Chapter 10 (Part 2): Tackling Interview Questions About Your Interest in the School
Written by Kaashvi, Dartmouth College
Welcome back to The College Countdown! If this is your first time stopping by our blog, I am Kaashvi, your friendly neighborhood college admissions enthusiast and your guide through this series. Whether you’re a returning reader or a newcomer, I’m pumped to have you join us for this thrilling journey. In the last issue, we discussed common questions that you might be asked about your background in your college interview. Now with that out of the way, we’re in a great place to kick things off with our next article (which is the second installation in a three-parter) and continue from where we left off last time.
In all your interviews, you want to tick off a couple boxes. The first item on the list is to show the interviewer that you know yourself well. This means being able to talk confidently about your experiences and everything that you’ve learned from them. I have already covered how to handle questions you could be asked about your background in the last issue, so if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out.
The second item on the list is to show the interviewer that you know the school well and are excited about the prospect of attending. This is your chance to show that you’ve done your homework and know that you are a great fit for the school.
When I interviewed for Columbia, I didn’t start by saying that I loved their location in New York City. That could apply to NYU, Fordham or a hundred other colleges in the city. I talked about wanting to incubate my startup at The Columbia Makerspace because their mission is to engineer for people, not just problems. I also mentioned their satirical magazine, The Federalist, which I couldn’t wait to become a contributor for. As long as you’re not vague with your answers and think about what about the school actually caught your eye in the first place, you’re golden.
With that said, it can be a bit of a toss-up. Some interviewers spend more time asking questions that’ll tell them more about you while others are more interested in hearing about your interest in the college. In today’s issue, I am breaking down all the questions that you can be asked about the latter.
Question: How did you first come to learn about [university name]?
Just be honest and tell the actual story of how you discovered the school. Whether it was through your school counselor or from a YouTube video by a current student, sharing your genuine experience is the best way to sound convincing. There’s not much to this question and it’s often only used as a build up to other questions or just to get the conversation going.
However, if the thing that first brought the school to your attention is superficial, like the school’s ranking or the high average salary of the school’s graduates or the school’s selectiveness, I would try to steer clear of emphasizing that. I was asked this question for my interview with Dartmouth and this is how I responded to it:
“A couple years ago, I was cold-emailing professors in hopes of finding a mentor for the summer research project. Professor Bolger at Dartmouth’s Department of Environmental Studies is one of the few people I got a response from. Although he didn’t have any openings on his team for a research assistant, he did give me a list of other things to explore. Exchange programs were one of them. I applied to participate in one with AFS in my freshman year and got selected. I still have that email exchange in my inbox because it’s very special to me.”
Question: Out of all the selective colleges out there, why did you apply to [university name]?
This is the only question I was asked in all five of my interviews, usually right after the dreaded ‘tell me about yourself’ question. Saying something like, “I’ve always wanted to go to [university name], it’s been my dream school since I was seven” or “My dad is an alumnus of the school and he convinced me to apply” is not a good or specific enough answer.
There are a couple things you should read up on before your interview in order to best answer this question. Look into your desired major (and possible minor), the school’s curriculum (like Brown’s open curriculum), the yearly schedule (quarter, trimester or semester system) and any unique programs offered at the school (co-ops, foreign exchange or internships). Like applicants are expected to have a quality that differentiates them from the rest of the pool, so do universities. For instance, Notre Dame is a Catholic school and has a focus on theology while NYU is known for valuing global experiences.
However, while you want to communicate how great you think the school is, you also want to show why you believe you are a good fit for the school. Your answer should include things that are extremely personal to you—something that can’t be said by anyone else. It is important to connect everything that you like about the school back to yourself. This is how I did it:
“I’ve always wanted to attend a school with a tight-knit student body. With Dartmouth’s rural location, the school spirit doesn’t get lost to the vastness of a city. The school also has century-old traditions like the Twilight Ceremony that build a sense of community—one that stays with its students long after graduating. I wanted a combination of school and service from my college experience and that’ll be possible at Dartmouth because of how intertwined the school is with the Upper Valley. Lastly, I want my school to match my intellectual vitality. My analytic thinking is problem-based rather than being tool-based. By encouraging students to not limit their thinking to the tools available to them, Dartmouth mirrors my thought process.”
Sidenote, if your parent is an alum, there are subtle ways to mention it. You could share how their stories have shaped your interest in the school. Something like, “My mom always raves about the D-Plan at Dartmouth and how because of it she was able to spend an amazing summer in Rome without falling behind schedule. That really appealed to me because I want to gain some hands-on experience in my time as a student as well.”
Question: What classes are you interested in taking at [university name]?
Don’t say anything like, “I’m really looking forward to taking some history classes at [university name].” This is a fine answer if you’re making small talk with someone, but for an interview, you need to explain more.
A day before the meeting, go through the school’s course catalog and note down the titles and descriptions of a couple classes that pique your interest. You don’t need to know the exact sequence number of the courses that you like, just broadly what topics are covered in the class. Talk excitedly about a class you discovered on class, politics and marketing of ‘The Hunger Games’ or a class where you learn about catastrophes by strategizing to survive a zombie apocalypse. Look for classes that are very niche because chances are, you won’t be able to find them easily at other schools. So, skip talking about courses like ‘Introduction to Calculus’ and instead pick an elective unique to the school you’re interviewing for.
When I interviewed for Yale, I talked about being excited to take a course called, ‘The Mechanical Artifact: Ultra-Space’ and predicting how a new culture would evolve in the space age.
Question: What majors/concentrations excite you the most at [university name]? Why?
