I’m interviewing at Smith next month and it will be my first interview. Smith is not my first choice, so I’m worried that I won’t be able to talk as much about why I want to go there than I could for my top school (Barnard). So, how should I handle that? Any other tips for first-time interviewees?
bump?
buuuump
Nobody can answer this but you. Learn a lot more than you currently know about Smith. learn about the amazing women who have graduated from Smith. If you know more you will have more to say.
Some things would be:
–Be prepared and go in knowing what you like about Smith, what you can bring to the school etc. It does not have to be your top choice to do this. There have to be reasons why you are choosing to apply there. My D interviewed at schools that were not her top choice and was able to make each school understand why she was genuinely interested.
–Have some questions prepared that cannot be answered by looking at the website
–If you have a resume prepared, bring it. It is a good jumping off point for conversation.
–Dress appropriately. Usually business casual is the standard. Nothing too short, too revealing etc.
–Be there a few minutes early.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/smith-college/630587-smith-interview-questions.html
In general for any interview
- Know why you are applying to that school
- For Smith, why an all female school?
- Have questions for the interviewer
- Bring a copy of your resume
- If they ask you what book you are currently reading, have one in mind
It may be your 1st actual interview, but it shouldn’t be your 1st interview experience! Do some practice interviews first; with friends, your parents, your GC if they are willing. You can find lists with examples of college interview questions on the web that you can print out and give to them as suggested questions. Don’t expect the real interview will ask those exact questions, though, so this isn’t like rehearsing for a play but more about getting over initial nervousness and developing answers to broad areas.
A college interview is a lot like a job interview, and there are plenty of books covering job interviewing. The key isn’t to memorize answers to every possible question, but rather to have themes that you develop in the interview. This takes some thought ahead of time of how you’d answer questions in various areas, which will be covered in interview books or web resources.
You can expect open-ended questions, often intentionally vague (such as “tell me about yourself”), and they’ll look to see how you choose to answer. So rather than a direct “Why Smith?” question, for example, a skilled interviewer as part of your conversation may instead ask “Sally, you’re going to apply to a lot of colleges. What are some of the things most important things to you in making a decision from your offers?”