Interview Questions for High School Admissions Interviews….

A college interview can be nerve racking for high school students. Check out these tips for interview for students, who are applying for college admissions.

These are the top interview questions for high school students applying to college along with tips on how to ace college interviews.

Many colleges don’t hold interviews for applicants due to the sheer number of students. But the ones that do are interested in knowing more about the applicant, why he/she is interested in their particular college and what he/she can offer to the campus.

Apart from routine questions, they also tend to ask some quirky questions to check out your response under pressure.

Read: 8 Important Details Interviewers Always Take Notice Of

For instance, a student was once asked to name his favorite building on the campus and the reason for favoring it. These are curveballs or unexpected twists.

Colleges would like to know you, your goals, your views and your contribution to their institution. These are the top questions that institutions are likely to ask high school students.

Common Interview Questions for High School Students

1. Why Have You Applied to This School?

Interviewers ask this question to understand how you make major decisions in your life. This is the most important question for a high school interview.

• Answer this question in a way showing that you chose the school after much consideration and careful thought. No general statements like ‘Because it’s an excellent school’. Be more specific.
• Mention factors like a good curriculum; excellent faculty; affordability; location; a family tradition; the Honors program of the college; the living learning community and so on.
• Focus on the ‘Why’ of the question. Do a proper research of the school in order to honestly spell out why you wish to attend it.

Tip: Avoid answers like ‘students graduating from your college get excellent placements’.

2. Interview Questions for High School Students: Describe Yourself

This is one of the important and most asked interview questions for high school students.

• Mention qualities that are related to a college student.
• Talk about where you grew up and try to connect it with your interest in the college campus.
• Mention your major subject, academic interests and extracurricular activities.

Try connecting information about the school with your personal interests. For instance, if you’re interested in foreign languages and the University has an excellent study abroad program, it’s the perfect connect.

• Find something memorable and unique to say about yourself.
• Talk about any 3 personality traits. For instance, you can talk about how you love doing exercises and creating competition among friends. Be creative!

3. What Would You Like to Major in?

While considering college interview questions and answers for freshers, you may not know the answer to this at the time of interview.

• Make yourself familiar with the academic departments of the college and select one that appeals to you.
• Name the specific department and give reasons why you’d like to pursue it, while answering such interview questions for high school students.
• If you haven’t decided, you can say so, adding that you’ll make the decision after taking a few classes in a few of the academic programs offered in the college.

Also See: 10 Types of Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Whatever you answer, never mention potential earning possibilities as a reason for your choice of a subject. Your answer must reflect your passions and interests and not greed for money.

4. What Will be Your Contribution to Our Campus?

Admission committees want to admit students who can handle the studies as well as contribute to their campus. It’s more like a question about student life.

• How could you improve the college campus? Maybe, by participating in the extracurricular activities.
• Consider your hobbies and abilities. For instance, can you organize camping outings for your friends? Or do you have a novel idea for recycling that could benefit the college?
• See that your answer connects with the college facilities. For instance, if you have piano playing skills and the college does not have any music ensembles, there’s no point.
• Explain why your talent or abilities will improve the college community.

Don’t focus on your grades or your SAT scores while answering such interview questions for high school students. This is not what the question is about.

5. What are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

Here’s a top contender for students interview questions and answers.

• Do not merely mention your strengths or weaknesses. Say something to support your statement. For instance, if you say you have good leadership abilities, share an incident where you have led others, the results arising from the leadership, the reasons for doing it.
• Be honest while mentioning a weakness. Also mention the action that you are considering for handling this weakness and fixing or minimizing it.

For instance, if you are a procrastinator, you can show how you’re working on it by using online tools to monitor yourself.

6. Who is Your Role Model?

If you want to learn about interview tips and tricks for students, this one is a must!

• Try avoiding cliches like ‘My father’ or My mother’.
• If you have learned an important life lesson from someone, this is the time to mention it. Describe your relationship with that person.
• Your role model could be someone famous like Nelson Mandela or even a fictitious character. Make sure you know something about them.
• Qualities you admire could be intelligence; humor; kindness; achievements; determination; patience; nobility or selflessness amongst others.

7. Have You Any Questions That You’d Like to Ask Us?

When you ask questions, it shows your interest in joining the college. It also shows your alertness and attentiveness during the interview.

• Ask research based questions. You can prepare them prior to the interview.
• Personal interest questions. For instance, you can ask about some popular campus tradition of the college.
• Questions based on information received in the interview. Ask more details of something your interviewer mentioned about a college program or campus event.

8. What do You do in Your Spare Time?

He wants to understand how well rounded a person you are outside of your academic qualifications, when asking such interview questions for high school students.

• You don’t want to be totally honest on this one. You could be clearing poop at animal shelters during your free time, but you’d surely not want to share that.
• Think about your passions. Do you love to play soccer or hike in the nearby mountains? Play word games? Surf? Paint?
• Give an answer that shows you to be a person with diverse interests, which could improve the college community.

What not to answer: I do Facebook; WhatsApp; hang out with my friends; partying; TV watching and so on.

Wrap Up – Students Interview Questions and Answers

College admission interviews are an important part of your college application. It offers a window for your admission committee to know more about the student and know whether the college is a good match for your abilities. After scheduling an interview with your chosen college, start preparing keeping the above tips in mind.

Research the school and how it fits your requirement to successfully answer interview questions for high school students. For instance, if you’re interested in a particular major, check out the facilities and professors for the course, as part of interview tips for students of high school.

Be relaxed and avoid common interview mistakes. Dress appropriately for your college interview. Interviews could be on the campus or off campus, but if it is an option, do take it up. It shows your interest in joining the college and improves chances of admission. Good luck!!!