by Steve Ahn, copyright 2015
As an admissions interviewer for an Ivy and a non-Ivy school, I’m disappointed whenever I interview an applicant who is probably a strong student but doesn’t interview well. Before you rationalize “Well that’s ok; the interview is just a small part,” here’s a big secret: The interview matters.
A lot
And it’s becoming increasingly important and will continue to become so. From an admissions perspective, every application generally comprises three main categorical parts: performance, essays, and the interview. Though it’s logical to assume performance (i.e. transcript, standardized tests, activities, and distinctions) should be the predominant factor, its weight ranges only from about a quarter to a third. That’s not to say performance is relatively unimportant. On the contrary, think of outstanding performance as a first hurdle. Unfortunately for students, there is such an abundance of students with outstanding performance, once certain performance standards are met, colleges focus less on the application and more on the applicant – as a person. The only way colleges can further evaluate and differentiate applicants as people then is by the essay and the interview. This explains why colleges are interviewing a growing percentage of applicants each year. For example, Ivy Leaguer UPenn last year interviewed 75% of its over 35,000 applicants. This year, it strives to interview 100%! This also explains why so many students who achieve a perfect score on the SAT or are their class valedictorian do not get accepted. Harvard for example routinely rejects about 50% of perfect-SAT applicants and a greater percentage of valedictorians.
Rather than describe interviewing “do’s and dont’s” that every applicant should already know from the many available books and websites including the college’s own websites, I’ll make some suggestions from a college interviewer’s perspective that I feel are not well known.
First, prepare to answer the four most common questions that all schools especially amongst the Ivy League and extremely competitive schools ask in the interview. They are (i) “why us?” (ii) “how will you fit?” (iii) “what else?” and (iv) “any questions?” Already prepared? Think again – from our perspective.
“Why us?” is the most commonly weakly answered question. It is your chance to show how you understand the unique opportunities that the college offers. Every interviewer loves to hear how great and unique their school is. The “great” part is easy, but don’t make the common mistake of mentioning rankings or reputation. You will immediately be labeled a “free-rider”, which is admissions committee slang for the student who wants to benefit from a school’s reputation without contributing to it. Explaining the “unique” part is also easy but often messed up. All colleges at some level are the same – they all have nice buildings, smart professors, and lousy parking. Ultimately, uniqueness boils down to the people (including how many there are) – students, faculty, and others you can interact with via classes, activities, and organizations. The learning environment is mostly defined by the synergy of the people and supported by (not defined by) the infrastructure and resources. Show that you understand this in the interview. Location can matter but should be a uniqueness factor not for lifestyle reasons but for opportunistic reasons for example in cities like New York, Boston, and D.C. General academics at the undergraduate level are usually not extremely unique, so don’t make the mistake of over-claiming “the renown history department” as your singular reason. Certain academic programming opportunities can be unique though – for example, the opportunity to enroll in graduate level courses as an undergraduate, or a required research project supervised by a senior professor in conjunction with a government official, or an accelerated hybrid undergraduate/graduate program in preparation for medical school. The founding principles or enabling objectives of a college can also be a unique factor. At the risk of over-generalizing, some colleges are oriented a bit more towards vocation (Wharton) or utility (Stanford), some more to liberal arts studies (Yale) or theory & research (Harvard), and so on with religion, gender, ethnicity, military etc. The key is to answer with a multitude of unique reasons that reflect your well thought out interest in the school. Rely on a preponderance of reasons, not a few. If you bet on only one or two reasons and your interviewer isn’t convinced, then you’re dead.
“How will you fit?” is the most commonly failed part of the interview. It is a veiled multi-part question looking for how you will perform academically, how you will integrate yourself as part of the learning community and network, and how you will contribute as a student and future alumnus/ae – and I don’t mean financially.
How you will perform is easy to explain but often mis-answered. Don’t sound arrogant expecting to be at the top of the incoming freshman class, and don’t naively expect to be able to buddy up with any Nobel laureates or other notable faculty or alumni. Show how you go beyond working hard and being smart, and explain how you would take advantage of academic opportunities that go beyond the standard curriculum. Your high school record should indicate this. Ideally, a student should express near-frustration at never having been challenged enough despite dual enrollment, learning subjects at the advanced placement level, or doing independent research that extended beyond expectations at the high school level. Expressing interest in a college’s opportunities for independent study, directed research, dual-enrollment in the graduate school, extra-curricular learning opportunities, cross-enrollment with affiliate colleges, and study abroad show this intellectual eagerness.
