High school students who submit college applications already know that a follow-up interview is oftentimes part of the process for some schools and most scholarships, but there’s no reason to get nervous about this step. In fact, the college interview (and scholarship interview) often has some of the same questions asked, regardless of what school or scholarship it is for, so once you prepare for certain questions, it’ll make the entire process a lot less stressful. To get familiar with some of the questions that are likely to be asked in your own interview, below are 25 admissions counselor interview questions to consider and prepare for.
- Why Do You Want to Go to School Here?
This is a common question, and you should answer it honestly. Hopefully, prospective students will have researched the school to find out what it excels in and analyzed that information to determine how it pertains to the student’s own aspirations and makes for a good-fit school setting. The school might be known for certain academic programs or for preparing students for a specific career path, which could be mentioned in the student’s answer. A college admissions counselor wants to hear that the school has a great program in your chosen major or that it offers a lot of diversity or another reason that attracted you to apply. To answer this question best, do some research on the school and show the interviewer that you chose it for a reason—not just because it is inexpensive, close to home, or a safety school.
- What Kind of Student Are You in Class?
You’ll notice that most interviewers ask open-ended questions, but that’s because it’s the best way to get to know who you really are. If a college admission counselor asks this question, you could mention that you sit near the front of the class, always show up on time, always turn in your homework on time, and are often the first to raise your hand to participate and share your thoughts. Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate proof of your intellectual curiosity, ambition, and classroom engagement, as they’ll want to see what kind of undergraduate student you’ll be and how you’ll add a positive voice to the student body.
- How Do You Intend to Spend Your Summer Breaks?
Ideally, you’ll have been making the most of your summers and will continue to do so in college, as summers are the time to explore your interests, give back to the community, get ahead in your studies, or test out your career paths of interest. You can talk about doing volunteer work that reflects upon a cause you feel strongly about, or you could discuss working a job or internship that provides valuable skills you’ll use in a future career. They want to know that you aren’t wasting your breaks sitting around and playing video games but instead doing something that will prove invaluable in later years. If you have to work to help pay for college, they won’t mind hearing that, and if you’ve been at a job for a while, let them know how many years of experience you have, as this demonstrates your ongoing dedication.
- Did You Complete Any Honors Courses? Which Ones?
This question really gives you a chance to shine, so make sure you talk about the most challenging aspect of these courses, include a few specific examples, and touch on the work ethic you employed to excel in these more difficult classes. Don’t be hesitant to mention if any of the classes were particularly difficult for you, as this will reflect on your honesty and ability to tackle obstacles. On the flip side, you can also mention if any of these classes piqued your academic interests or opened your eyes to potential majors you might pursue or relevant jobs you may want.
- Give Me an Example of When You Had to Work as a Team with Others
This question isn’t as difficult to answer as you might think. If you’ve ever had to work closely with others while at work or even in class to complete a particular project, the college admissions representative wants to hear about it. If you put your thinking cap on, you’ll be able to come up with several examples right off the top of your head, and what this does best is show that you’re a great team player, as well as exemplify your leadership qualities.
- Will You Be Seeking Financial Aid?
Don’t get nervous about this question. The counselor isn’t going to give you demerits just because you’ll need assistance paying for your college education. These days, almost all students do. This question is often part of the admissions process, but admissions counselors are used to most students needing financial help. In fact, letting the student admissions counselor know that you may be seeking financial aid could result in them recommending you apply for certain college-specific need-based (or merit-based) scholarships, which could work in your favor.
- Do You Plan on Participating in Extracurricular Activities?
Extracurricular activities are an important part of a well-rounded education for both high school and college-aged students. The more diverse activities and skills you pursue and gain exposure to, the more you appear like an inquisitive, driven, well-rounded person in the eyes of the interviewer. Plus. they want you to be able to handle a schedule that includes not just academics but also activities that build up certain skills and teach you how to interact and work with others, so this is proof you’ve already been balancing multiple pursuits while maintaining your impressive academic record.
- What Is It About This School That Stands Out to You?
