Good Questions To Ask College Interviewers

But really, asking this kind of question is completely inappropriate, and college interviewers will not appreciate the implications. That is, your goal is to learn about the college experience, not to get tips on gaming the system, or even feedback on the quality of your application package at all. And in fact, this person may have a very limited or even nonexistent perspective on the rest of your profile, details on the college’s specific admissions process, and other important admissions trends. Plus, you absolutely don’t want to come across as the type of person who would want or expect an unfair advantage that has nothing to do with your actual merit.

Questions to Ask a College Interviewer

The interview is one of the most intimidating portions of the college admissions process. You have months to polish your essays and activity list, and years to build great relationships with your recommenders. But can you capture whatever makes you awesome when face-to-face with an alumnus or admissions officer?

We think you can, so long as you focus on making a real connection with your interviewer. And one of the best ways to make this connection genuine is by asking your own smart, thoughtful questions.

In this article, we dive into the best questions to ask your interviewer, and we touch upon how to answer college interview questions yourself.

If you’re impatient you can jump to the questions, but don’t forget to scroll back up to learn the top college interview mistakes along with some other useful pointers about your admissions interview.

An Introduction to The College Interview

After you submit your college applications—and these days, sometimes before you even apply—you are likely to be invited for at least one or two interviews. Most students applying to a healthy number of elite, selective colleges in the USA will be invited for a handful.

Nine times out of ten, this interview will be with an alumnus of the college. The reasons for this are simple: universities have limited human resources and tens of thousands of applicants to interview, and they trust that proud, nostalgic alumni volunteers will promote their institution’s image and be genuinely invested in the quality of the college’s new classes of students. Thus, alumni interviews provide both a practical and a strategic lens into how an applicant comports themselves interpersonally.

But does the interview really have that much bearing on your admissions decision? In most cases, no, it does not. The majority of colleges consider the college interview as only a very small factor of their decision-making process. But that doesn’t mean that the interview is entirely negligible. In fact, it can often be a way to suss out red flags or get a “real” sense of who the applicant behind the application package really is.

And if you really mess it up, you can be sure that news of your disappointing performance will reach the admissions committee.

So, because the interview isn’t going to put a Hollywood facelift on an otherwise mediocre profile, it is probably not going to be the reason you are admitted. At the same time, it absolutely could be the reason you are not admitted.

That sounds scary, but it’s not really. Bear in mind that it’s most likely your interviewer will have volunteered their time to do this college interview. They have some degree of investment in the process, and like all people, they’d rather enjoy their interaction with you than resent it.

This should be a confidence booster. Your interviewer was in your same shoes however many decades ago, and they are not an admissions professional. They’re a real person who cares about their alma mater, but also cares to get to know you. Even better, they’re someone with verifiable insights into the college’s culture, academics, and other qualities—they may be able to reveal new things about the experience on campus through anecdotes you’d never hear elsewhere.

The point here is not to be motivated by a fear of failure, but by the opportunity to get this interviewer on your team. That’s a modest and achievable goal, and it also happens to be the most you can hope for. So shake off the stress and focus on finding your interview rhythm. Take deep breaths, then let the rapport develop organically. The more you embrace your natural speaking style and stay focused on listening sincerely to what the other person says, the better an impression you will leave them with.

Don’t Ask These Questions in College Interviews

That said, it’s worth bearing in mind a couple of the most fundamental mistakes that students commonly make when asked for their own questions toward the end of an interview.

The first of these we will call the “aren’t I cute?” question. This type of question is usually preceded by a brief gushing about how much you love this particular college, saying that it’s at the very top of the list of your dream schools, followed by a clumsy transition:

“So… how can I get in?”

“Do you think I’ll get in?”

Yikes. These questions might seem mildly ironic or kind of funny—maybe you have this far-fetched hope that they will appreciate your semi-satire so much that they will even drop secret hints about how to get in.

But really, asking this kind of question is completely inappropriate, and college interviewers will not appreciate the implications. That is, your goal is to learn about the college experience, not to get tips on gaming the system, or even feedback on the quality of your application package at all. And in fact, this person may have a very limited or even nonexistent perspective on the rest of your profile, details on the college’s specific admissions process, and other important admissions trends. Plus, you absolutely don’t want to come across as the type of person who would want or expect an unfair advantage that has nothing to do with your actual merit.

