CMC Interview!

I have my Claremont Mckenna interview this weekend! What questions/experience should I expect and how should I prepare?

Don’t worry too much about it – interviews won’t make or break your application 99% of the time. Wear nice clothes (but not too nice…) and just be yourself. Try to look/act natural, and smile lots. :slight_smile:

Do a search here about interviewing. I believe @T26E4 has made an excellent thread on this topic. Remember that it is more a conversation than an interview. Let the interviewer take the lead, because they will. The tone will be casual, so be relaxed. Even my shy and quiet daughter found that she was okay interviewing, and she got into 9 colleges. Her tip is to be honest. If she was asked about what she read over the summer, for example, she would say why she did or didn’t like the book. She liked it when she was able to give an example of something she didn’t like because she felt it was more realistic and human than trying to be falsely ultra-positive the whole time. And no need to dress in a suit or really fancy clothes. Clean and neat are always good, but try to avoid jeans and tshirts, IMO.

Remember to explain the “why” to answers- don’t just give one word responses. Dress nicely, look clean, and be enthusiastic. Appearing happy and excited to talk with the interviewer is a big part of having it go well.
Also, really know the school inside and out. Do your research, and ask insightful questions.

Interview was pretty conversational to me. It was basically just a lot of getting to know you questions, but be sure you have the “Why CMC” pitch down.