If you’ve done your research, this question should be easy to answer. Feel free to tell them what an outstanding program they offer for your particular area of interest, and you can also mention details such as their rankings, their great sports program, and even how challenging the classes are. They want to hear that you prefer their school over others for both academic and other, more fun and lifestyle (and college experience-related) reasons.
- How Will You Contribute to the School Once You’re Here?
Once again, the academic environment isn’t just about learning. When you’re in college, you’ll likely join clubs or organizations that further your interests, and if those groups complement your college major, that’s even better. Let the counselor know about clubs or groups you participated in while still in high school, and mention that you intend to do the same thing once you’re admitted to their school.
- Tell Us a Little About Yourself
This can be a tough question, but the admissions officer wants to learn about all of you, not just the academic part. Talk about your present, past, and future self and what you consider the most important lessons that you’ve learned. Demonstrate how you’ve grown emotionally, and give them an example of a time when you were faced with a tough situation but handled it well.
- What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
This is another tough one, but it’s also a common behavioral question, so you need to be prepared for it. All students have unique qualities and specific skills, and this is a good time to show them off a little. If you’re super-organized, mention that. If you’re good at multitasking, tell them that, too. For weaknesses, just mention one, then move along because you don’t want to sound too negative about yourself. However, if you can discuss how you’re finding the best solution to overcome your weakness, this can shine a light on your problem-solving abilities and your dedication to ongoing self-improvement.
- Why Do You Think You Deserve to Go to College Here?
You can get a bachelor’s degree at any college, and counselors know this. For this question, you can tell them you’re studious and determined to excel in your area of interest. You can also mention family members who may have attended the school and relayed their supremely positive and memorable experience, but let them know that that isn’t the only reason—or even the main reason—why you chose their school. The goal with this question is for you to demonstrate the perceptible and lasting positive impact you’ll make on the school and student body, which would be a compelling reason they would want you admitted to their campus.
- Where Do You Intend to Be Five (or Ten) Years from Now?
Simply put, the university wants to know that you’ll be putting your degree to good use after you graduate, and you won’t be veering off into an unrelated career. If you waste your degree, you’ll not only have angry parents to contend with, but it will also reflect poorly on the university. You don’t have to tell the counselor that you’re going to be a billionaire in 5–10 years, but tell them you take your career seriously. You should be able to outline a few medium-term and longer-term goals that show you’ve been thinking about the future and how their university is a crucial steppingstone on the way to that goal.
- What Was the Last Book You Read?
The college application process is about getting to know you, and the books you read say a lot about you. Don’t worry if you think your favorite genre is a little weird because that doesn’t matter to them. They like knowing their students come from a diverse group of people and that you are well-read, even if you only read fiction or romance novels. The more well-read you are, the more exposure you have to creative writing, robust and little-known information, and the more you’ve proven yourself independently motivated to stimulate your brain and exercise your mind outside the classroom.
- If You Could Go Back, What Would You Change about High School?
Everyone has regrets about their past, but some of them are more important than others. If you feel like you spent too much time playing video games and not enough time studying, tell them that. While this is among the more difficult questions to answer without showing yourself in a negative light, you should be thoughtful to include how you’ve been able to remediate those regrets and avoid similar regrets or mistakes going forward. Colleges don’t expect you to be perfect, but they would prefer that you be self-aware of your areas with room for improvement and enthusiastic about continuously bettering yourself in every area.
- What Is Your Main Role in Your Family/Group of Close Friends?
This is a unique opportunity to show the interviewer what your leadership skills are like or your other communication skills, such as being a negotiator, not panicking when things go wrong, or calming everyone else down when disaster strikes. The good news is that they can tell just what type of student you’d be by the answers to this one question, so it is a very important question to answer thoughtfully.
- What Area of Your Personal Life Do You Feel Needs Work?