How you will integrate yourself is the easiest to explain and is a great opportunity to show off how well you know the school’s clubs, extra-curricular activities, and pre-professional organizations. Show your fun loving side but don’t go overboard. Temper it with your intellectual curiosity, leadership & team-orientation, and overall enthusiastic friendly mature personality. Don’t ever joke about setting new records at Kegs-on-the-Quad or winning the unofficial Winter Naked Run. Discuss fraternities and sororities only in the context of networking, social opportunities, and altruism; we already know the party stuff – after all, a lot of us went Greek once upon a time.
Next, how you will contribute is often missed by interviewees because they don’t think of it. Consider from the college’s point of view: why should they admit someone who will simply attend? A student comes, drops his dime, studies, participates, and then leaves. Speaking of parties, would you invite someone to a party who’ll just come, eat a few chips, chat with a friend, and leave? Think about what you contribute to the college through its extra-curricular opportunities, how you might be compelled to work with others to initiate something new, how you might want to pursue hybrid studies for which there are currently no course offerings. Think of the four undergraduate years as just a start to a lifelong community you’re joining, and consider how you would exemplify a product of the university for many years after graduating. That is your lasting contribution. Are you special because you went to XYZ University or is XYZ University special because you went there? Selective colleges don’t want folks who don’t know the right answer.
“What else?” is the most commonly missed opportunity of the interview. It is your opportunity to show the admissions committee who you are as a human being beyond the rest of your application. A common mistake is to rehash grades, test scores, and courses. Another is to go through activities and awards. The worst is to summarize an essay answer. All this adds nothing to your candidacy and is a lost opportunity, which effectively hurts you compared to other applicants who do in fact open up in a way not evidenced in their application. That’s not to say you have to mention things that are not mentioned anywhere in your application per se. After all, everything significant should indeed be in your application somewhere. What you should do is go into greater depth and detail from a different perspective. For example, if your application is replete with your expertise as a competitive high school cheerleader – yes, it really is a sport (!) – describe your journey starting in kindergarten with tap then switching to ballet then switching to gymnastics then pursuing competitive cheer all the while describing challenges you overcame and how it built your character. If you held a lot of class-wide positions, for example as an elected student council rep, then drill team leader, then debate team captain, then class vice president – describe how you are actually a shy introvert but have an ambitious opportunistic side that is constantly seeking to make a broader impact to your surroundings. Think of the essays that you thought of writing but ended up not writing because you were limited by the number of essay submissions.
“Any questions?” is the most commonly self-destructive part of the interview. Of course it is a sincere opportunity that the interviewer is offering to provide more information, but always remember that you are constantly being evaluated and in this case, based on the questions you ask. It shocks me that applicants still make the fatal error of asking a superficial question that is often answered on the website. And by fatal, I mean it – I’d guess a quarter of interviews end – and not in the good way – within the first five minutes. Another quarter probably ends in the next five minutes. The “any questions?” part of the interview is when you show how mature you are and how you can engage the interviewer on a contemplative peer-like level. Never ask “canned questions”, admissions committee slang for arbitrary, generic questions.
Never the less, here are some good canned-but-not-really-canned questions.
The most natural and logical first question is to ask the interviewer to tell you more about him/herself. Listen carefully and either ask whatever other relevant questions come to mind based on his/her answer or ask (the next canned-but-not-really-canned question) how he/she felt attending the college enabled him/her to get to where he/she is now. Again, listen carefully and either ask whatever other relevant questions come to mind based on his/her answer or ask (the next canned-but-not-really-canned question) if he/she would’ve done anything differently given the chance to redo the college experience. If you still can’t think of an interactive followup question, what should be your last canned-but-not-really-canned question is to ask the interviewer how he/she thinks the university is changing and will continue to change. At this point, you should be listening carefully enough and thinking ahead of time for more followup questions if there is even time left. Finally, and this is yet another landmine applicants often step on, the interviewer will typically wrap up the interview by asking if there is any last remaining pressing question you have. Unless you truly have such a question, resist the temptation of trying to look for more questions to ask and don’t be afraid to simply say, “I’d love to pick your brain forever, but I don’t have any more questions at this time that are really pressing,” and thank them for the opportunity to talk about your interest in the college. Too many candidates self-destruct with shallow, panicky, superficial questions that often reek of desperation – which of course being at the end can leave the most lasting impression. Kaboom.
Now that you’re prepared to successfully answer the four most common interview questions, work secondly on your demeanor. This is the only way to prepare for questions that you cannot prepare for – you know, the quirky ones from snarky interviewers, which I hate to admit are out there. Also, consider that more than 80% of communication is non-verbal – this is also why you should always opt for in-person or at least video-Skype and never just phone. If you don’t have a webcam, go buy one.
