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Plan-ahead Interview Questions(by Hubert Crisp)

1. What did you do this summer?Tip: This is an easy question that an interviewer might use toget the conversation rolling. The biggest danger here is ifyou haven't done anything productive in the summer. "I

played a lot of video games" isn't a good answer. Even if youdidn't have a job or tae classes! try to thin of somethingyou have done that was a learning eperience.

!"W#$: I spent time woring at #ountainside $ospital and%t &atherine of %ienna ursing home for three monthsgreeting patients and visitors! providing patient escort andtransport! providing clerical and reception assistance! andassisting in areas such as computer rooms and classifying

(les.

). *hat do you do best+

There are lots of ways to as this question! but the bottomline is that the interviewer wants you to identify what yousee as your greatest talent. There's nothing wrong withidentifying something that isn't central to your collegeapplication. Even if you were (rst violin in the all,state

orchestra or the starting quarterbac! you can identify yourbest talent as maing a mean cherry pie or carving animal(gurines out of soap. The interview can be an opportunity toshow a side of yourself that isn't obvious on the writtenapplication.

-%*E: Taling about sweeping and mopping my house! Iam the best. It taes time to sweep the whole house becauseyour house can get dirty in just a second in /ietnam and somany tiny dusts that you can use the broom made out ofplastic to sweep it. 0ou have to sweep away the bigger trashand dust for the (rst time! and then do it again with smallerdust.

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%. What do you hope to do a&ter 'raduation?1ots of high school students have no idea what they want todo in the future! and that's oay. %till! you should formulatean answer to this question. If you're not sure what yourcareer goals are! say so! but provide a few possibilities.

-%*E: 23o bac home and help my people4

. Why do you want to 'o to olle'e?This question is so broad and seemingly obvious that it cancatch you by surprise. *hy college+ %teer clear ofmaterialistic responses 5"I want to get a good job and maea lot of money"6. Instead! focus on what it is that you plan tostudy. 7hances are your particular career goals aren't

possible without a college education.

-nswer: #alcolm 8 says 9Education is our passport to thefuture! for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for ittoday.

*. How do you de+ne suess?$ere again you want to avoid sounding too materialistic.$opefully success means maing a contribution to the world!

not just your wallet.

-%*E:

,. Who do you most admire?This question really isn't so much about who you admirebut why you admire someone. The interviewer wants to seewhat character traits you most value in other people.

. What is your bi''est weaness?This is a common question! and it's always a tough one toanswer. It can be dangerous to be too honest 5"I put o; allmy papers until an hour before they are due"6! but evasiveanswers that actually present a strength often won't satisfythe interviewer 5"#y greatest weaness is that I have toomany interests and I wor too hard"6. Try to be honest here

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without damning yourself. The interviewer is trying to seehow self,aware you are.

/. 0ell me about your &amily.*hen you interview for college! an easy question lie thiscan help get the conversation rolling. Try to be speci(c inyour description of your family. Identify some of their funny

quirs or obsessions. In general! however! eep therepresentation positive ,, you want to present yourself as agenerous person! not someone who is hypercritical.

. What maes you speial?

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remember a student who is "clumsy!" "obsessive" and"metaphysical." @e honest with your word choices! but try to(nd words that thousands of other applicants won't choose.1%. What do you thin about the latest newsheadline?*ith this question the interviewer is seeing if you are awareof major events going on in the world! and if you have

thought about those events. *hat your eact position is onan issue isn't as important as the fact that you now theissues and have thought about them.

1. Who is your hero?- lot of interviews include some variation of this question.

0our hero doesn't have to be someone obvious lie a parent!a president or a sports star. @efore the interview! spend afew minutes thining about who you most admire and why

you admire that person.

1*. What historial +'ure do you most admire?$ere! as with the "hero" question above! you don't need togo with an obvious choice lie -braham 1incoln or 3andhi. Ifyou go with a more obscure (gure! you just might be able toteach your interviewer something.

1,. What hi'h shool e8periene was most importanttoyou?*ith this question the interviewer is looing to (nd out whateperiences you most value and how well you can reAectbac on high school. @e sure you are able toarticulate why the eperience was important.

1. Who most helped you 'et to where you aretoday?

This question is a little di;erent than the one about a "hero"or the "person you most admire." The interviewer is looing

to see how well you can thin outside of yourself andacnowledge those to whom you owe a debt of gratitude.

1/. 0ell me about your ommunity servie.#any strong college applicants have done some form ofcommunity service. #any! however! simply do it so that theycan list it on their college applications. If the interviewer ass

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you about your community service! it's to see why youserved and what the service means to you. Thin about howyour service bene(ted your community! and also what youlearned from your community service and how it helped yougrow as a person.

