"Do you have any questions for me?"
A guide to one aspect of your college interview:
Often, at the end of a college admissions interview, the alumni (or student) interviewer will turn to the candidate and say: “Do you have any questions for me?” This is a wonderful moment for you to seize an opportunity, so do not let it pass you by!
First, what NOT to do:
- Say “no, I don’t have any questions” about this college
- Ask a “yes or no” question whose answer could be easily Googled (“Does College X have a French major?”)
- Ask any question whose answer could be learned from your explorations of the college’s website (“Where do you have study abroad programs?”)
- Ask a question whose answer is generally mundane (“How good is the math department?”)
- Ask a “stock” questions that sound like ChatGPT wrote it for you (“What do you think makes College X unique compared to other schools, especially in terms of its student culture or academic opportunities?”) *ChatGPT did write this one!
What SHOULD you do:
- Ask a question that makes a clear connection to YOU
- Invite your interviewer to tell you a story from their experiences as a student
How do you do this?
Prepare in advance!
Think of a few things that are central to your interests, your character, and your application and craft thoughtful questions connected to these interests BEFORE you go into your interview. Be sure to keep the question short, but also make sure it includes enough depth and detail to highlight your interest in the area at hand.
Here are a few examples:
- Sustainability is really important to me and my work with our school’s Green Team has been among my favorite extracurricular activities. I was really proud of our recent “Weigh the Waste” contests to reduce dining hall waste at lunches. I’m curious if you can tell me more about how students at College X are involved in environmental sustainability initiatives? What types of projects have students spearheaded at College X to make the campus greener and improve the school’s environmental footprint?
- My high school’s small size has been really important to my growth as a student. I love building relationships with my teachers both in and out of the classroom. College X is a lot bigger than my high school, and I want to make sure that I can still get to know my teachers. Can you tell me about some of your favorite professors at College X? How did you get to know them outside of lectures?
- The best projects I have done in my classes have been collaborative ones, where each member of our team contributes their own expertise to our success on the project (and maybe give a little example). Given how selective College X is, I’m worried that the school might foster a more competitive than collaborative environment. Can you tell me about how you found the school to be on the spectrum from competitive to collaborative? Was the same also true for your friends?
You can write your questions down on a notecard and bring it with you to your interview! When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, it is ok to pull out your card and read one! Having your questions in advance shows that you are thoughtful and prepared.
Want to know more about college interviews from the “inside”?
Check out this great episode of the Inside The Yale Admissions Office podcast (“Interviews” – 28 minutes)
Letters of Continued Interest: Myths and Reality
Google “I just got deferred from my Early Decision school! What can I do now?” and you’ll be directed toward any number of threads and conversations filled with myths and partial truths about the purpose, structure, and value of the “Letter of Continued Interest” (LOCI) to be sent to support a student’s chances in the Regular Decision round.
MYTH: The letter needs to be submitted immediately following the defer decision to assure that the school knows the student isn’t too disappointed about being deferred and/or is still very interested in attending.
MYTH: There is a perfect LOCI that the student could craft that would all but guarantee admission in the regular round.
MYTH: Students who have been deferred ED have a better (or worse, depending on what you read) chance of being admitted in the regular decision round than students who simply applied RD.
MYTH: Students should do more than just write a letter, they should call and/or visit the college, send additional letters of recommendation, request a meeting with an admissions officer to explain their interest, send cookies/flowers/cardboard cutouts of their face, in order to ensure that the school knows how very interested they are.
In truth, each of these is just that – a myth about admission.
Truth: LOCIs should be sent in mid-January, not only after a student has taken the time to craft great supplemental essays for the other schools on their list, but after they have an update to share with the school (which is likely after first semester grades have been reported).
Truth: All LOCIs are different and should be unique and individual to the student, and their interests and aspirations. There are no guarantees in the world of admissions, and LOCIs are a part of that reality.
Truth: Each student in the RD round has the same “chance” of being admitted as each other student in the round. There are no special points (or demerits) for the ED deferred applicant. About the same percentage of applicants are admitted after a deferral as are admitted from the entire pool. (ie: If the school has an RD admit rate of 5%, about 5% of the deferred ED applicants are admitted as are about 5% of the RD applicants)
Truth: Students should simply write one letter (one LOCI). They should absolutely not visit, call, interrupt, send anything else, or otherwise inundate the admissions office. Students (and parents) need to simply trust that the process does work out and that one LOCI is sufficient.
So what is the formula for a great LOCI? It is simple. One letter, 4 parts, 250 words or about ½ a page:
- Gratitude: For the time during busy RD season; for the defer in a competitive pool, etc
- Updates: Here are some things that have happened to/for/because-of me since I sent you my application in mid-October that I haven't shared yet that I think you'd like to know about in my application
- Connections: Here are some great things that I am/continue to be excited about at your school which makes it such a great fit for ME and are all the things I love about it/your school/my future there (even better if they might connect to your updates!)
- Gratitude Redux: For the “continued consideration” -- and (if applicable) an assurance to yield if admitted (can't do this unless it is true… consider your options!)
Do you want to read more about deferral and steps you can take? Try this excellent blog post from the Georgia Tech Admissions Blog.