First, relax. If your voice shakes, then skip the morning coffee. If you shake, then jog or rearrange heavy furniture in your room. If your voice cracks, suck on a Lifesaver. If your stomach growls, eat beforehand. Second, command presence – be poised, mature, and look confident. Keep your chin up. Sit up but don’t sit on the edge of your seat, leaning forward with hands on your knees like a short-stop. Then again, don’t lounge back and sprawl like you’re saving a big table at Starbucks. Sit back in your chair and cup your hands together – don’t make fists or grip the armrests like you’re on a bungee-ball ride. Third, be expressive and connect. Smile, use your hands, smile, widen your eyes if you say something surprising, make that sideways “not impressed” smirk if you’re making a self critical remark – and smile. Show that you are comfortably and confidently enjoying the interview like it’s a conversation. Be enthusiastic; don’t speak in monotone. Don’t break eye contact too frequently but avoid the creepy-stare. Fourth, be contemplative in your delivery. Don’t jump into an answer like you’re on Family Feud. Academic high-achievers are the worst about this, so anxious to show they have the right answer to every question. Along those lines, never start answering a question before the interviewer finishes asking the question. Yes, you read that correctly – I get a lot of those. Also, pause for a split-second especially if you are discussing something profound or if you are thrown a strange curveball type of question. Don’t be afraid to think out loud – “Gee, I never thought about what type of fruit my personality most closely resembles.” Don’t ramble or talk too fast. Don’t fear silence. Overall and most importantly and effectively, in working on your demeanor, practice with a mock interview and video yourself. You’ll be surprised at what you see. Colleges look for maturity, confidence, prudence, and to a reasonable degree professionalism, so practice and make sure you see the same things in your practice video.
Though the most common official advice that all college recruiters give (and have to give) is to just be yourself, I suggest you take a highly methodical, tactical, and thoroughly researched approach to your interview preparation – while being yourself.
Steve Ahn is an admissions application reviewer and interviewer for Emory University and the University of Pennsylvania / Wharton and a college consultant. He also leads seminars on college planning, application content, essays, and interviewing. Read more about him at www.abacustd.com/SAteaching or contact him at steven.ahn@emory.edu.
As an admissions interviewer for an Ivy and a non-Ivy school, I’m disappointed whenever I interview an applicant who is probably a strong student but doesn’t interview well. Before you rationalize “Well that’s ok; the interview is just a small part,” here’s a big secret: The interview matters.
A lot
And it’s becoming increasingly important and will continue to become so. From an admissions perspective, every application generally comprises three main categorical parts: performance, essays, and the interview. Though it’s logical to assume performance (i.e. transcript, standardized tests, activities, and distinctions) should be the predominant factor, its weight ranges only from about a quarter to a third. That’s not to say performance is relatively unimportant. On the contrary, think of outstanding performance as a first hurdle. Unfortunately for students, there is such an abundance of students with outstanding performance, once certain performance standards are met, colleges focus less on the application and more on the applicant – as a person. The only way colleges can further evaluate and differentiate applicants as people then is by the essay and the interview. This explains why colleges are interviewing a growing percentage of applicants each year. For example, Ivy Leaguer UPenn last year interviewed 75% of its over 35,000 applicants. This year, it strives to interview 100%! This also explains why so many students who achieve a perfect score on the SAT or are their class valedictorian do not get accepted. Harvard for example routinely rejects about 50% of perfect-SAT applicants and a greater percentage of valedictorians.
Rather than describe interviewing “do’s and dont’s” that every applicant should already know from the many available books and websites including the college’s own websites, I’ll make some suggestions from a college interviewer’s perspective that I feel are not well known.
First, prepare to answer the four most common questions that all schools especially amongst the Ivy League and extremely competitive schools ask in the interview. They are (i) “why us?” (ii) “how will you fit?” (iii) “what else?” and (iv) “any questions?” Already prepared? Think again – from our perspective.
