

Sports are also a good way to develop a well‐rounded character out of an individual. They help establish skills that are based on teamwork and camaraderie. They also teach students how to set goals early on in their life and persevere through hardships that they may face along the way. If you are wondering which sports can actually give you a shot at getting in to the college that you like, here are some ideas that may help.

Tennis. While you don’t necessarily have to develop the skills of Roger Federer or Maria Sharapova,
being a good tennis player gives you a higher premium than many other sports. The sport teaches you a good sense of motivation, concentration, competitiveness, and even problem solving – all of which can be very useful when dealing with academic requirements.

Golf. Although golf is a popular sport, it takes a really talented athlete to perform outstandingly in this sport. This is why college admissions officers are always interested to learn more about an applicant who is into golf. In spite of its limited physical movements (compared to other high‐impact sports), golf helps the player develop a lot of mental skills such as awareness and concentration, balance, emotional control, self‐confidence, and decision‐making skill.

Squash. Interestingly, Ivy League and top liberal arts schools are allotting admissions spots for athletes whom they can recruit from the pool of squash players. Why squash? Simply because not everybody can play it or afford it; it’s as if a more upscale product that top colleges and universities in the US want to get a hold of.

Baseball and Basketball. Baseball and basketball are the two most popular sports in the US, so popular that almost all, if not all, colleges and universities in the country have their own baseball and basketball teams to support. This is why admissions committee gets interested with students who play baseball or basketball, wanting to know how these sports enthusiasts can be a good fit not only to the athletic requirements of the school, but to the academic challenges, as well

While exceptional athletic ability can be a great deal in the college admissions process, it will mean
little without the academic strength to back it up. Thus, make sure that you are the well‐rounded student that colleges look for – an academic achiever and an outstanding athlete in one.

International Student: What You Need To Know When Applying for an Ivy League University

Uniting students from all over the world

Every year, upwards of 20,000 applicants apply to Ivy League schools. Their highly
selective process, however, results in a 6-12% admission rate.  During the admission
process, the Ivy League seeks diversity and aims to become a global learning institution.
What this means is that the student body of the Ivy League Schools is about 10-15%
international students.

To increase your chances of getting in, here are a few things that you should know before
applying as an international student:


Admission Process

International students who apply to Ivy League schools go through the same admission
process as American freshmen applicants. First-year students must have finished 12 to 13
years of primary and secondary education that would make them eligible to enter a
university. You should have strong academic records with high grades and test scores.

Though the application process is holistic, your scholastic record must show a strong GPA
on all subjects. Besides your school transcripts, letters of recommendation must be written


Required Standardized Tests

ALL standardized tests must be accomplished before the admission deadline. Ivy League
requires either SAT or ACT but there is no official cut off. However, the average ACT score
for the Ivy League is 29-35 while the average SAT score is 1980-2390.


English Language Proficiency

In addition to the required SAT or ACT, international students applying to the Ivy League
must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) to gauge their proficiency in written and verbal English.
A minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL and 7 for IELTS is strongly recommended.
In addition to the TOEFL and IELTS, English language proficiency is also determined
through interviews. Though most Ivy League schools don’t require an interview, Harvard,
Columbia and Yale encourage international applicants to choose to interview. Not only will
it demonstrate your verbal communication skills, but it will also show the admissions
officers your dedication and interest.

College Interview: How to Approach

Ace your interview!

College interviews will not get you into a school. They are used as more of a vetting service
than to actually admit or reject students. For some schools, interviews are required, while at
other schools, they are optional. For international students, it’s absolutely crucial, that you
schedule an interview whenever possible. You need to show the admissions office that your
English is good enough to participate in the college classroom. Interviews are additional
opportunities for candidates to maximize the potential of their application.


Tell me something about yourself

Although it is easy to say that you are a good student, hard worker, or good at your
extracurricular activities, this is not what the interviewer is looking for. Instead, focus on some
traits that make you unique as an individual. Do you have any unique hobbies? Do you collect
volcanic rocks? Expound on this here. Remember that the aim is to show the interviewer that
you are different from all the other applicants.


Why do you want to attend this school?

Make sure that you have done your research about the school you wish to attend. This question
is aimed at making sure you are truly interested in the school and also to see if the school is a
good fit for you and vice versa. Highlight specific classes, professors, research opportunities,
student groups, cultural initiatives that speak to you. Exhibit how particular programs provided in
the school are in line with your academic, professional, and personal pursuits.


