I have a college interview tomorrow. It’s with a Georgetown alumni. The interviewer wants me to bring samples of my writing, both essays and creative, and my resume. Anyone have any suggestions of things I should do tomorrow, shouldn’t do, etc.?
Relax. Make it clear you want to go to that college, but don’t go overboard with it (ie, threaten suicide if they don’t accept you, etc).
Resume and writing samples: Have a plain manilla folder, with your name on it, with these in there. Keeps them neat, organized, and presentable. If you’ve ever had anything published, bring that, and mention on it that it’s been published in so-and-so-publication, on whatever date.
Dress nicely. Probably not formally, but neat and somewhat conservatively - a skirt or nice khakis, decent shirt.
Again, don’t be nervous. Try to stay focused. I had a horrible, horrible interview when I was applying for colleges - it was over the phone, which made it hard for me to begin with. And about ten minutes before the guy called, I got a call from another school (more or less my first choice) saying I’d been accepted. I was not focused for the phone interview.
And, of course: Sell yourself. Make yourself sound good. Not arrogant, but don’t hesitate to point out "Hey, I did this, this, and this.’
Ask questions. Even if you already know the answer, it shows interest.
Best of luck!
Ask questions about extracurricular activities and diversity- both of those are buzzwords to interviewers.
Have a reason why you want to go there besides the prestige.
Tell them why you would be good for this school besides your grades. I’m sure they are looking at tons of kids with perfect grades. Why you?
Avoid the same things you are supposed to avoid in your essay- talking about your girlfriend, talking about how the most important thing to you is honors club and mathletes, or the trip to Paris your parents took you on. Instead tell them about the time you made a movie, or the time you taught your immigrant neighbor English, or when you got your cheesewax sculptures shown in a gallary- anything that is interesting or unique.
I’m applying to colleges too, so I have no idea if my techniques are effective or not, but I think the best thing to do is relax and be yourself. Your interviewer isn’t out to grill you, they’re just looking for interesting things about you that will help your application to stand out. Also, don’t tell really bizzare stories. My first college interview, I started telling the guy the basic plot of song cycles: artist falls in love with girl, girl totally disses guy, guy kills himself. :smack: Not the best topic to bring up.
Interviewing for college or a career is really the same thing. In any interview you want to impress the interviewer so the question is how bad do you want it? Do you want to get into the university/college or even that dream job?
The most important thing is homework! Research, research, and research your educational institution or future company. Interviewers look to see if you have done your homework. The questions you ask will tell the interviewer quite a bit, so find out as much as you can. Remember you are interviewing them too.
After all of this, you are prepared for any question that may be asked and you know you have done everything you can. Good Luck!! 