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Ace Your College Admissions Interview in 60 Seconds
By
Will Geiger
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.
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For high school seniors, the time between Thanksgiving Day and January 1st is truly the homestretch. One part of the admissions or scholarship application process that you may encounter is the often dreaded college admissions interview. Here are some quick tips that will allow you to nail your interview:
- My best suggestion is to be yourself. Remember, the interview is just going to be a conversation and the interviewer will help steer that conversation
- Start off with a firm handshake and introduce yourself by name
- Make eye contact and try to give examples in your responses (so instead of saying “I like science,” give an example of your favorite lab or discuss a project that was engaging)
- Come prepared with 2-3 questions that you can’t find on Google. A few good questions are: ” “What is your favorite thing about X College?” or “If you could change something about X College, what would it be and why?”
If you want to do some extra prep, here are 15 specific questions you should be ready for.