FOLLOW UP AND STAND OUT. Follow up the interview with a "thank you" letter. Not only will such a letter remind the interviewer of your existence, but will also help you stand out from within a large pool of candidates. You may also look at this as a follow up interview in which you get to do all the talking!
BODY LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT. Make sure to have positive body language throughout the interview. Good eye contact, good posture, moderate body/arm movement and an air or enthusiasm are extremely important.
DON'T' REVEAL EVERYTHING. Although you should be talking about yourself to a great extent, make sure you don't overdo it! Take care not to launch into tirades about irrelevant or negative aspects of your life and personality. Be careful not to bare your soul and express negative feelings or ideas about others (unless specifically asked). Try to be as congenial and diplomatic as possible.
OK, SO YOU'RE NOT PERFECT. If an interview points out a mistake or a negative quality about you, try to show him/her a positive perspective of the same thing. In such a situation you should be challenging, but not rude or stubborn. If, despite all discussions, it seems that the interviewer has got you cornered, don't hesitate to accept or own up to your mistakes. However, don't miss the opportunity to express how you've learned from the mistake and are now a better, more capable student.
RELAX BUT CONCENTRATE. Your demeanor during the interview should be one of relaxed concentration. You should tune out any "noise" inside your head and concentrate on the moment at hand. This concentration on the present will also help you avoid distractions, nervousness, or self-doubt.
PREPARE, YET BE SPONTANEOUS. Act spontaneous, but in actuality be extremely well prepared for the interview. The interviewer should not get the impression that you are reading a previously-rehearsed script. This is done by memorizing the points you intend to mention, but not memorizing the actual words. For example, you may decide beforehand that when they ask you about the reason why you want to join their college, you will start out by mentioning the fact that the particular college has one of the most qualified faculties (or anything else you may want to point out). However, the words you choose to say that should be coming naturally and spontaneously. In short: rehearse the content, but not the words.
SELL YOURSELF. If the interviewer does not get around to asking you questions which you think are extremely relevant, go onto them yourself (diplomatically). For example, if you want to mention your exceptional GPA but are asked about extracurriculars, you may respond, "I feel that ECs are extremely important for a student and I have participated in my fair share of ECs (mention them here), but I still feel that academic performance is a critical factor behind success and that is where the bulk of my effort has always been concentrated, which is reflected in my GPA, which was in the top 1% of my school..."
KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. Leave home with the address of the admission office or off-campus site, a contact phone number, and a good set of directions and map
BE FLEXIBLE. Give your interviewer a firm handshake, maintain eye contact, and follow his or her lead. Sometimes you will be asked first if you have any questions, other times the admission interviewer will take the initiative with questions. Remember: Try to be flexible!
SUMMARIZE HOW THINGS WENT. Make a mental (or written) list of what you learned about the college. Do this as soon as you finish the interview, so that the facts are fresh in your mind. This information will be helpful weeks or months later, when you wish to compare prospective schools.
AVOID POPULAR CONCEPTIONS. If there is a popular conception of the school (Princeton is isolated, Dartmouth has too many fraternities, Harvard has too little student-teacher contact), don't ask about it. Your interviewer will have heard the same question ten billion times. Save this question for your tour guide or for other students you meet while on campus. You don't want to seem off the wall by asking bizarre questions; but even more you don't want to sound exactly like every other boring kid who was in there before you. Challenge yourself to come up with creative and interesting questions and ones that you are curious about the answer.
PRACTICE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW. Before the actual interview, practice. Many of you have probably never been formally interviewed. OK, maybe there was that interview to work at the Gap over the holidays, but did they really ask you questions that made you think about yourself and your future? Sit down with one of your parents, a teacher, or a friend (who can do this without cracking up), and have him or her ask you real, thought-provoking questions. Then answer them honestly and seriously. Allow your "interviewer" to critique you and listen to what he or she has to say. Maybe he or she will point out that every other word you used in your response was "like": "Yes, like, I really thought that this campus, like, was beautiful. It reminded me, like, of the Italian countryside, like, I went there on vacation this summer."
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