College Interview Prep

Most college interviews are evaluative — meaning the interviewer writes a report that goes into your file. They're rarely decisive — meaning a great interview won't save a weak file, and a weak interview won't sink a strong file. But they can move borderline cases either direction. Here's how to handle them well without overpreparing.

Alumni interview vs admissions-officer interview

Alumni interview

Most common type. Conducted by a graduate of the school in your geographic region (often by Zoom now). 30-60 minutes, typically informal. The alumni interviewer's report is one input among many; their report carries less weight than the application itself.

Admissions-officer interview

Less common, more weighty. Usually offered by schools to applicants who visited campus and signed up, or to specific subgroups (recruited athletes, scholarship competitors). Reports go directly to the admissions reader. Carries materially more weight than alumni reports.

Selection committee interview

Rare. Final-round scholarship competitions (Stamps, Robertson, Morehead-Cain, etc.) often have committee interviews — multiple interviewers asking probing questions. These genuinely affect the outcome.

What interviewers are evaluating

• Curiosity — do you ask substantive questions and engage with their answers?
• Self-awareness — can you articulate why you've made the choices you've made?
• Authenticity — does your voice match the file, or does it sound rehearsed?
• Fit signal — do you have specific reasons for wanting their school, beyond ranking?
• Maturity — can you handle a real conversation with an adult about substantive topics?

The 22 questions that actually come up

Universal openers (almost every interview)

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why do you want to attend [School]?
3. What do you want to study and why?
4. What's been the most meaningful thing you've done in high school?
5. What's an academic interest you've explored outside the classroom?

Common follow-ups

1. What would you contribute to our community?
2. Tell me about a challenge you've faced.
3. Tell me about a time you failed.
4. Who's an author / thinker / book that's shaped how you think?
5. What do you do for fun?
6. What's something you've changed your mind about recently?

School-specific questions you should be ready for

1. What other schools are you applying to? (Usually answer honestly; lying is detected and remembered.)
2. How would you describe yourself in three words?
3. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
4. What's a question I haven't asked that I should have?

Curveballs

1. What's a problem in the world you'd want to solve?
2. Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone.
3. What would your friends say is your greatest weakness?
4. If you weren't going to college, what would you do?
5. Pitch me on something you care about that I've never heard of.

The 'do you have any questions for me?' moment

ALWAYS have 2-3 prepared questions. Make them substantive (about the interviewer's experience, about specific programs, about how the school has changed). Avoid questions whose answers are on the website. Avoid 'what's your acceptance rate' — they don't decide acceptances and you should know the rate already.

What to wear (Zoom and in-person)

Business casual is the safe answer. Button-down shirt or sweater; no t-shirts or hoodies. Wear what you'd wear to meet a parent's friend for the first time. Don't overdress (no tie or blazer for a college interview unless the interviewer says it's expected); don't underdress.

Practical tactics

• Reread the school's website right before the interview. Specifically: news section, recent announcements, two or three programs you'd want to engage with.
• Bring (mentally) one specific course, one specific professor, one specific community element you'd want to engage with. Reference each at some point in the conversation.
• Have a 90-second answer for 'tell me about yourself.' Practice saying it out loud. The first 90 seconds frame the rest of the interview.
• Don't memorize answers. Memorized answers sound rehearsed, and admissions tunes them out. Outline what you'd say; let the actual phrasing emerge in the moment.
• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Two-paragraph maximum, mention something specific from the conversation, no generic 'thank you for your time.'

What to do if it goes badly

Don't panic. Most college interviews don't significantly affect outcomes; a single botched question rarely sinks a strong file. If you bombed an answer mid-interview, you can recover by saying 'let me restart that' and giving a better one. If the entire interview went poorly, focus your energy on strengthening the rest of the file rather than spiraling.