The second mistake that students can make is focusing on the prestige of the person across from them: asking them about their job in a way that’s more about how much money they’re making, or the car they drive, or the neighborhood they live in, or the people they know, or the parties they go to, or any number of other status symbols.

Successful people are used to such attention and have trained themselves to sniff out ulterior motives. If you start asking them about these topics, they will quickly realize that you don’t actually care about them as an individual. Even worse, they’ll know that you are motivated to attend college not to integrate into campus life but because you see it as a stepping stone to the upper class. Just like the admissions committee, your interviewer will want to find new members of the student body who are passionate about learning and developing as a person.

So when you focus on prestige, it is likely to make the interviewer shut down further questions and end the conversation as soon as possible. It may make them feel that you haven’t listened to anything they’ve mentioned that they are actually passionate about. And it certainly won’t make them feel that they actually connected with you on a basic human level.

So—avoid these silly mistakes at all costs. They will show that you are either unprepared or distasteful, neither of which is what you want.

What you do want is to instead turn the conversation toward topics that will provoke a further response and enable you to ask follow-up questions.

The Best Questions to Ask a College Interviewer

Before we get into the time-tested questions we recommend students like you consider using in a college admissions interview, it’s worth noting a general truth: the best questions to ask your interviewer are always going to be a natural extension or by-product of the conversation you have had up to that point.

What do we mean by this?

Well, most interviewers are going to drop some hints about what they care about in their lives. They’re real people with real interests, after all. In all likelihood, they’re downright fascinating! And they’ve signed up to do this interview with you. They are well aware that it’s not very enjoyable for anyone if they simply spend an hour grilling you without some back-and-forth to make the interaction more comfortable. So the vast majority of the time, your interviewer will be somewhat open and receptive, not cold and dismissive.

And that’s why the first step to asking the right questions in your college interview is to dedicate your full attention to any tidbits your interviewer drops about their own life throughout the interview. Get in the habit of making mental notes during conversations. Can you “bookmark” a certain topic in your brain, then bring it back up later? Doing this without losing track of the conversation is tricky, but it’s achievable with practice.

Perhaps your interviewer has a pet, or loves a certain cuisine, or studied abroad in a fascinating country, or plays a cool sport for fun. These are all safe but potentially rich areas of inquiry. Maybe they have strong opinions on social movements, political topics, or news from the college itself. Though asking about such convictions may be trickier, doing so carefully can lead to substantive and engaging conversation.

So use hints about any of these areas, or countless others, to direct your questions.

College Interview Questions

OK, well, picking up on hints is all well and good, but what should you ask about if you weren’t able to sleuth your way to some revealing personal insight about your interviewer?

Here are some of the best and most reliable questions you can ask practically any interviewer in any context, and which will almost always enrich your conversation.

Favorite Memory Questions

Alright: nothing mind-blowing here. This one is as tried and true as it gets—but that doesn’t mean it can’t be effective!

The reason that asking about specific favorite memories is effective is because it is bound to make your college interviewer nostalgic. Whether you ask about a favorite event, professor, class, project, party, restaurant, cafe, hangout space, study space, or tradition, you are going to evoke emotions about your interviewer’s experience of campus life. Your college interviewer has clearly stayed connected to their alma mater—if they hadn’t, they wouldn’t be interviewing you.

So playing it “safe” this way can help you gauge what exactly your interviewer remembers so fondly from their experience. It will help you see whether they were a bookworm, a social animal, a leader and organizer, or anything in between. This is often one of the best ways to get off on the right foot in this last phase of your conversation.

Here are some examples of favorite memory questions that always go over well:

1. As an incoming freshman, when was the first time you felt “at-home” on campus?
2. Did you have a favorite professor throughout your time in college, and could you tell me about them?
3. I know you must have taken too many classes to remember them all, but were there any that really stood out to you or have stuck with you?
4. Where was your favorite space to study on campus, and did you have any places you’d go to study off-campus?
5. Were there any particularly special events or parties you went to while you were in college?
6. Sometimes I need to get away from everything and clear my head. What were your favorite places to hang out or eat at, off-campus?
7. Did you have any work you completed in college that you were particularly proud of, and if so, could you tell me about it?

