College Interviews

These may take place at the college, at a regional event, by telephone, or with alumni who live near you. Take advantage of an interview, if available, even if it is merely “optional”.  As TSA students have extensive experience honing their communication skills, they tend to interview well.

• Take our TSA School Profile form with you, and familiarize yourself with it beforehand. Be prepared to talk about both yourself and TSA.
• Familiarize yourself with the college prior to the interview; e.g., if you are taking a tour, schedule the interview afterwards.
• Use the interview questions below to prepare for the interview and practice out loud.
• Take a TSA guidance counselor business card with you.
• Take a list of questions to ask.
• Do not chew gum.
• Firmly shake their hand, and look them in the eye.
• If you get stumped by a question, say: “That’s a good question. I’d like to think about that and get back to it later”.
• Bring back a business card from interviews so we can follow up with a phone call if and when we deem the time is right.
• Send a thank you note!

Sample Interview Questions

These are typical college interview questions. You won’t be asked all of them, but be prepared to answer these types of questions.

• Tell me a little about yourself. What are 10 adjectives that describe you?
• What do you want us to most remember about you?
• Describe a typical day in your life.
• Who was your favorite high school teacher and why?
• If you could change one thing about your high school to make it better, what would you change?
• Is there anything you can tell us about yourself that might show you are more qualified than other applicants?
• What is the most recent book you have read?
• What attracts you to our institution?
• What characteristics of a college are most important to you?
• What have you done in your school or community that you are most proud of?
• How have you been recognized for your accomplishments?
• During your free time, what are you most likely to do?
• When are you at your best? Your worst?
• If you could do high school over, what would you do differently? The same?
• How do you see yourself 10 years from now?
• What ways do you have of earning money for college?
• What was your best job, vacation, or class, ever?
• Are you interested in a specific area of study and how have you developed that interest? How do you plan to develop that interest in college?
• What have you done in your life that has required a great deal of patience and persistence and how did you handle that situation?
• Do you have any definite plans/goals for your future and how do we fit in with those plans?
• What aspects of college life do you think will have the most influence on a student?
• Whom do you respect in your community and why?
• What has been meaningful to you in your community service experiences?

Questions YOU may want to ask during an interview

The interview process goes both ways. You need to gather the information you require to decide if this is a college that meets your needs.

• What is the average size for classes in the first year (general introductory classes)?
• What makes this college different from other colleges? (Three reasons)
• What types of study abroad opportunities are available?
• What percentage of freshmen return for their sophomore year?
• How accessible is the faculty for individual help?
• Do graduate assistants teach any of the freshman and/or introductory courses?
• What courses do typical freshmen take? Are there any courses which all freshmen are obligated to take?
• Is it difficult to change majors or areas of study after the freshman year?
• What factors do you consider in the admissions process and, of those, which do you give the most weight?
• How important are SAT/ACT scores in the admission process?
• What are my chances for admission?
• What percentage of the student population resides on campus and about how many students is that?
• Approximately how many students go home on the weekends?
• Does the college offer scholarships and, if so, are they need-based, merit-based or both?
• What financial aid forms are required?
• Does the college have a strong and active alumni association?
• What internship opportunities are available for students?
• Does the college offer a career planning and placement program and, if so, how does the program work?
• What percentage of your students has been placed in a full-time job or graduate school within six weeks of graduation?
• What percentage of your students in the major in which I am interested in is placed in a full-time position upon graduation?
• What graduate schools have your students attended?
• Are counseling services available on campus?
• What are the most active clubs or student organizations on campus?
• What religious services are available on campus and in the community?
• Is there a Greek system (fraternities or sororities) on campus and in the community?
• If students choose to live off campus, what are their living options?