BRITTANY MASCHAL CONSULTING

Alumni Interviews

By BMC BloggerOct 25, 2023

Alumni interview season is here!

For many students, college admissions interviews are fear-inducing. Although there is some decent prep material online, you can often go right to the source for clarity on what the process entails. There is no reason to fear your alumni interview because many schools have their protocols and the guidance/instructions they give your interviewer available for you to review online—including possible interview questions.

You do not need to spend hours preparing answers to hundreds of questions to prepare for alumni or any other college admissions interview thoroughly. Canned responses sound unnatural. In my experience, taking the less stressful approach bodes well for students: they do not waste hours preparing, which can detract from other important tasks (homework, community engagement, application essays, sleep), and because they have not overprepared, they will sound far more natural and “themselves”—a goal for the IV process.

Remember, so much of a college admissions interview (and this entire process!) is about likeability—rehashing your resume word-for-word does not make you likable, but being able to hold a conversation and do so with ease does! You’ll find some alumni IV resources below:

You can find a general list of potential interview questions in older posts, but contact us if you want individualized help preparing for your college interviews—alumni or otherwise—or want access to additional materials. We’ve helped hundreds of students ace their interviews and gain acceptance to their first-choice colleges and universities—don’t miss an opportunity to shine live!

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College Admissions Interview Season!

By BMC BloggerNov 01, 2022

For many students, college admissions interviews are fear-inducing. The good news is, you are already an expert on you, so all you need to learn is a little bit about the school and how to channel nerves into excitement.

Hear us out: You do not need to spend hours preparing answers to hundreds of questions to thoroughly prepare for alumni or any other college admissions interview. Canned responses sound terrible anyway.

Remember, so much of college admissions (especially the interview) is about likeability—rehashing your resume word-for-word or sounding like a robot does not make you likable—but being able to hold a simple, genuine conversation does.

Practice with a parent or friend, or practice for 30 minutes with us! Never go to an interview unprepared! Learning how to interview is a skill for life, not just for the college process. Email us if you are interested in a short mock interview session.

Below, you will find some common interview questions.

High School Experience

Tell me a little bit about your high school experience and the courses you are taking currently
Which class has been your least favorite? Why?
Tell me about your favorite class(s) you have taken. Why was it your favorite?
Which classes have been the most difficult (or most challenging)?
What subjects do you plan on studying at [school]?
How have you pursued this interest in school and outside of school?

Extracurricular Activities

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
When you’re not in class, studying, or doing homework, what do you do with your time (organized activities or things for fun)?
How did you get involved/started with ____ activity?
Which activity is the most meaningful to you, and which one is the most fun?
What extracurricular activities do you hope to continue in college?
If you could only continue taking part in one EC, which one would it be and why?

College Expectations

What type of environment are you looking for in a college/university?
Have you visited [insert college name]? What did you learn?
What matters most to you in a college setting?

School Specific

How did you become interested in [school]?
What do you find appealing about [school]?
Why do you think you [school] might be the right fit for you?
Do you know any students at [school]? Have you reached out to them to learn more about [school]?
If you had an opportunity to tell the Admissions Committee anything about yourself, what would it be? What would you want the Admissions Committee to know about you that may not come across on your application?
What have you learned about [school] that seems unusual or surprising?

Miscellaneous

How have you spent your high school summers?
How would your best friend describe you?
How would your teachers describe you?
If you had a year to do anything you want, what would it be and why?
What are you currently reading?
Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you wanted to discuss?

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February Action Plan – By Grade

By Brittany MaschalFeb 03, 2021

Seniors:

Once your applications have been submitted, track the status of each app online to ensure all of your application materials were received. Follow up with your school counselor ASAP if a college is missing your transcript or a letter of recommendation. Check your junk email folder regularly (daily), so you do not miss correspondence from colleges.
Interviews! Sign up for interviews for all of your RD schools as soon as possible (where available/and if still open), if you have not done so already.
For RD schools, consider writing interest letters to schools that welcome additional information. It might even be beneficial to have an extra LOR sent if you did not send one within the Common App.

Juniors:

Keep prepping for standardized tests (ACT, SAT) and working hard in all of your classes; your grades this year are very important.
Do you know what major(s) you will mark on your application? Do you have a clearly defined academic interest or set of interests for your college apps? This is a critical part of your application that should be determined now.
Continue working on your resume. Some summer programs, internships, and interviewers may ask for this, so it’s useful to have it handy.
Next summer is a wonderful opportunity to do something really meaningful, perhaps even fun, that will help you tell your story for college! Get those plans in place now.; there is still a lot of uncertainty because of COVID, so having multiple plans/irons in the fire is a good idea.
Meet with your school counselor about your preliminary college list and go over your goals and plans for college visits/outreach.
Take a college tour via CampusReel. Visiting campus in person is great, but you won’t be able to tour all of the schools on your initial list. Plus, formal campus tours can be a bit limiting! CampusReel is one of my favorite ways to get a real insider look at colleges.
Tired of online tours? Sign up with one of our Peer Guides!!!
Start to think about your senior year schedule. Do you know what you will be taking? Your senior classes should be the most challenging of your four years.
If you’d like to start your Common App essay early, now is the time. If you are not working with us and would like to on your essays, reach out via the contact form. We help quite a few juniors finish their CA essays over the winter/spring, especially those with busy summer/fall schedules.

