What Actually Happens in a College Interview

Lately it seems as if my job has consisted of only two activities -- traveling and interviewing -- so it's not surprising that the interview process has been forefront in my mind. When I was a prospective student oh so many moons ago, most of the interviews in which I participated were with local alumnae in my hometown of Summit, New Jersey. They were decidedly un-intimidating; I met all these women in their homes where we spoke about their careers, children, and harp playing in addition to my college aspirations. (It's hard to be scared of your interviewer when you can hear her children wreaking holy havoc in the next room.) One of these interviews, with a retired professor, lasted two hours! Maybe it's because of these very positive memories that I try to create the same informal atmosphere in the interviews that I conduct; my belief is that you can glean much more in a friendly conversation than in an all-out interrogation. Not that the interview isn't supposed to challenge you; we want to ask questions that will encourage you to reflect on your values, your hopes, questions that will tell us how you react when things aren't easy for you. But there's also room for humor and candor.

So how exactly does a college interview work? Well, here at Mudd, they last between twenty and thirty minutes, and they're conducted by both full-time staff and a group of seven well-trained current seniors. (There's no way our staff of six could handle the upwards of 800 interviews that take place on campus every year, so we are very grateful to have the help of the seniors. It's also worth noting that interviews by seniors and full-time staff are given the same weight -- we know these Mudders very well and completely respect their judgments.) Obviously we all have our own interviewing styles, but there are a few things we usually bring up in discussion:

1. Intended major. This shouldn't come as a surprise. As a college with a grand total of nine majors, it's important to admit students who are actually interested in our range of offerings.
2. Humanities and social sciences -- ditto the above. We pride ourselves on being a STEM institution with a diverse array of humanities, social sciences, and arts courses, and naturally we want to admit students who will take advantage of these opportunities.
3. A time when coursework didn't come easily. College, especially a college like Mudd, is going to provide you with new academic challenges. How have you coped with difficult classes or projects, or dealt with a teacher who wasn't ideal?
4. What you do outside of class. Don't just limit yourself to clubs and organized activities -- I've had great discussions with prospective students about everything from mountain biking to crafting to altering the physics engines in video games.
5. The college search. How did you narrow down your list of schools? What qualities are important to you?

I nearly always ask about a favorite book -- this is a completely self-interested question, as I get great book recommendations this way. Falone always works in a music-related question; Raissa will ask you to describe your high school community in more detail. But the basics are the same for almost every interview.

Keeping the friendly, personal aspect of the interview isn't quite as easy when it takes place in a generic location, like, say, the Short Hills Mall, and due to HMC's half-hour interview windows, there isn't the opportunity for leisurely two-hour conversations over tea and cookies (tea is always available in my office upon request, but you'll have to bring your own snacks). But we do our best to tailor the conversation to your activities and interests, and give you time to ask any questions you have about HMC.

One final note is that interviews are evaluative -- it's an opportunity both for you to learn about the college and for us to start to determine how you might fit into the community -- but they rarely hurt students in the admission process. (You'd need to say something really awful, like that you hate math and science, failed every class in high school, and routinely hit squirrels with rocks.) So don't let the evaluative aspect of the interview intimidate you. If Harry Potter is your favorite book, say so; don't feel you have to name a work by Kafka just because it sounds more erudite. We don't expect everything in your high school experience to be peachy keen and rosy glowed; it's okay to be honest about your frustrating grade in physics or the losing record of the soccer team. And if you've done something of which you're particularly proud, by all means, tell us, whether it's learning to throw a Frisbee in a straight line or having a conversation in French.

I have a post of Interview Do's & Don't's planned for later in the week, but for now, I hope this helps provide some context about what actually occurs in a college interview.