Topical Questions

The second area that is a potential goldmine for interesting dialogue is asking for your interviewer’s opinion or perspective on something topical. This could be a current event that is in the public eye, a particular development in your interviewer’s field of interest or work, a piece of recent news from the college itself, a social or political movement, or any number of other things. The key is that it should be a topic you are reasonably confident the interviewer will be interested in, and one that you yourself also have some well-formed opinions on.

Again, making this prediction well is a matter of paying close attention to the undercurrents of the interview up until that point. But when done right, this can lead to a less emotional and more cerebral exchange—perhaps even a debate. By presenting the opportunity for the interviewer to express an opinion, you take on the risk of disagreement, but you also show that you are interested in how they think and that you, too, care about the big things that are happening in the world.

Ideally, whether you politely disagree or wholeheartedly agree, your interviewer will feel that this question is an indication of your high level of maturity. After all, not so many teenagers are comfortable matching wits with older people who they might find intimidating. Be respectful and diplomatic, but let your rhetoric rip. You may find that the discourse itself sticks in the mind of your interviewer, given that it’s something they’d so rarely find in this context.

Personal trajectory questions

Another area ripe with potentially interesting responses is asking about the interim period between when your interviewer graduated from college, and where they are at the present moment. To understand this “trajectory” you can ask about their alma mater’s network, the friendships they built while in college, the professional or soft skills they developed, how they transitioned from an academic to a work setting, their career path, and plenty more.

Basically, the idea is to show that you are thinking ahead and setting intentions for your future. It can be impressive if you show that you really want to grasp the challenges not only of school, but of professional life too. Plus, since work has most likely been one of the biggest parts of your interviewer’s life in recent memory, they should have a treasure trove of anecdotes they can pull up if your question hits the right chord.

As a bonus, this line of questioning may also prompt your interviewer to note some takeaways from their college experience that they only realize in retrospect, further enhancing your own perspective on your near future.

In order to make these “trajectory” questions land the right way, try using questions like these:

1. Have you stayed friends with the friends you met in college, and do you still see each other?
2. What skill that you built while in college has been the most useful for you since you graduated?
3. Did you find any challenges in navigating the transition from academic life to professional life? If so, do you have any advice on how I could prepare to do so?
4. Have you engaged with your college’s alumni network since you graduated, and if so, could you tell me what that’s like?
5. Do you think that your college experience helped you figure out what you wanted out of your career?
6. How has your career developed since you graduated from college? Was there anything unexpected?

Advice and Insight Questions

The last major category of questions we recommend you consider asking your college interviewer concerns questions on life advice. As a young person, you should be seeking mentorship—at least, in the right places. But it can be very compelling to show that you are receptive, open-minded, and growth oriented.

Plus, you asking for your interviewer’s input can often play to their ego. Such questions show that you respect their opinions and value their life experience.

It’s best to start from your own passions, interests, and activities for this kind of question. What are you doing with your time, and how would you like to evolve this pursuit in the future? You may have hobbies, research projects, sports, intellectual interests, clubs and organizations, volunteer roles, internships, family obligations, and plenty more.

You may do these things at an exceptionally high—perhaps even a world-class—level. But you are still a teenager, and there’s a whole lot of opportunity left ahead of you. Show that you recognize this by sincerely seeking any insights on a specific topic that your college interviewer is willing to share. In particular, focus on your academic interests, and embrace idea that this person could truly be an inspiration for you.

Here are some classic examples of effective advice and insight questions:

1. Do you have any ideas on how I could combine my interests in X and Y in the future?
2. Based on what I’ve told you about my [project, club, talent], what do you think I could do to continue improving and challenging myself in this realm?
3. Are there any particularly invaluable lessons you’ve learned in recent years, which I should bear in mind going into college?
4. I want to continue doing X but I’m worried it will take too much time away from Y. Do you have any advice on how I could balance these two things, or make time for both?
5. Do you have any regrets about college that you wouldn’t mind sharing with me, in case they can help me better navigate my own college experience?
6. In your opinion, what are some of the key skills I should develop in order to become a/an XYZ?
7. Do you know anyone who [is/has done] XYZ? Do you have any advice for me to reach that goal, from where I am now?

Any of these question types can lead to fruitful, enjoyable, and memorable conversations. The way you use them is completely up to you. Try to exercise your best discretion based on what you can intuit about your college interviewer, then use your guesses as best you can.

One great thing about practicing this skill is that it will continue to have value throughout the rest of your life. In essence, what you are practicing is active listening: a refined, empathetic way of demonstrating care and consideration. Of course, this is not about feigning such qualities, but truly embodying them. And depending on what kind of person you naturally are, this may take time.