“Why us?” is the most commonly weakly answered question. It is your chance to show how you understand the unique opportunities that the college offers. Every interviewer loves to hear how great and unique their school is. The “great” part is easy, but don’t make the common mistake of mentioning rankings or reputation. You will immediately be labeled a “free-rider”, which is admissions committee slang for the student who wants to benefit from a school’s reputation without contributing to it. Explaining the “unique” part is also easy but often messed up. All colleges at some level are the same – they all have nice buildings, smart professors, and lousy parking. Ultimately, uniqueness boils down to the people (including how many there are) – students, faculty, and others you can interact with via classes, activities, and organizations. The learning environment is mostly defined by the synergy of the people and supported by (not defined by) the infrastructure and resources. Show that you understand this in the interview. Location can matter but should be a uniqueness factor not for lifestyle reasons but for opportunistic reasons for example in cities like New York, Boston, and D.C. General academics at the undergraduate level are usually not extremely unique, so don’t make the mistake of over-claiming “the renown history department” as your singular reason. Certain academic programming opportunities can be unique though – for example, the opportunity to enroll in graduate level courses as an undergraduate, or a required research project supervised by a senior professor in conjunction with a government official, or an accelerated hybrid undergraduate/graduate program in preparation for medical school. The founding principles or enabling objectives of a college can also be a unique factor. At the risk of over-generalizing, some colleges are oriented a bit more towards vocation (Wharton) or utility (Stanford), some more to liberal arts studies (Yale) or theory & research (Harvard), and so on with religion, gender, ethnicity, military etc. The key is to answer with a multitude of unique reasons that reflect your well thought out interest in the school. Rely on a preponderance of reasons, not a few. If you bet on only one or two reasons and your interviewer isn’t convinced, then you’re dead.
“How will you fit?” is the most commonly failed part of the interview. It is a veiled multi-part question looking for how you will perform academically, how you will integrate yourself as part of the learning community and network, and how you will contribute as a student and future alumnus/ae – and I don’t mean financially.
How you will perform is easy to explain but often mis-answered. Don’t sound arrogant expecting to be at the top of the incoming freshman class, and don’t naively expect to be able to buddy up with any Nobel laureates or other notable faculty or alumni. Show how you go beyond working hard and being smart, and explain how you would take advantage of academic opportunities that go beyond the standard curriculum. Your high school record should indicate this. Ideally, a student should express near-frustration at never having been challenged enough despite dual enrollment, learning subjects at the advanced placement level, or doing independent research that extended beyond expectations at the high school level. Expressing interest in a college’s opportunities for independent study, directed research, dual-enrollment in the graduate school, extra-curricular learning opportunities, cross-enrollment with affiliate colleges, and study abroad show this intellectual eagerness.
How you will integrate yourself is the easiest to explain and is a great opportunity to show off how well you know the school’s clubs, extra-curricular activities, and pre-professional organizations. Show your fun loving side but don’t go overboard. Temper it with your intellectual curiosity, leadership & team-orientation, and overall enthusiastic friendly mature personality. Don’t ever joke about setting new records at Kegs-on-the-Quad or winning the unofficial Winter Naked Run. Discuss fraternities and sororities only in the context of networking, social opportunities, and altruism; we already know the party stuff – after all, a lot of us went Greek once upon a time.
Next, how you will contribute is often missed by interviewees because they don’t think of it. Consider from the college’s point of view: why should they admit someone who will simply attend? A student comes, drops his dime, studies, participates, and then leaves. Speaking of parties, would you invite someone to a party who’ll just come, eat a few chips, chat with a friend, and leave? Think about what you contribute to the college through its extra-curricular opportunities, how you might be compelled to work with others to initiate something new, how you might want to pursue hybrid studies for which there are currently no course offerings. Think of the four undergraduate years as just a start to a lifelong community you’re joining, and consider how you would exemplify a product of the university for many years after graduating. That is your lasting contribution. Are you special because you went to XYZ University or is XYZ University special because you went there? Selective colleges don’t want folks who don’t know the right answer.
“What else?” is the most commonly missed opportunity of the interview. It is your opportunity to show the admissions committee who you are as a human being beyond the rest of your application. A common mistake is to rehash grades, test scores, and courses. Another is to go through activities and awards. The worst is to summarize an essay answer. All this adds nothing to your candidacy and is a lost opportunity, which effectively hurts you compared to other applicants who do in fact open up in a way not evidenced in their application. That’s not to say you have to mention things that are not mentioned anywhere in your application per se. After all, everything significant should indeed be in your application somewhere. What you should do is go into greater depth and detail from a different perspective. For example, if your application is replete with your expertise as a competitive high school cheerleader – yes, it really is a sport (!) – describe your journey starting in kindergarten with tap then switching to ballet then switching to gymnastics then pursuing competitive cheer all the while describing challenges you overcame and how it built your character. If you held a lot of class-wide positions, for example as an elected student council rep, then drill team leader, then debate team captain, then class vice president – describe how you are actually a shy introvert but have an ambitious opportunistic side that is constantly seeking to make a broader impact to your surroundings. Think of the essays that you thought of writing but ended up not writing because you were limited by the number of essay submissions.
