5 Interview Tips to Prepare You For College Interviews

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Interviews. Behind the literal word lies feelings and emotions—fear, anxiety, stress—that are unique to each individual. Anticipating a college interview can be daunting if you are unsure about how to prepare beforehand, what to wear, how to act, what to bring, how to respond, and so on. Below is a list of five interview tips to ease your worries.

Research, research, and yes, you most certainly guessed it, more research. Undoubtedly, investigating the university in advance of the actual interview can leave you thoroughly prepared. As you sift through countless pages of Google, read through the myriad of brochures that appear ceaselessly in the mail; converse about the university with students or alumni; search for specific aspects of the school that you particularly like and that cannot easily be found on the website. Be sure to document your findings in order to make the succeeding step more manageable.
Practice → preparedness → confidence. Experiencing a mock interview can be stressful to many students. It is imperative that you review everything on your resumé and make sure that you can confidently answer and elaborate on any questions related to activities that you have listed. There is a plethora of readily available resources through which you can find an endless number of potential college interview questions. To simulate an interview scenario beforehand is ideal, as you will go into the actual interview with more confidence and assurance of what the interview will be like.
Come up with insightful questions to ask.
At the end of the interview, you will be asked if you have any additional questions. This is NOT the time to say that you “are good.” By this juncture in the interview, you probably want to just leave and relax, but asking questions demonstrates interest and preparedness. Before the actual interview, compile a list of questions that you genuinely desire to learn the answers to and that you are unable to find online. If this university is a place you truly want to attend, where you can envision yourself spending the next four years, you ought to have at least a couple of unique questions that are specific to your interests.
What to wear/what not to wear. First impressions are the most lasting. In the college application process, the only in-person impression could be via the interview. With that in mind, your choice of attire has the potential to impact the interviewer’s impression of you, which would affect the success of the interview, thereby influencing the outcome of your application. Your clothing should not be a distraction from what you are saying; business casual is a safe place to start. Regarding guys, a long-sleeve, button down shirt that is tucked into slacks is sufficient. Girls should wear a high neckline top with no shorter than cap sleeves, a button down top, or a blouse, with nice pants or a knee-length skirt. For both guys and girls, wearing jeans to an interview is unprofessional, as is wearing sandals or flip flops. As for shoes, dress shoes are fine for guys, and heels or flats are acceptable for girls.
Be yourself. As cliché as this may sound, being yourself in a college interview is one of the more important, if not the most important, interview tips. While you may presume that the university at which you are being interviewed is the one and only school for you, the interviewer is trying to determine if you are the best fit for the school/student body. Sure, you most certainly can fake your way into a school, but will you truly be happy there? If you are denied admission following the interview, there is a strong likelihood that you simply were not a good fit for the school. It may be disappointing to realize this, but the university actually did you a favor, as the school might not have been a good match for you.

College interview tips are not limited to the ones suggested above. There are numerous sources on the internet that can provide you with additional useful information about everything that one would need to know and utilize before, during, and after that all-important college interview.