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The College Interview Playbook
An admissions interview is a conversation, not an exam. Colleges already have your grades. Now they want to meet the person behind them. This playbook helps you show up as yourself, clearly and confidently.
Prepare two flexible stories you can adapt to most questions, practice answering out loud, and come with one genuine question to ask. Prepare with a coach, not a memorized script.
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Answer with STAR
- Situation: set the scene in one line.
- Task: what was the challenge, or your goal?
- Action: what you did. Spend most of your answer here, and be specific.
- Result: how it turned out, and what you learned.
Questions you’ll likely get
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why this school, specifically?
- Describe a challenge you overcame.
- What are you most proud of?
- An idea or book that changed your thinking?
- What would you add to our campus?
- Your greatest strength and weakness?
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- What do you do just for fun?
- What questions do you have for me?
Do
- Research the school and name specifics.
- Prepare two stories you can adapt.
- Pause and think before answering.
- Ask one genuine question.
Don’t
- Memorize word-for-word scripts.
- Badmouth a teacher or another school.
- Give one-word answers.
- Undersell yourself out of modesty.
Ready when you are
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