Introduction to US College Admission Interivew

Introduction to US College Admission Interivew

SAT, school results, personal statement, recommendation letter, extracurricular activities… In addition to all these “paperwork”, there is another very important phase of the application process – interview.

 

1. Purpose of the Interview

Universities conduct interviews for different purposes, the most common purpose being to evaluate applicants. But the interview is only one part of the entire admission process; unlike job hunting, your admission results will not be completely determined by the success or failure of the interview. After the interview, the Admissions Committee will combine the feedback from the interviewer with your other application materials to make a final assessment.

Although the interviewer does not have a strong say in deciding who to accept and who to retire, his or her knowledge of you does have an impact on your admissions. During the interview process, the interviewer will judge your personality, strengths, weaknesses, goals and so on by asking questions and chatting with you.

 

2. Forms of the Interview

For international applicants, if the applicant’s location has alumni, it is often a face-to-face interview, which can be at a coffee shop, a library, or some relaxed, public places.

If there are no local alumni, the interview is usually conducted in the form of an online interview, or you can choose to fly to the alumni location for a face-to-face interview. We would generally recommend a face-to-face conversation if it is feasible because the atmosphere will be more relaxed, and often better.

 

3. Content of the Interview

Most college interviewers will be aware not to put pressure on you so that you will feel that you are being assessed. Instead, they use the interview as a way to learn more about you than the paperwork application materials you have submitted. They usually don’t want you to be limited to specific interview questions, but want to discuss with you topics that you are passionate about, so that they can understand your personality.

The interviewer will also want to know about your academic situation and your future career pathways. With these extra information, it can help you determine if this university is right for you. Is it the best place to help achieve your goals? According to some university surveys, the interviewer seems to always help to improve the applicant’s qualifications, because the interview can more fully demonstrate the applicant’s potential.

The interviewer will also want to know about your academics and your future career pathways. This extra information can help the interviewer determine if this university is right for you and whether it is the best place to help achieve your goals? According to some university surveys, the interviewer seems to always help applicants to improve their competitiveness in application, because the interview can more fully demonstrate the applicant’s potential.

So first of all, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Relax your mind and be yourself is the most important factor for your interview success.

 

4. How to Prepare a US college admission interview

Preparing answers to some commonly seen questions is essential. For each question, we recommend that you take down some notes so that you can remember the points. But don’t try to write down and remember the answer completely. The way you speak in the interview should be conversational, not rehearsal. In addition, if you try to remember your own answer and forget your “line” in the interview, you will be confused and upset.

Mock interviews are definitely the most effective method. Practice your answers by asking others to ask you questions and answer them as you would do in the interview. Remember, you should try to be as specific and detailed as possible, and try to distinguish it from other interviewees.

For some of these questions, please read your main application materials, in particular the personal statement. Your personal statement may contain some details or stories that you can include in some of your answers.

There is no doubt that no matter how much you prepare, the interviewer may ask a question you didn’t think of. However, don’t be too nervous. Please try to give an honest, detailed answer. As long as you are full of ideas and expertise, you don’t have to worry about unprepared problems.

If you want to be able to respond to interviews more naturally and easily, besides looking for people with extensive interview experience, you can also ask a friend or parent to ask any questions related to you without your preparation in advance, and then naturally answer in a way you would do in an interview. It will make you more confident, more accustomed to talking about yourself in front of others, and better able to cope with any sudden problems.

 

Elite Admission Consulting provides unlimited mock interview services for all our clients.