Sophomores and Freshmen:

An impressive academic record is the most important admissions factor at most colleges. Work on creating smart study habits this year.
Will you be starting your SAT or ACT prep this spring/summer? Begin to decide on a testing schedule and plan for how you will prepare for these exams.
Many 2021 summer program applications are now open. Please begin thinking about your plans for summer and work on applications if needed.
Start to think about next year’s course schedule. Do you know what you will be taking? Your classes next year should be more challenging than this year.
Now is the time to build your academic profile for college, and this means pursuing what interests you academically and intellectually outside of your classes. Have you gotten more involved with any academic extracurricular activities? Have you thought about what you might want to major in? Think about ideas for new and different activities or how to get more involved in your favorite activity (academic and non-academic); exploration now will help you begin determining what you might want to study in college. A great place to start exploring your academic interests is Khan Academy or TedX.
One way that your “story” is conveyed in your app is through your resume. Keep working on yours this month.

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College Admissions Interviews: Alumni Interview Protocols

By Brittany MaschalNov 09, 2020

Alumni interview season is upon us!

For many students, college admissions interviews are fear-inducing. And though there is some decent prep material online, you can often go right to the source for clarity on what the process entails. There is no reason to fear your alumni interview because many schools have their protocols and the guidance/instructions they give your interviewer available for you to review online—including possible interview questions.

Knowing the questions you might be asked is one thing but thoroughly preparing is another completely. You do not need to spend hours preparing answers to hundreds of questions to thoroughly prepare for alumni or any other college admissions interview. Canned responses sound unnatural. In my experience, taking the less stressful approach bodes well for students: they do not waste hours preparing, which can detract from other important tasks (homework, community engagement, application essays, sleep) and because they have not overprepared, they will sound far more natural and “themselves” therefore win over an interviewer.

Remember, so much of a college admissions interview (and this entire process!) is about likeability—rehashing your resume word-for-word does not make you likable, but being able to hold a conversation and do so with ease does! Getting to the point of doing so with ease is the hardest part for high school students (who have not interviewed all that much, typically), but over-preparing won’t help. Resist the urge.

Below, I’ve compiled a few of the alumni interview links for some popular, selective schools. Take some time to read over the information provided, but do not obsess over it.

You can find a general list of potential interview questions in older posts, but contact us if you want individualized help preparing for your college interviews—alumni or otherwise—or want access to additional materials. We’ve helped hundreds of students ace their interviews and gain acceptance to their first-choice colleges and universities—don’t miss an opportunity to shine live!

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Prepare Now for College Admissions Interviews

By Brittany MaschalAug 29, 2019

Not all colleges require interviews. In fact, many don’t offer them. At schools that do, they are not always evaluative or even considered in the admissions process. That said, we still suggest you interview if you can. Why? It is a way to demonstrate interest, learn more about the school, and help the school learn more about you. Seems like a no brainer!

Below, you will find some common interview questions. Practice with a parent, or a friend, or with us!. Never go to an interview (even those that are not evaluative) unprepared!

High School Experience

Tell me a little bit about your high school.
Tell me about the courses you are taking currently.
Tell me about your favorite class(s) you have taken. Why was it your favorite?
Which class has been your least favorite? Why?
Which classes have been the most difficult (or most challenging)?
What subjects do you plan on studying at [school]?
How have you pursued this interest in school, and outside of school?
What is your dream job?

Extracurricular Activities

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
When you’re not in class, studying, or doing homework, what do you do with your time (organized activities or things for fun)?
How did you get involved/started with ____ activity?
Which activity is the most meaningful to you, and which one is the most fun?
What extracurricular activities do you hope to continue in college?
If you could only continue taking part in one EC, which one would it be and why?

College Expectations

What type of environment are you looking for in a college/university?
What matters most to you in a college setting?

School Specific

How did you become interested in [school]?
What do you find appealing about [school]?
Why do you think you [school] might be the right fit for you?
Do you know any students at [school]? Have you reached out to them to learn more about [school]?
If you had an opportunity to tell the Admissions Committee anything about yourself, what would it be? What would you want the Admissions Committee to know about you that may not come across on your application?
What have you learned about [school] that seems unusual or surprising?

Miscellaneous

Apart from looking at colleges, how have you spent your high school summers?
How would your best friend describe you?
How would your teachers describe you?
If you had a year to do anything you want, what would it be and why?
What are you currently reading?
Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you wanted to discuss?

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Insights on Preparing for Alumni Interviews

By Brittany MaschalFeb 11, 2019

Alumni interview season is coming to an end, so I wanted to get a post up for high school juniors looking to get a sense of what’s in store for 2019.

For many students, college admissions interviews are fear-inducing. And though there is some decent prep material online, you can go right to the source for clarity on what the process entails. There really should be no reason to fear your alumni interview because many schools have their protocols and the guidance/instructions they give your interviewer available for you to review online—including possible interview questions.

Knowing the questions you might be asked is one thing but thoroughly preparing is another completely. You do not need to spend hours preparing answers to hundreds of questions to thoroughly prepare for alumni or any other college admissions interview. Canned responses sound unnatural and can be a give away that you were nervous (understandable given the hype around these things) and as a result, over-prepared. In my experience, taking the less stressful approach bodes well for students: they do not waste hours preparing, which can detract from other important tasks (homework, community engagement, Spotify) and because they have not overprepared, they will more naturally which tends to win over an interviewer.

Remember, so much of a college admissions interview (and this entire process!) is about likeability—rehashing your resume word-for-word does not make you likable, but being able to hold a conversation and do so with ease does! Getting to the point of doing so with ease is the hardest part for high school students (who have not interviewed all that much, typically), but over-preparing won’t help. Resist the urge.

Below, I’ve compiled a few of the alumni interview links for some popular, selective schools. Take some time to read over the information provided, but do not obsess over it.

You can find a general list of potential interview questions in one of my older posts, but contact us if you want individualized help preparing for your college interviews—alumni or otherwise—or want access to additional materials. We’ve helped hundreds of students ace their interviews and gain acceptance to their first-choice colleges and univesities—don’t miss an opportunity to shine in person!

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