Avoid saying you want to major in something because you think it’ll make you a lot of money or because your parents think it’s practical. Also, while it is perfectly okay to be unsure of your major, don’t outright say that you’re undecided. Instead, say something like this, “I have a few majors that I’d like to explore. I’m curious about psychology, engineering and maybe even neuroscience. How the brain works and why people make the decisions they do really fascinates me. I can definitely see myself majoring in one of these fields.“
One of the things your interviewer is looking to assess is whether you’ll be able to handle college-level coursework and knowing that you’ve decided on your major, or at least have a strong interest in a field, can show that readiness.
You can start by talking about all that you’ve done to prepare yourself for the subject. If you’re considering majoring in neuroscience, have you taken the highest level of biology classes offered to you? Have you been actively involved with the STEM club at your school, participated in related summer programs or conducted a small research project? If yes, this is the time to share it all. You can also name drop professors whose classes you’re eager to attend and any ongoing research you want to be involved with.
The major you select should feel like a thoughtful choice, not a random one. Ideally you want to have both a good reason for it and something from your resume that shows sincere interest in the field. Here’s an example:
“I think I’m going to major in environmental studies with a minor in public policy. My uncle was a marine conservationist and his home was like a revolving door for displaced animals. All throughout my childhood, I met all kinds of sea animals—turtles, otters, seagulls—you name it. But the reason I was able to meet all of these animals is because their homes were no longer safe for them. When you see the physical impact things like oil spills have on these creatures, it just becomes impossible to ignore. With my non-profit, I have tried to do my little part. At Dartmouth, with the opportunity to modify my major with engineering or human centered design, I can develop the distinctive skill set needed to truly rehabilitate these animals.”
Question: What clubs and activities are you thinking about being involved with on campus?
This one’s very straightforward. I went about answering this by going back to reread my supplemental essays and making a note of all the clubs and activities on campus I had talked about there. This is how I answered the question:
“I hope I can work as a student blogger for Dartmouth’s admissions blog, ‘People, Place and Pines.’ I love documenting my life through journaling, clicking photos and recording films and I think a blog post could be an interesting thing to explore in the same vein. I’m excited to go paddle boarding with the Dartmouth Outing Club. I like how even in their hikes, they manage to observe and appreciate nature without harming it. I’m a big fan of satirical writing and I think it’d be very cool to be published in The Dartmouth Jack O’Lantern."
Question: Where do you see yourself six years down the line?
With this question, you don’t have to be super specific. No adult expects a 17-year-old to have life all figured out. To broadly talk about how you hope your life looks after graduating, think about what kind of a job you want to work after college, what you want to achieve or learn and what kind of an impact you want to make in the next six years.
It’s good to be optimistic about the future, but at the same time, it’s also important to show your interviewer that you’re realistic with your expectations. There’s nothing wrong with having simple goals as long as they’re meaningful in some way or the other. I said that I could see myself working in a creative role for my startup focused on sustainable tech and also working on a farm to reconnect with nature. At the end of the day, I just want to be in a position where I’m not working to make a living but because it fulfills me.
You can take things a step further and tell your interviewer how you think the university’s resources (alumni network and the school’s career center) could help you reach your dreams.
Question: How do you learn the best and how do you think [university name] will help with that?
Do you learn best by taking up hands-on projects? Or are you more of a visual learner? Maybe you’re someone who needs to listen to the material to understand it, that is, you’re an auditory learner. Some people like learning in structured environments while others prefer a more discursive approach. There’s no incorrect way of learning so talk about whichever method you find the most effective to absorb and retain information.
You can share stories from your past about how you discovered a certain learning style worked better for you and then go on to elaborate why you think the school you’re interviewing for will also be conducive to you. I answered this question by saying, “I like discursive learning where you get to read about a lot of tangential topics. Thanks to the quarter system, I can take three classes at a time and learn at my own pace by going in-depth on all the topics that interest me.”
And there you have it—any and all questions you could ever be asked in your college interview. So far, all the questions we’ve discussed can fall into two groups, either they’re related to you or the school. The last item on the list is showing the interviewer your personality, but more on that in the next (and final) issue of this series. A massive thank you to all of you for joining me today and sticking around till the end. I’ll see you soon with the third part of this issue where I’ll be sharing other miscellaneous questions that are usually asked in an interview to gauge your personality. Until next time, keep dreaming big!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hey there, college-bound crew! I’m Kaashvi, an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College from India. I’m the brains (and heart) behind the College Countdown series here at The Ivy Institute and I am stoked to be your guide through this process.
So, a little bit about me: I was a STEM kid through and through in high school and all my classes were the highest level ones offered at my school and graduated at the top of my class for three consecutive years. Outside of class, I was involved in activities that let me nurture my love for inventiveness, responsibility and storytelling. From designing a vehicle to aid oil spill cleanup to working as an elected representative for the youth advisory council to volunteering at the local deaf school—I devoted a lot of my time to projects that were true to my values.
When I’m not typing away at my keyboard, dishing out college advice to people in my inbox and on this blog, you can catch me exploring new hiking trails, whipping up some questionable (but oddly delicious) desserts at my bakery or getting lost in a gripping mystery novel.
As an international student, the application process wasn’t just about finding a spot at a prestigious university but also about finding a place that felt like a second home. Now that I’ve made it out alive to the other end (with a boatload of stories to tell), I'm here to spill all the tea on how you can do the same. With some guidance and a whole lot of oversharing, together we’ll crush this admissions game like absolute pros.
Catch you on the flip side,
Kaashvi
