Breakdown of the College Interview: Tips & Tricks

Ah the college interview! Depending on the schools which you are applying to (hopefully including Olin!) their policies on interviewing can vary widely and the types of interviews they offer could be quite different.  

To start there are typically TWO broad types of college interviews: 

1. Evaluative interviews 

2. Informational interviews  

Evaluative interviews are mandatory components of your application, meaning they will definitely be used as a factor in deciding whether you are accepted to the college of your choice. However, many schools practice what is called holistic admission. To use a cliche analogy (sorry can’t help it this is where my mind goes) holistic admission is kind of like a puzzle. There’s a ton of pieces and the pieces are important, but they are important only because they help to shape a whole picture (I’m personally partial to puzzles with cute animals on them). In the case of an evaluative interview, it is one funkily shaped puzzle piece that slots into the other pieces of your application and helps them make sense together. For example, maybe in your extracurricular portion you wrote briefly about being section lead in your high school marching band. But then in your interview you elaborated and reflected on this experience in a way that shows WHY this role mattered to you and the growth you got from it. Basically, it allows for a deeper and more nuanced picture of who you are and the things that are important to you. 

Informational interviews are non-mandatory, optional components of your application, meaning it will NOT be used as a deciding factor in your application decision. The informational interviews have many purposes. They provide you with the opportunity to ask questions about the school of interest in a personal and one-on-one setting. Additionally, they help show that you are interested in the college and for schools that track demonstrated interest, the fact that you completed an optional, informational interview can strengthen your application. Informational interviews can also be conducted by different segments of the college community. For example, some informational interviews are with alumni. These are great because during the conversation you can dive deep into the student experience and learn about how this college prepares its graduates and the careers they pursue. Other informational interviews can be with admission staff, these are helpful if you want to pick the brain of a counselor to get answers to application-based questions. I’m sure you have many questions and we love helping! 

At Olin specifically, we have both optional alumni interviews and a mandatory evaluative interview as part of our application process. Our virtual optional alumni interviews are offered to current seniors planning to enroll in college in 2024, so if you haven’t signed up already, you can do so here! The evaluative interviews occur during what is called Candidates’ Weekend. Applicants who are invited to attend the program do so for a Friday and Saturday. On Saturday applicants complete an individual interview and a group exercise that are both evaluated. While I can’t tell you all the details of this process (it’s supposed to be a bit of a secret, so folks don’t prepare!) I can tell you that the purpose is both to get to know you better and to see your teaming, communication, and collaboration skills in action. You can learn more about Candidates' Weekend here.

I have a little bit of advice on how to prepare for any college interview you have looming in your future, (whether it be with Olin or not!).

1. First, prior to the interview, take some time to research the specific school you are interviewing with. Some schools may ask questions about why you are interested in their programs or what drew you to the school-so it doesn’t hurt to have some thoughts ready in your back pocket!
2. Second, I would recommend prepping a question or two. An interview is a great opportunity to have a personalized conversation and you want to make the most of this. While schools are getting to know you it’s just as important that throughout the college search and application process, you grill the college a bit to see whether you think it is a place you would grow and develop into your best, happiest self.
3. Third, and perhaps most importantly (and again a total cliché), try not to stress and be yourself! We want to get to know the real you.... there isn’t one specific thing we want to hear, we’re just excited to get to meet you!