When interviewers ask about strengths and weaknesses, they’re usually referring to academic or work-related issues, but if they ask about your personal life, you’ll need a different answer. If you sleep too much on a typical day, mention that you don’t always take as good care of yourself as you should. You don’t want to lie to them, but admitting that you party too much or something similar is not something you want to share with them. First impressions matter, and your answers in these interviews can illustrate the interviewer’s perception of you, so you want to maintain a professional demeanor and steer clear of any dealbreakers that might disqualify you from being their ideal right fit candidate for acceptance.
- Why Did You Choose Your Particular Major?
For many standard and selective institutions, your major says a lot about you, and this question should be simple for you to answer. Nursing majors want to help people, history majors make good teachers, and computer science majors will write amazing programs someday. While the number of students changing their major often is high, all you have to do is talk about your desired major right now and why you think it is a good fit for you. Again, this will show that you’re forward thinking, aware of new technology, and that you realize that part of the job of a college student is planning for your future career.
- Who Was Your Idol Growing Up?
Written student applications don’t tell a college rep everything about who you are as a person, but knowing who you admired and looked up to while you were growing up helps a lot. You might have made some major changes to your life goals as a result of someone you considered a mentor or even an idol, and they need to know about that. When discussing your idol, be sure to mention what specifically you admire and how that person has inspired or shaped your path.
- How Do You De-stress and/or Have Fun?
High school counselors ask this question a lot because it’s an important one. You don’t have to tell them you go to group counseling sessions periodically, but you can mention that you like to watch old movies or play a musical instrument—or even play video games—as a way to relax. At the end of the day, what you do for fun gives you more of a personal and “homey” appearance that counselors appreciate. They also want to see you as a real, three-dimensional person to ensure you’re independent and mature enough to be successfully self-sufficient on their college campus, since your professors won’t be babysitting you outside the classroom.
- What Do You Consider Rewarding and Fulfilling?
This is another personal question that tells them a lot about you, so just let go and describe one or more of the most rewarding experiences you’ve ever had. It could be the first time you helped a younger sibling with a difficult subject or some type of volunteer work you do. It could also be a new venture you’re pursuing or an obstacle you overcame to achieve a certain passion project or personal goal. If it’s rewarding to you, you’ll light up when you discuss it and pass off that positive energy and authenticity to the interviewer, too.
- What Are Some of Your Best Academic Achievements?
The ideal candidate for college will have academic achievements to brag about, so you shouldn’t be shy about discussing them. The best questions asked by the interviewer will be opportunities to show off what makes you special and unique. You should especially show off tough classes that you soared through without any problems, as this can reveal your innate talents and subject matter competencies of which you should be proud. While drive, hard work, and overcoming challenges is impressive, so is leaning into your inherent strengths and high aptitude, and that deserves a highlight as well.
- If You Won the Lottery, What Would You Do with the Money?
This can sound like a trick question, but the counselor wants to know about your values and what makes you “tick.” Don’t be afraid to admit that you’d spend at least some of the money on frivolous items; that’s normal. You might also mention smart investments, ventures you may start to give back to a community close to you, or world-changing inventions or services you’d attempt to build for both the altruistic and personal financial gain. This question is probing for your creativity, honesty, and values, and saying you’d give all the money away to charity may not come across as genuine if it isn’t true to your inner character.
- Describe Your Best Leadership Skills
Leadership skills include excellent listening skills and communication skills. If you’ve ever supervised others or led a group on a special project, now’s your time to brag about it to the school interviewer. Scenarios when you took over as leader because someone else didn’t want the position are especially important. The goal when discussing leadership is to explain how you successfully steered a group to cohesive success and brought out the best in all the players, rather than implying that you grabbed the reins and did everything yourself.
- What Are Your Plans After You Graduate?
You don’t have to make a final decision for your post-college life right now, but give them at least a general idea of what you’d like to do after you receive your degree. Graduate school, travel, and even going straight to work are all good answers. If you plan to start a business or spearhead a new initiative in an industry of interest, that’s a great and impressive answer as well. There is no right or wrong answer here, but they want the assurance that you’re well aware your future doesn’t end with college, but rather that’s merely where it starts.
