23 Practice Questions to Help You Ace Your College Interviews

Don't forget to start off with a firm handshake and a warm, confident smile!

If you are trying to get into a prestigious school or are in the running for a valuable scholarship, you will probably be interviewed by someone associated with that school or scholarship very soon!  Don't panic -- just PREPARE.  A little preparation can go a long way!

One thing you can do that can really help is to get someone you are comfortable with to ask you typical interview questions so you can practice answering them out loud in a calm, enthusiastic, and confident way.  

Make sure to let your chosen partner know that it is okay for him or her to give you suggestions for improvement as he or she sees fit.  (Trust me, you WANT to know if you are coming off less than sincere, like a true bore, overly enthusiastic, or just plain full of yourself!)

Some common questions you might start with are:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Who or what has influenced you the most in your life?
  
• What are you thinking about studying in college?
• What are some of the most important activities in your life?
• What's important to you and why?
• What is a childhood memory that has influenced you?
• What's your most time-consuming activity?
• What are you most passionate about?
• Tell me about what you have done to make a difference in your clubs, activities, sports, etc.
  
• How has your family influenced you?
• What are your goals after college?
• What activities do you think you might get involved in during your college years?
• Why are you interested in our school?  What makes it a good fit for you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What current news story are you most concerned about?
• If you could sit down with any one person (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
• What is your "superpower"?
• Is there anything else you'd like to share about yourself?
• If you had the resources to attack one major problem in the world, what would it be?
• What's your greatest regret?
  
• What's your greatest accomplishment?
• Why do you think you deserve admittance/this scholarship over others?
• Do you have any questions? 
  

When you go to meet for your real interview, do your best to enjoy it.  Try to think of it as an opportunity to learn more and meet a new friend.  Look your interviewer in the eye, answer honestly, and be the best version of yourself possible!  You have worked hard to get where you are.  Now is the time to explain all you have done to get here!

Wishing you all the best and much success,
Katy Huller

Author of 28 Ways to Stand Out, Get Noticed, and (Hopefully) Get Into Top Colleges

28 Ways to Stand Out, Get Noticed, and (Hopefully) Get Into Top Colleges will help give middle school and early high school students an insight into what they need to do to increase their odds of getting into a TOP college. Filled with quick facts, helpful tips, and tons of actionable ideas, this book is a "must have" for any high-achieving student interested in finding a way to stand out from the thousands of other extremely bright students vying for his or her acceptance letter and/or scholarship award.