As a prior Interviewer for Harvard University’s admissions, I have had the privilege of talking to many qualified and brilliant Harvard candidates. In the wake of the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard lawsuit, some of the practices taught to Harvard alumni Interviewers in terms of what they should look for and how applicants are rated have been made public. However, the purpose of today’s article is to not dig into specifics revolving around Harvard University’s particular interview practices or revelations found in the recent court case. Instead, we will be focusing on what high school students should keep in mind when preparing for the college interviews. As many high school students will start receiving interview requests from the many public and private schools that they have applied to, here are some tips and thoughts to help ease students into the interview process and ensure they have as smooth an experience as possible.
Do NOT be scared or nervous.
Even though this may be easier to state than do for many students, this was something that is particularly emphasized to alum interviewers (from my personal experiences and from other interviewers’ accounts that I talked to). The main purpose of these interviews is to get to know the student better in aspects that are not covered in their written application. Students that walk into interviews overly anxious will oftentimes find themselves unable to speak or responding to questions with little elaboration. As a result of this, interviewers are told to be friendly to help students calm down, so that the student can act and feel natural when responding to the interview questions. Students should realize that most interviewers aren’t there to cast judgement. They are there simply to get to know their applicants better.
Not ALL interviews are important, but some are.
Many times, there is contradictory discussions that interviews will make or break a student’s chance for getting into a specific university. This is not at all the case, as the weight of the interview or even the role of the interview is different dependent on the university. Some universities like Harvard see it as another part of the applicant’s admissions portfolio, allowing the Admissions Officers to understand the personality and thoughts of the applicant better. In other universities, the interview process is purely an opportunity for the student to ask questions to the alum (and has no scoring metric or report to the university). In the end, interviews usually will never make or break the student’s application unless there are severe cases that may raise red flags for the interviewer.
Definitely know your scores (GPA, SAT / ACT, AP’s, etc.).
It may come to a surprise to some, but alum interviewers are usually not informed about the students’ records or background. This practice may vary based on each university, but expect that the interviewer will only know the student’s name and high school that they attend. During the interview process, I have seen students who do not know their scores at all. This provides a subtle negative impression to interviewers, as some may assume that students does not focus on their academic performance. It is best if students review and memorize their scores before going into the interviews.
Why do you want to come to our school?
This question is a common essay topic that some of the private schools ask when students are applying for admissions. That being stated, not all of them ask this question in their supplement, and interviewers sometimes ask this question. In particular, the purpose of this question is to screen applicants who are applying purely for the branding of schools, and to also understand the deeper motivations in the student. Even if the answer is not 100% perfect, the student should have a solid answer that should distinguish their specific interest in the university compared to others. Even a little preparation can go a long way towards helping create a desirable answer.
Trick question(s).
As a prior interviewer, I along with some of the interviewers have the tendency to ask an uncommon question to students. This is not to cause the student to panic or be concerned, but rather to see the student’s true personality. Many times, I am able to tell if students has done a lot preparation before the interview, making students seem disingenuous or systematic in responses. By creating a question such as -- “Tell me one time that you failed, and what did you do to change?” -- it allows me to see the students’ maturity and get more insight into students’ perspectives on life.
In the end of the day, it is important for students to be genuine with their responses and to not overprep. I wish students the best of luck with their interviews and their college decisions.
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