What can you contribute to the school?

This question is aimed at learning your true interests and seeing how you would function in the
school community. The interviewer wants to know how you can add diversity to the campus. If
you intend to be part of the student council or create a club that focuses on your interests, share
them here. Having goals for the school community provides the interviewer a clear picture of
how well you will enhance the college experience for your fellow students. Colleges want
students who will add value to the classroom, campus, and eventually, the alumni community.


What do you do in your spare time?

Answer this by enumerating your passions outside of the classroom. It isn’t necessarily meant to
be connected to your academic goals. Share that you love astronomy, that you work as a
lifeguard every summer, or that you work in your family’s shop every weekend. Any
extracurricular activity or hobby that deeply interests you is a perfect answer for this question.


Do you have any questions?

Always say yes. Asking questions shows your interest in the school and that you were paying
attention during the interview. If you have done your research properly, you will definitely have
questions for the interviewer. Ask about the level of engagement a freshman can expect in the
various research facilities they provide. Or ask about how the school interacts with the
community surrounding it. Questions that relate to your capacity in joining school functions will
leave a positive impression.

Tips To Remember When Applying for College

Applying to college is more than just filling out an application form and choosing which schools to apply to. It requires a lot of intensive preparation, diligence, and work. Although the actual application process for most colleges and universities starts around November of your senior year of high school, you have to prepare early to be able to acquire all necessary requirements, especially those that you will be getting from your school and teachers.


Getting started

In addition to deciding which colleges you will apply to, there are other things you need to start to think about and work on, such as when to take your standardized tests, what to write in your essays, who to get your letters of recommendations from, how to respond to interview questions, and other application requirements.

Additionally, you need to check and organize your schedule to be able to make sure that your teachers get your letters of recommendation in on time and your high school to send your official transcript and academic records to colleges before the application deadlines.

Applying to Multiple Colleges

One important decision you need to make is the number of colleges and universities to which you will apply. While you might have a preferred school in mind – that dream college you’ve always wanted to get into since you were young –admissions experts and coaches recommend students to
apply to multiple colleges to increase your chances of getting into a good college, such that if you didn’t make it to your school of choice, you’d still get accepted at a decent one.

If you are worried about the admissions committee finding out that you are applying to many colleges, don’t. They really don’t care, and they understand that your choice of college is an incredibly important choice you’re making in your life.

The Common Application

Applying to multiple colleges may seem taxing and stressful. Thanks to the Common Application, you can apply to as many colleges and universities in the US as you like by filling out an application form just once. However, since different schools may have slightly different requirements, you may need to submit additional forms, create new essays, or answer extra questions.


Are you ready to apply to college? Have you started establishing your academic plans and goals?

College Application Tips

Application tips for college

Applying to college can really be challenging and stressful. Just imagine the tons of requirements you need to gather, the long application forms you need to fill out, and the different essays you need to write for each of the different schools you are applying to. With the overwhelming college application process you need to undergo, do you think you can perfect all your college applications? Here are 3 effective tips on how you can make the best out of your college application.

1.       College application is more than just filling out application forms with personal information and statistics about yourself. More importantly, when preparing your college application, you need to strategically sew together the major components of your application – extracurricular activities, personal statement, supplementary essays, and resume – to create a picture of you that the admissions committee will appreciate. Through these components, you need to build an image that would grab the attention of the one evaluating you and convince him/her that you are a good fit to the school you are applying to.

2.       Preparation and diligence are keys to perfecting your college application. Take time to complete your application and carefully provide information. When you write essays, for example, write with your heart and make sure to review, edit, and refine your write up. Prepare for interviews and present yourself well. If you do not show diligence in your college application, other candidates can take your spot in your dream college. With more and more students applying for highly selective schools, setting yourself apart can be challenging, if not impossible. Thus, you have to work as hard as you can and prove that you deserve to be in your school of choice.

3.       Finally, do not work on your application just before the deadline. Several months before the application process begins, you need to be doing some preparations already like figuring out what SAT subjects you want to take, reviewing for your standardized tests, and gathering your application requirements. When you do this, you’ll have your requirements ready and you won’t have to cram when during your application.