College Interviews: Tips and Tricks

Welcome to interview season!

We’re getting a lot of questions this month about college interviews. What is the purpose of admissions interviews? When do they take place? Are they informational or evaluative? On campus or virtual? How much weight do they carry? Will I be interviewed by a current student? An alum? An admissions officer?

COLLEGE INTERVIEWS: TIPS AND TRICKS

In our recent blog post, Crush the College Interview , Top Tier Admission Senior Private Counselor (and former Cornell University admissions officer), Heidi Steinmetz Lovette, broke down the purpose and evolution of admissions interviews and the impact they can have on your admissions outcomes. Take a look at the FAQs, including Heidi’s important reminder: “Always write a thank you note (email is fine) – you would not believe how often that gets reported in the interview summary.”

TTA Top Tip:

Look up the campus newspaper online before you visit and read the headlines from the previous few days. What are the big student issues? You can weave these issues into your questions to show your engagement with the school.

COLLEGE INTERVIEWS: HOW TO PREP

Curious to learn more about how to prepare for a virtual interview? Dr. Eliza Fox has shared her Top Tips for Virtual College Admission Interviews. The good news: you can absolutely have a strong interview over Zoom!

TTA Top Tip:

As part of your interview prep, we suggest preparing your supplemental essays for each school. A well-crafted response to a college’s “why” essay will help you answer their question in real time: “What makes you a good fit for our school?”

COLLEGE INTERVIEWS THIS SUMMER

We’ve compiled a sample list of colleges and universities that are offering college interviews this summer. If there’s a college or university not listed offering interviews, please let us know in the Comments and we’ll be sure to add.

• Bryn Mawr College – On-campus, virtual, or on-the-road with Admissions Officer
• Carleton College – Virtual or in-person with alumni, current student, or admissions officer
• Case Western Reserve University – Virtual interviews with admin staff
• Claremont McKenna College – On-campus with Admission Officers or Senior Interviewers
• Colgate University – Virtual with current student or alumni
• College of the Holy Cross – In-person and virtually with Admission Counselor
• College of William and Mary – Alumni interviews
• Colorado College – Virtual or in-person with current students and alumni
• Connecticut College – On-campus or online with Admission Representative
• Franklin and Marshall College – Virtual with Admission Staff
• Gettysburg College – On-campus or virtual with Admissions Staff
• Grinnell College – Virtual with Senior Interviewer or Admission Counselor
• Hamilton College – Virtual with Admissions officers or Hamilton senior
• Harvey Mudd College – Virtual with Admissions Counselor, senior intern, or alumni
• Haverford College – Virtual with member of Admissions Staff or Senior Interviewer
• Kenyon College – Virtual with current student
• Lafayette College – On-campus and virtual with Admissions Director or Senior Interviewer
• Lawrence University – Virtual with Admissions Counselor
• Macalester College – Virtual with Admissions Staff starting August 1
• Mount Holyoke College – Virtual with Senior Admission Ambassador or alumni
• Oberlin College – Virtual with admissions staff, current student, or alumni
• Occidental College – Virtual, more details in August
• Penn State University – University Park- Virtual with admissions counselor
• Pepperdine University – On-campus, virtual, or regional interviews with admission representatives
• Pitzer College – Virtual with current seniors
• Rhodes College – With your regional Admissions Counselor
• Rice University – Virtual interviews with admissions office starting in August
• Scripps College – Virtual with Admissions Officer or current senior
• Sewanee -The University of the South – Virtual with Regional Counselor
• Smith College – Virtual with Admission Counselor or alumni
• St. Lawrence University – On-campus or virtual with Admissions Office
• Swarthmore College – Virtual with Swarthmore Admissions Fellow
• Syracuse University – Virtual with admissions representatives starting in late June
• Trinity College – On-campus, in-person, or online with Admissions Office
• Union College – Online with senior interns
• University of Richmond – Virtual with alumni or current student
• Washington and Lee University – Virtual with Admissions Staff
• Washington University in St. Louis – Current students or alumni
• Whitman College – Virtual interviews with Admissions Officer or Senior Admission Intern

COLLEGE INTERVIEWS: WOW FACTOR

Looking to knock the socks off any college admissions officer that reads your essays this fall? If so, we can help ensure your college essays are compelling and authentic to your unique voice! Purchase your 5-, 10- or 15-hour Essay Guidance Program today and work with our Top Tier counselors to WOW admissions officers.

Don’t simply take our word for it… here’s what a couple of our previous families had to say:

“I am thrilled with my results and I’m so thankful to have worked with you. Honestly couldn’t have done it without you. I was accepted to Northeastern, Boston University (Presidential Scholarship), UNC Chapel Hill, University of Michigan, Ross Business School, UC Davis and the University of Chicago! I’ve committed to UChicago!” –H.W., Essay Guidance Program student

“T received a letter for those who’d been accepted to Harvard. At the end of it, a handwritten paragraph was added by the individual who was T’s reader and who then presented her to the entire committee. She commented on how she saw T’s interest in art history throughout all aspects of her application and how impressive it was how everything tied together. We immediately looked at one another and said, “That was Top Tier!” Bottom line – hats off to your team! I can’t imagine where we would be without you!” –Essay Guidance Program parent