“Any questions?” is the most commonly self-destructive part of the interview. Of course it is a sincere opportunity that the interviewer is offering to provide more information, but always remember that you are constantly being evaluated and in this case, based on the questions you ask. It shocks me that applicants still make the fatal error of asking a superficial question that is often answered on the website. And by fatal, I mean it – I’d guess a quarter of interviews end – and not in the good way – within the first five minutes. Another quarter probably ends in the next five minutes. The “any questions?” part of the interview is when you show how mature you are and how you can engage the interviewer on a contemplative peer-like level. Never ask “canned questions”, admissions committee slang for arbitrary, generic questions.
Never the less, here are some good canned-but-not-really-canned questions.
The most natural and logical first question is to ask the interviewer to tell you more about him/herself. Listen carefully and either ask whatever other relevant questions come to mind based on his/her answer or ask (the next canned-but-not-really-canned question) how he/she felt attending the college enabled him/her to get to where he/she is now. Again, listen carefully and either ask whatever other relevant questions come to mind based on his/her answer or ask (the next canned-but-not-really-canned question) if he/she would’ve done anything differently given the chance to redo the college experience. If you still can’t think of an interactive followup question, what should be your last canned-but-not-really-canned question is to ask the interviewer how he/she thinks the university is changing and will continue to change. At this point, you should be listening carefully enough and thinking ahead of time for more followup questions if there is even time left. Finally, and this is yet another landmine applicants often step on, the interviewer will typically wrap up the interview by asking if there is any last remaining pressing question you have. Unless you truly have such a question, resist the temptation of trying to look for more questions to ask and don’t be afraid to simply say, “I’d love to pick your brain forever, but I don’t have any more questions at this time that are really pressing,” and thank them for the opportunity to talk about your interest in the college. Too many candidates self-destruct with shallow, panicky, superficial questions that often reek of desperation – which of course being at the end can leave the most lasting impression. Kaboom.
Now that you’re prepared to successfully answer the four most common interview questions, work secondly on your demeanor. This is the only way to prepare for questions that you cannot prepare for – you know, the quirky ones from snarky interviewers, which I hate to admit are out there. Also, consider that more than 80% of communication is non-verbal – this is also why you should always opt for in-person or at least video-Skype and never just phone. If you don’t have a webcam, go buy one.
First, relax. If your voice shakes, then skip the morning coffee. If you shake, then jog or rearrange heavy furniture in your room. If your voice cracks, suck on a Lifesaver. If your stomach growls, eat beforehand. Second, command presence – be poised, mature, and look confident. Keep your chin up. Sit up but don’t sit on the edge of your seat, leaning forward with hands on your knees like a short-stop. Then again, don’t lounge back and sprawl like you’re saving a big table at Starbucks. Sit back in your chair and cup your hands together – don’t make fists or grip the armrests like you’re on a bungee-ball ride. Third, be expressive and connect. Smile, use your hands, smile, widen your eyes if you say something surprising, make that sideways “not impressed” smirk if you’re making a self critical remark – and smile. Show that you are comfortably and confidently enjoying the interview like it’s a conversation. Be enthusiastic; don’t speak in monotone. Don’t break eye contact too frequently but avoid the creepy-stare. Fourth, be contemplative in your delivery. Don’t jump into an answer like you’re on Family Feud. Academic high-achievers are the worst about this, so anxious to show they have the right answer to every question. Along those lines, never start answering a question before the interviewer finishes asking the question. Yes, you read that correctly – I get a lot of those. Also, pause for a split-second especially if you are discussing something profound or if you are thrown a strange curveball type of question. Don’t be afraid to think out loud – “Gee, I never thought about what type of fruit my personality most closely resembles.” Don’t ramble or talk too fast. Don’t fear silence. Overall and most importantly and effectively, in working on your demeanor, practice with a mock interview and video yourself. You’ll be surprised at what you see. Colleges look for maturity, confidence, prudence, and to a reasonable degree professionalism, so practice and make sure you see the same things in your practice video.
Though the most common official advice that all college recruiters give (and have to give) is to just be yourself, I suggest you take a highly methodical, tactical, and thoroughly researched approach to your interview preparation – while being yourself.
Steve Ahn is an admissions application reviewer and interviewer for Emory University and the University of Pennsylvania / Wharton and a college consultant. He also leads seminars on college planning, application content, essays, and interviewing. Read more about him at www.abacustd.com/SAteaching or contact him at steven.ahn@emory.edu.
