Interviews
First, it should be clarified that not all universities require an interview with candidates as part of their applications. Usually, public universities (such as those of various states) do not require interviews. In these cases, you just have to complete the essays and fill in the demographic information required by the university in its application platform. However, private universities usually always require interviews with candidates. These interviews are conducted by college graduates who come from, work, or live in your nearby community / city. The interview is conducted as a conversation between you and the interviewer. They want to know you better primarily as a person; In other words, during the interview, the university interviewer wants to know more about you as a person, your life, and the values ​​you have to try to decide if your values ​​coincide with those of the university. Academic or extracurricular topics may be discussed sometime during the interview, but usually the focus is on your character and personality. Sometimes the interviewer takes personal notes for their own reference, but for the most part, the interview is a polite conversation between you and the interviewer. The interview does not exclusively decide whether you are accepted or rejected to the university, but it is one of the most crucial parts of the application process because it is the only time in the process where you can express yourself verbally and directly with a university representative about the reasons for why you should be admitted to the institution. Therefore, the interview is a powerful component of the application. If you get along very well with the interviewer, he or she will advocate for you in the college admissions office, thereby improving your chances of being admitted to the college in question. Below you will find tips to have the best possible college interview!
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Make sure you have communicated well with your interviewer about the time and place of the interview:
Interviewers take time from their jobs and lives to be able to conduct interviews for their alma mater and for this reason it is imperative that you communicate well with them about the time and place of your interview to prevent confusion and accidents. After your interviewer initially contacts you via email or text message, make sure you respond promptly so that you can sort out the details of the interview. Usually, interviews are conducted in a public but quiet place where you and your interviewer can speak calmly (interviews usually last between 45 minutes to an hour - if the conversation naturally lasts more than an hour, this is fine too! ). My Harvard interviewer was very kind and she gave me the opportunity to decide where I wanted to have my interview; She gave me several options, and we finally decided, between us, to meet at a Starbucks coffee shop near where I live. Your interviewer may or may not decide the meeting place for you. It is important to be flexible and communicative with your interviewer; if you don’t have the transportation to get to a specific location or can’t meet at a specific time, clarify this. Be flexible but also clarify what is best for you. Interviewers usually understand the varied situations of their interviewees, but it never hurts to remember to advocate for yourself!
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have mock interviews with your schoolmates or family members to better organize your ideas and talking points:
The days leading up to an interview can be very nerve-wracking; the idea of talking to a stranger about your life and experiences at school can cause anxiety, especially when this stranger can play an important role in deciding your admission or rejection to a university. One of the most important tips that I can give is that eliminating nervousness as much as possible will help you have a more natural and fluid conversation with your interviewer. A natural conversation is the goal of the interview. You can manage your nerves by practicing for the interview. You can ask friends or family to help you practice; they can play the role of the interviewer, asking you about your life, your interests, and the activities you participated in in high school that most positively impacted you. You can also write a list of topics that you want to discuss during the interview, but usually the interview will flow naturally with the interviewer asking you to introduce yourself and tell them a little about your life, etc. Typical interview topics also include your family’s cultural/historical background (i.e., what difficulties have you overcome, what have you achieved despite low resources, lack of opportunities, etc.), your academic and extracurricular interests, tc. If you organize these topics in your mind before the interview and practice how to introduce yourself to your interviewer, the conversation between you and them will be natural and you will be able to present them with the best aspects of your personality.
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Arrive at the interview on time and dress professionally/appropriately:
As I have already mentioned, interviewers take time out of their personal lives to be able to conduct their interviews. For that reason, it is extremely important that you respect your interviewer's time and arrive at the meeting site on time. Being late for the interview signals to the interviewer that you don't care about their time or the importance of college. You don't want to give your interviewer this impression! Show them that you respect their time and the dignity of the college by being on time. It is also important to dress in a professional manner. There is no specific dress code for college interviews, and some interviewers don't care about what you're wearing. However, all interviewers are different and it is better to be safe and present the most professional and appropriate version of yourself for the event. For example, I dressed professionally for my interview, with a button-down shirt, blazer, pants, and heels. My interviewer came to Starbucks dressed in gym clothes because she had a busy schedule and could not change. She later told me she didn’t care about the way she was dressed because her interviews are always casual and low-stress. However, I would not have been able to know this before the interview and I thus presented myself in the most appropriate manner; this really helped me in the long run. Always put your best foot forward because you never know what kind of interview you’ll get!
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Present yourself in the most authentic way and stay true to yourself:
Interviewers are highly educated individuals and usually have the ability to read the intentions of their interviewees. That is, they will know if you present a fake version of yourself or if you do not care about the specific university for which you are interviewing. Be true to yourself; do not try to present a version of yourself that has been improved in a fake, false manner. As I have already mentioned, interviewers have the ability to find any lies in their interviewees. Interviewers want to get to know you as a person and a student, to know your values, etc. For this reason, you should present yourself exactly as you are; interviewers will appreciate your honesty and integrity more than anything else. It is also important to mention in general that you must present an authentic version of yourself during all aspects of your application. It is better to be rejected from a university for who you are than accepted for being someone you are not. If a specific university doesn't admit you, it's not the end of the world. Always have faith that you will bring your talents, perspectives, and abilities to a university that can fully value them!