Remember: success in an admission interview is an engaging conversation that helps the interviewer see (1) your academic skills and interests, (2) the people, commitments, and activities that define you outside the classroom, and (3) that you’re ready to benefit from and contribute to an intellectual and social community.

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What's below are tips that might have helped some of the applicants I've interviewed in the past achieve these goals. A few are things they did extraordinarily well. A couple a general, best-practice-type things.

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Let the interviewer steer the conversation. Follow where they take you. (And be ready to ask a few questions of your own if they give you the chance.)

 

Treat the conversation as a partnership and a shared inquiry. Listen closely. Share freely. Answer questions with energy, appreciation, and gratitude. If you participate fully and enjoy the conversation, your interviewer will too.

 

Everyday skepticism often mocks earnest enthusiasm. But these interviews are a safe space for you to express joy about the topics, things, ideas, fields, and people you love. How do you normally express your enthusiasm? In your voice? Your gestures? Your facial expressions? Your choice of words? Show your honest enthusiasm in the ways that are natural to you.

 

Consider your responses before you share them. Be comfortable with brief silences. When you pause and think before answering a question, you communicate focus and respect. I recall an applicant who stopped and thought after several of my questions. They looked into the distance, slowly nodded their head for a second or two, and then pointed into the air as if to say “Yes, I’ve chosen a good answer for your question!” Their engagement and thoughtfulness encouraged me to reciprocate. 

 

We often speak fast in interviews. Before yours, practice sharing a few samples of your most important content slowly and clearly. Before and during your interview, remind yourself not to hurry.

 

Try practicing your response to a couple sample questions such as: “Tell me about a project in school that you’re really proud of.” Set a stop watch when you start your answer. Don’t look at the watch again until you’ve finished. For big-picture, open-ended questions like this, practice limiting your responses to about ninety seconds in length. (By the way, an effective answer to that question could include: context on the project and the class you did it for; what the topic was; who was involved; what was challenging about it; your approach and process to completing it; why you’re proud of it (not because of a grade); and what you learned.)

 

It’s a great sign when an interviewer asks a follow-up question based on something in one of your answers. Enjoy the back-and-forth flow of an engaging conversation.

 

Silence your phone and keep it completely out of sight during the conversation. This shows the interviewer that they have your full attention. 

 

Your focus on the conversation, the thoughtfulness of your responses, and the clarity with which you share them will all impress the interviewer far more than your ability to inject SAT words into the conversation. Use your everyday vocabulary and your best grammar.

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Thank the interviewer earnestly for their time at the end of the conversation. And tell them you enjoyed the opportunity to speak with them.

 

Follow up the next day with a short email to thank the interviewer for their time. Mention something that they shared or asked that stayed with you, made you eager for the next phase of your education, etc. (But don’t mention your application or their report to the admission office.)