How To Get Into University 101: Alumni Interviews
By Mathilde Ooi
As Grade 12 students, one of the many big questions floating around in our minds is “what do I have to do to present myself as the best candidate I can be for the universities I am applying to?” Especially for those of us who are applying to schools around the United States, we have to prepare ourselves for what we see as the daunting alumni/university interviews. To help us anticipate what is coming our way, we were given the opportunity to practice as interviewees and to gain constructive feedback from our interviewers who were UWCSEA alumni, parents, and teachers.
The evening allowed each of us three 15 minutes one-to-one interviews followed by time after to reflect on what went well and what did not. Going in the evening, I felt extremely anxious: unsure of what to expect and unsure of what I would even say. I was particularly frustrated about the outcome of my first interview because there were many instances where I fumbled and I was unable express my points clearly. However, with each interview I felt more and more confident and the interviews began to feel more natural and conversational.
The most challenging part about the night was being thrown questions that were extremely broad such as "tell me more about yourself." What was difficult to do for broader questions was sticking to a couple important points and then keeping my answers crisp and concise because you could potentially talk about anything. For example: I wanted share my Project Week experiences, my SEASAC experiences and so on.
On the other hand, there were also many positive outcomes from the evening such as gaining valuable advice from our alumni, getting a better idea of how to structure my answers and being able to think faster on my feet each time. I felt more and more prepared for whatever question that was coming my way each time. Overall, this experience was especially informative and worthwhile because not only did I learn more about how I could improve my interview skills but also more about my most prominent qualities and myself.
5 pieces of advice that
I would give:
1. Rule of thumb:
Be yourself and
treat the interviewer as a friend. You want them to love who you are and they
also want to love you.
2. Don't be afraid
to clarify:
If you are asked a
specific question such as "what do you think about Bradley Manning's
sentence", for those of you like myself who do not know who Bradley Manning
is just ask.
3. Be concise with your answers.
Make your point, then back it up with evidence, what have you done
that exemplifies what you just said.
4. Try to relax and make good eye contact with your interviewer
It sets up a better environment for them to interview you and for you
to be interviewed if you're both comfortable
5.
Lastly, be
specific.
If giving an anecdote, be specific. If talking about your qualities, be
specific; why are you drawn to these qualities, how have they helped you along
high school.
