Can anyone give me more information regarding American University admissions and interviews? Can I contact my admissions representative and schedule an interview? Can my representative come to me? What type of question would I be asked?
Thank you!
When I was applying to American last year, I got an email form my admissions representative saying they were conducting “non-evaluative informational interviews”. Basically interviews to help get to know you and see how interested you are in the school. They gave me the locations and then you would have to register online to reserve a spot. I personally didn’t go to the interview but I had several classmates and friends go. From what they told me they were very general questions like
“What do you plan to study?”
“Why do you want to go to AU?”
“Tell us about some of you hobbies and activities.”
But the questions might differ from person to person. I would contact your admissions rep to see when they are conducting interviews in your area.
Also if I could offer one more piece of advice, if American is really your first choice and you your going to go there I would apply Early Decision. It shows how dedicated you are to the school, you get accepted early and they might give you more money. I hope this helps.
Thank you for the response! Did you receive the email in the summer or closer to applying in the fall?
I got the email in the beginning of October and it said the interviews would be conducted in the beginning of November.
Keep in mind that the interview is “non-evaluative”–the interview itself is not a part of the admissions process in that your application will not be affected by how well or poorly it goes. So it really doesn’t pay to worry over the whole thing. Just see it as an opportunity to get your questions answered. However, since AU values applicant interest so highly, the fact that you bother to arrange an interview in itself will count in your favor. Makes sense?
Get to know your local admissions representative, once you show interest they will let you know when they are coming to the area, both for college fairs and interviews. The more times you see them, the better. American is very yield sensitive lately and interest is a big deal for them. They are used as a safety by many, so they are trying to get smarter about who really wants to attend.