Some interviewers like to discuss other topics beyond academics and your life outside the classroom. 

 

Current events are an example. To make sure you’re ready, read a reliable source of fact-checked news daily during the week before your interview. Know the important stories in US and international news. Be prepared to share a clear, informed perspective on the important issues of the day. 

 

Some interviewers ask what attracts you to their school in particular. Don’t misinterpret this as pressure to be an expert on their school. To prepare your answer, consider why you applied. Which of your personal needs and preferences does it meet? Strong responses might touch on student body size, average class size, strength in a few academic areas that interest you, region, location in or away from a city, and various measures of diversity.

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Some also ask what you think you'll study. Again: feel no pressure to express a commitment to a particular field of study. The interviewer knows that you're roughly seventeen years old and that a lot may change for you in the next five years. Consider this question an invitation to share the breadth of your academic interests. Or to describe your fascination with one or more fields. Or to share your thoughts about the broad value of the humanities.

 

And remember: your interview is also an opportunity to share anything valuable that didn’t fit in the other parts of your application. This includes important elements of your identity that maybe didn’t make it into your essays, recent achievements, or other developments that you’d like the admission office to know about. If there's an item like this that you're uncertain about sharing, ask (before your interview) your guidance counselor, a teacher, or someone else who you trust and who knows about college admissions.