Practice Interviews

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Warming Up for the Hot Seat

Before your child does the real thing, she may want to try a practice interview. Your child can invite a family member or friend to practice with her. Each person can take turns as the interviewer and the interviewee. That way, your child becomes accustomed to both asking and answering questions.

Who should practice with your child? Some students are more open to suggestions for improvement from someone other than a parent. A family friend, an aunt or uncle, or an older friend might be a good candidate. You may want to share the benefit of your own interviewing experiences with your child before she gets started. Here are some suggestions to make this process as helpful as it can be for your child.

Don't Memorize Responses

Your child should have some starting points for an interviewer's answers and questions. Memorizing a speech so she sounds like a robot won't be helpful, though. Your child should preserve her spontaneity and her ability to respond to the interviewer as a real, live person.

Know What to Expect

Very often, the questions most asked by college interviewers remain the same at different schools. Admissions staff just wants to make sure that your child can speak intelligently about grades, scores, and goals. They'll ask your child questions like:

Why do you want to attend our university?
What will you contribute?
What courses have you enjoyed most?
Are your grades an accurate reflection of your potential?
Which one of your activities is most rewarding and why?
What has been your biggest achievement?
What's your opinion on [fill in current event]?
How did you spend last summer?
What do you want to do after you graduate from college?
What's the most difficult situation you've faced?
If you could change one thing about your high school, what would it be?

When the Questions Are Tough

"Can you conduct this entire interview without using the word 'I'?" There isn't any way to prepare for a curve-ball question except to recognize that the possibility exists. If your child gets frazzled, she can say "I'll have to think that over. Is it okay if I write you about this?" Your child should remember that it's much better to say "I don't know" than to pretend to be an expert.

The First Interview

Your child should consider scheduling her first interview at a college where her chances of admission are high, a "safety" school. This gives your child a taste of the real thing without the pressure. Save the interviews at your child's "reach" colleges for when she has gained experience and confidence. This is something to consider when your family plans college visits.