To pull off a successful admission interview, aim to hold up your end of a mutually rewarding conversation focused on the subject about which you are the world’s leading expert: you. 

 

Here's what admission officers, interviewers, and interview report forms are looking for in these interviews:

 

Admission officers are looking for students who will get the most out of the priceless, multi-faceted educational experience they offer and who will contribute to their academic and social community.

 

Interviewers are looking for a rewarding, engaging conversation that shows them your academic interests, what’s important to you outside the classroom, and your ability to get the most out of your education and help others do the same. 

 

Interview report forms ask about: (1) your academic interests and love of learning; (2) your non-academic interests, talents, activities, and commitments; and (3) your ability to contribute to an intellectual and social community

 

The overlap is intentional.

 

With that in mind, my definition of a successful admission interview is a rewarding, engaging conversation in which you accomplish three things:

 

• Help the interviewer see your intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm for learning, and the breadth and depth of your academic interests 

• Give the interviewer a tour through the talents, commitments, obligations, people, and pastimes that you love and value outside the classroom

• Show the interviewer the intellectual, interpersonal, and other attributes that will equip you to benefit from and contribute to their school’s social and intellectual community