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If you鈥檝e ever lain awake at night wondering about your college interviews, there鈥檚 good news: Most admissions interviews rely on a standard body of questions, and it鈥檚 no secret what they are.

Just knowing what questions you might be asked is helpful, of course, but it鈥檚 also a very good idea to practice answering them in a mock interview. Ask your guidance counselor, a parent, or even a friend to play the role of the admissions officer. Don鈥檛 worry about flubbing your answers on the first go鈥攖hat鈥檚 why you鈥檙e practicing! Just take a deep, slow breath, and start again.

When you respond to questions, don鈥檛 get too hung up on providing the perfect answer. Consider it more of an invitation into a topic area. Try to imagine you鈥檙e the interviewer. What answers would you like to hear? Why would they impress you? This is your opportunity to make a positive impression that can serve to balance out any weaknesses on your transcript. Any experienced admissions officer has a well-honed B.S. detector, so keep it honest.

Ready? Here goes:

Why are you interested in this school? and Why do you think you would be a good fit for this school? Be ready to answer these questions with a few specific examples of how your interests and abilities dovetail with the school鈥檚 culture and offerings.

What can you tell me about yourself? This question is your opportunity to showcase any admissions-worthy skills or interests that might not otherwise come up. If you confess that you鈥檙e a voracious reader and read when you鈥檙e supposed to be watching your brother鈥檚 basketball game, and that you鈥檙e excited about college because of all the reading, you鈥檒l get your interviewer鈥檚 attention. Be honest and be ready to back up your statements with supporting evidence.

What do you like to do in your free time? Hint: be honest, but not too honest when answering this one. Nobody is going to be impressed to hear that you spend 20 hours a week of quality time with your Xbox.

What would you like to know about us? If you do have a question, make sure it鈥檚 something that isn鈥檛 on the front page of the website or otherwise easily available in the literature. Something along the lines of 鈥渉ow does the reputation of your philosophy department compare with the reputation of your religious studies department?鈥� is a better pick.

Where do you see yourself 10 (or 20) years from now? The point of this question is not to find out whether you have a detailed plan, but to show that you think about the future. It鈥檚 okay to say 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure,鈥� but don鈥檛 just leave it there鈥攕uggest a couple possibilities of things you think you might do based on your current interests and activities. If you can relate those musings to opportunities you hope to get through college, all the better.

Why do you want to go to college? Don鈥檛 say 鈥渢o get a degree鈥� or 鈥渢o get a job鈥� or 鈥渢o make money鈥�. Of course you want these things; everyone does. Why else do you want to go to college? What excites you about learning?

Keep in mind that even though you鈥檙e extremely likely to be asked many (or most) or the questions on this list, you鈥檙e also likely to be asked a few questions unique to the school or to your individual application. Reread your application and review the basic college literature before heading to the interview. You might want to bone up on current events before your interview, too鈥攊f you can talk intelligently about a story you read in the newspaper that morning, you鈥檒l be sure to make a positive impression. Good luck!

Posted on 26 Oct

Elisabeth Bailey is a freelance writer and editor with particular interests in academics, food,and sustainability . She is also the author of A Taste of the Maritimes: Local, Seasonal Recipes the Whole Year Round and writes regularly for Canadian Farmers鈥� Almanac and the National Wildlife Federation. Elisabeth and her family live and enjoy great local food in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.