How To Prep For Your College Interview

College interview invites are starting to come in, and alongside the invite is the anxiety-producing question: oh no — how do I prepare?!!!

If you’re about to schedule your Ivy League college interview (or your interview at any highly competitive school), you already probably have strong academic achievements, solid Common App and supplemental essays, and impressive extracurriculars. However, now your college interview stands between you and your acceptance letter — and let me tell you something: your college interview is VERY important, and that goes double for the more competitive schools.

I’m a former Harvard University admissions interviewer and a Harvard graduate. I know what the top schools looks for, and your admissions interview is your chance to let your personality, intellectual curiosity, academic and extracurricular interests and authenticity shine.

If you want to check it out, I currently have a full, 5-module, Ivy League college interview course for sale on my website, here: The Ivy League College Interview Prep Course

As a precursor to buying the full course though, let me first give away some FREE insider tips on how to prepare for your interview strategically, so you walk in confident, ready, and composed.

1. Understand what the interviewer is really looking for

College admissions interviewers want to see that you’re “solid in yourself” — that you are confident in yourself and know who you are, and that you can carry on a calm, interesting, adult‐level conversation. They also want to know that you have clear direction (even if it still needs to evolve).

In other words:

• They’re not just looking for robotic recitations of your activities or stats. This is a conversation. Robotic answers WILL get you rejected. Again, think conversation.
• They want to see intellectual curiosity, that you’re engaged in thought, and for you to be clearly able to convey what motivates you and why.
• They also want to see that you’re ready for the kind of competitive environment you’ll find at these top colleges. In other words, you have to show them that you are ambitious, committed, and capable of intellectual and emotional growth.

2. Treat your college interview as more than a checkbox

It’s tempting to see the interview as just one more application requirement that you just need to move through, but it’s so much more than that — the college interview, whether over Zoom or in person, is your BEST CHANCE to show the university, whether we’re talking about Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, MIT, UPenn, or any of the other highly competitive colleges in the US — who you are.

What this means:

• Don’t show up merely to answer THEIR questions — show up to engage in conversation.
• View the interview as your chance to connect your story with your own academic interests and be ready to explain how you think the college fits you.
• Be prepared to link what you’ve done in the past to what you want to do in the future, and why you believe this particular school will play an important role.

3. Prepare your answers

My course will strategically prepare you by going over the most commonly asked college interview questions, as well as what to include (and not include) in your answers, and how to craft them so you stand out and win. However, regardless if you buy the course of not, please familiarize yourself beforehand with the most commonly asked college interview questions, including:

• “What do you intend to study in college?”
• “What high school accomplishment are you most proud of?”
• “Why this college?”

These “Top 3” as I call them, will be asked. Your answers are critical. Don’t answer vaguely. Demonstrate that you have done your homework about the school. Preparation is the key to your success, and an open door to your future.

4. Connect your application narrative to your interview

This means read through your essays and application again beforehand.

6. Show authentic intellectual curiosity & uniqueness

The top schools are not just looking for high achievers—they’re looking for students who will contribute to their school in a unique way. Know what you bring to the table.

7. Final impressions matter

Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of how you present yourself: your demeanor, your tone, your personality.

Preparing for your Ivy League interview is about more than rehearsing answers—it’s about understanding what that particular college is looking for in a prospective student. With the right mindset and preparation, your college interview can shift from a nerve-wrecking hurdle to overcome, to a powerful opportunity to make an extremely positive impression and get accepted.

I truly hope this is helpful!

Want more expert advice on how to prepare for your Ivy League college admissions interview, or any competitive “Top 25” college? Take a look at my online course offered HERE, and get into the school of your dreams!