1. I& you had a thousand dollars to 'ive away5 what

wouldyou do with it?This question is a roundabout way to see what your passionsare. *hatever you identify as a charity says a lot about whatyou most value.62. What sub7et in hi'h shool did you +nd the mosthallen'in'?Even if you're a straight "-" student! chances are somesubjects were more di=cult than others. The interviewer isinterested in learning about your challenges and how you

tacled those challenges.

)B. Tell me about yourself.

This question seems easier than it is. $ow do you reduceyour whole life to a few sentences+ -nd it's hard to avoidcommonplace answers lie "I'm friendly" or "I'm a goodstudent."

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)D. *hat can I tell you about our college+

0ou can almost guarantee that your interviewer will providean opportunity for you to as questions. #ae sure you havesome! and mae sure your questions are thoughtful and

speci(c to the particular college. -void questions lie "whenis the application deadline+" or "how many majors do youhave+" This information is both uninteresting and readilyavailable on the school's webpage. 7ome up with someprobing and focused questions: "*hat would graduates ofyour college say was the most valuable thing about theirfour years here+" "I read that you o;er a major ininterdisciplinary studies. 7ould you tell me more aboutthat+" ead more tips on this question...

). *ho in your life has most inAuenced you+

There are other variations of this question: *ho's your hero+*hat historical or (ctional character would you most lie tobe lie+ This can be an awward question if you haven'tthought about it! so spend a few minutes considering howyou would answer. Identify a few real! historical! and (ctionalcharacters you admire! and be prepared to articulate *$0

you admire them. ead more tips on this question...#ore F

)G. *hy do you want to major in HHHHHHHHHHHHHH +

ealiCe that you don't need to have decided upon a majorwhen you apply to college! and your interviewer will not bedisappointed if you say you have many interests and youneed to tae more classes before choosing a major.$owever! if you have identi(ed a potential major! beprepared to eplain why. -void saying that you want to majorin something because you'll mae a lot of money ,, yourpassion for a subject will mae you a good college student!not your greed. ead more tips on this question...#ore F

). *hat will you contribute to our campus community+

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0ou'll want to be speci(c when answering this question. -nanswer lie "I'm hard,woring" is rather bland and generic.

Thin about what it is that maes you uniquely you. *hateactly will you bring to diversify the college'scommunity+ ead more tips on this question...#ore F

)J. Tell me about a challenge that you overcame.

This question is designed to see what ind of problem solveryou are. *hen confronted with a challenge! how do youhandle the situation+ 7ollege will be full of challenges! so thecollege wants to mae sure they enroll students who canhandle them. ead more tips on this question...#ore F

)K. *hat do you do for fun in your free time+

"$angin' out and chillin'" is a wea answer for this question.7ollege life obviously isn't all wor! so the admissions folswant students who will do interesting and productive thingseven when they aren't studying. ?o you write+ hie+ playtennis+ Lse a question such as this one to show that you arewell,rounded with a variety of interests. ead more tips onthis question...#ore F

)M. *hat do you see yourself doing BN years from now+

0ou don't need to pretend that you have your life (gured outif you get a question lie this. /ery few students enteringcollege could accurately predict their future professions.$owever! your interviewer does want to see that you thin

ahead. If you can see yourself doing three di;erent things!say so ,, honesty and open,mindedness will play in yourfavor. ead more tips on this interview question...#ore F

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DN. ?oes your high school record accurately reAect youre;ort and ability+

In the interview or on your application! you often have anopportunity to eplain a bad gradeor a bad semester. @ecareful with this issue ,, you don't want to come across as awhiner or as someone who blames others for a low grade.

$owever! if you really did have etenuating circumstances!let the college now. ead more tips on this interviewquestion...#ore F

DB. ecommend a good boo to me.

The interviewer is trying to accomplish a few things with thisquestion. Oirst! the question ass whether or not you've

actually read much. %econd! it ass you to apply somecritical sills as you articulate why a boo is worth reading.-nd (nally! your interviewer might get a good boorecommendationP ead more tips on this interviewquestion...

If you've read a boo that you thin would wor well in aninterview environment! share your recommendationwithother readers. #ore F

D). If you could do one thing in high school di;erently! whatwould it be+

- question lie this can turn sour if you mae the mistae ofdwelling on things you regret. Try to put a positive spin on it.>erhaps you've always wondered if you would have enjoyedacting or music. #aybe you would have lied to give the

student newspaper a try. #aybe! in retrospect! studying7hinese might have been more in line with your career goalsthan %panish. - good answer shows that you didn't have thetime in high school to eplore everything that is of interest toyou. ead more tips on this interview question...#ore F

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