Some colleges require an interview, though many do not. If the college requires or recommends one, you may be able to schedule it during your campus visit or they may have alumni representatives complete the interviews in the central Ohio area. As with any interview, be on time. Review the information and notes you have on the college and prepare a list of questions ahead of time. Be sure to take the list with you to the interview so you are able to cover everything you wanted to find out. During your interview you will probably be asked about your background, interests, hobbies, goals, and why you’re applying to the college. It’s normal to feel a little nervous, but try to relax and remember this is a conversation about you and about the college.

Below are some general tips as well as questions that may help you prepare.

Tips:

• Dress to make a good first impression
• Make eye contact (if you struggle making eye contact, one trick is to focus on the eyebrows of the person you are talking to)
• Be honest
• Listen and ask questions

Examples of questions you may expect in an admissions/ scholarship interview:

• Why do you want to go to ______?
• Tell me about yourself.
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What books have you read recently that you have liked that weren't assigned to you?
• How would you describe your high school?
• What are you greatest strengths/weaknesses?
• What's your favorite subject/class? Least favorite? Why?
• Describe your high school course load
• What do you like to do with your friends on the weekends?
• Tell me a little about yourself
• What kind of a school do you attend?
• What about yourself do you want our admissions team to remember most?
• 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?
• What is the most recent book you have read?
• What attracts you to our institution?  (Or why are you interested in this college?)
• Which 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?
• What activities would you like to pursue in college?
• What other colleges are you thinking of visiting?
• 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 ten years from now?
• What ways do you have of earning money for college?
• What service activities have you completed?
• What are your personal goals?
• 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 those plans?
• What aspect of college life do you think will have the most influence on a student?
• Whom do you respect in your community and why?
• How would your best friend describe you?
• What areas do you see as your weaknesses and how have you tried to overcome them?
• Describe a situation in which you demonstrated your leadership abilities.
• Tell us about something that you have tried that wasn’t successful and looking back, what would you have done differently?
• How did you become interested in your major? What influenced your choice of this major?
• What are your educational/ academic goals? What are your future career plans? How do you plan to use your studies to achieve your future career plans?
• How will this scholarship help you to achieve your academic goals?
• They may ask questions based upon your application essays so review those prior to interview
• They may ask opinion regarding current events/ politics.
• You’ve already accomplished impressive things in life in what areas do you think you can improve?
• Why should you be one of the people to receive this scholarship?
• They'll ask you if you have any questions for them.

There will be time during your interview, usually at the end, to ask any questions you may have. This gives you, the prospective student, an opportunity to gather information about the college that may not have already been covered during your research or during the campus tour.  

Questions YOU may want to ask during college admissions interview:

• What is the average size for classes in the freshman year?
• What is distinctive about this college?
• What percentage of freshman return for their sophomore year?
• Does the college have a strong and active alumni association?
• How accessible is the faculty for individual help?
• Do graduate assistants teach any of the freshman and/or introductory courses?
• What types of study abroad programs does the college offer?
• What courses do typical freshmen take? Are there any courses which all freshman are obligated to take?
• What opportunities are there for freshmen students to participate in research?
• Is science lab equipment available for all undergraduate students or just those in certain majors and years?
• Is it difficult to change major or areas of study after the freshman year?
• What factors do you consider in the admissions process and, of those, which do you consider most strongly?
• How important are SAT/ACT scores in the admissions process?
• What are my chances for admission?
• 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?
• Which percentage of your students has been placed in a full-time job or graduate school within six weeks of graduation?
• What percentage of students in the major in which I am interested are placed in a full-time position upon graduation?
• Which graduate schools have your students attended?
• How safe is the campus?
• Are counseling services available on campus?
• What are the most active clubs or student organizations on campus?
• How active is the student government association?
• What do students identify as the biggest problems on campus?
• What student publications are available on campus?
• How are roommates assigned?
• What is the policy for freshmen having cars on campus?
• Are students required to live on campus for a certain number of years?
• Are freshmen guaranteed on-campus housing?
• What are the hours that the library is open?
• What religious services are available on campus and in the community?
• Is there a Greek system (fraternities and sororities) on campus and how active is it?
• What percentage of the student population resides on campus and about how many students is that?
• If students choose to live off campus, what are their living options?
• 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?

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