But it is certainly achievable. Everyone can become a good listener, and you’d be surprised how far such a simple skill can get you in life. So bear in mind these heavy-hitting questions to ask throughout the interview process, put a few into practice, but don’t forget that the most important quality you can show is sincerity: a sincere focus on their words, a sincere desire to grow, explore, and be challenged, and a sincere interest in learning about the world and the people within it.

If you can convince your college interviewer of your sincerity, you can be confident that you are bolstering your college application through your college interview.

13 Awesome Questions to Ask in a College Interview

Picture this: You’ve just breezed through a college interview for your first choice school. Your answers were well-thought out, witty, and you’re internally high-fiving yourself.

And just when you think things are wrapping up, the interviewer asks “What questions do you have for me?”

“Uhhhhhh…”
You have none. You have no idea what questions to ask in a college interview.

And your interviewer is sitting there, staring at you, while you scramble to come up with a decent question on the spot. Something. Anything!

“Did you …. like this school?”

This is something I hear from students pretty often: they do lots of preparation for how to answer the interviewer’s questions, but less preparation for the end of the interview when they turn the tables and ask for your questions.

And this is SUCH a missed opportunity to show that you’re prepared, smart, and have done your research and really know what you’re looking for in college.

I want you to walk into your college interview 100% prepared for the questions they’ll ask you and the questions you’ll ask them.

So if you’re looking for questions to ask during college interview

a) you’re in the right place

Tips for Brainstorming Questions to Ask in a College Interview

Yes, I’m going to share some sample college interview questions below. But before you scroll down and copy/paste, here are three things to think about:

It’s more important to be likeable than impressive

This advice came from Monica James during a podcast episode we did on college interview tips. More than anything, you want your interviewer to like you and to write a great note about you for your application file when it’s being reviewed.

The good news? It’s actually much easier to be likable than it is to be impressive. Once you’ve been granted an interview to your dream school, you probably don’t have time to add impressive things to your activities list. But being a bit more likeable? That’s surprisingly easy.

If you want to be more likeable, find a way to ask your college interviewer about themselves, their experiences, their knowledge, and their opinions. People enjoy talking about themselves, and it makes them happy and feel useful if they can provide wisdom and guidance that can help others make better decisions.

And then they associate those happy feelings with you, the interviewee. Those positive feelings combined with your thoughtful answers means you’re a lot more likely to be remembered positively when it comes to application review time. All because you gave the interviewer an opportunity to talk about themselves.

Craft questions that allow you to communicate things the interviewer didn’t ask you about

Did your interviewer specifically ask you about your academic interests and role as captain of the Geography Bee team, buuuuut you actually want to find a way to let them know you’re a champion gymnast? Say “I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was four. What’s the school’s gymnastics team like?”

If they didn’t ask about your award-winning genetics project, you might say “So, I’ve been working on science projects related to DNA and genetics for the last two years. I know Dr. Li has been doing some really innovative research in that area. Are any other microbiology professors working on interesting studies or projects that you know of?”

It’s also okay to ask about things you’re just curious about that you’d like to get more insight on

It’s a good idea to give interviewers an opportunity to talk about themselves. It’s a good idea to use your interview questions to reiterate how awesome you are. It’s also fine to ask questions because you’re curious.

You’re allowed to ask “Honestly, how’s the cafeteria food?” or “How hard is it to get cast in the theater department’s plays if you’re not a theater major?” or “Does it ever get boring going to college in a town with a population of 5,000?”

You’re a deep well of curiosity with lots of questions – get answers to them.

11 Sample Questions You Can Ask an Interviewer

Best College interview questions to ask (if your interviewer is an alum)

1. What was your experience like?

Which professors inspired them? Were they part of Greek life or not? Why not? How did they feel about their freshman year roommates and the cafeteria food? Your interviewer’s answers will give you insight into who they are and, potentially, what you can expect from life at their school.

2. What did you love most about your college that you think other colleges may not offer?

If you’re looking seriously at multiple schools, these answers can be incredibly helpful.

An alum’s thoughts about how a college differentiates itself might vary wildly from what the marketing material would have you believe, so it’s good to hear insights right from a range of folks. Maybe the brochures emphasize small class sizes and sports but alums feel the real difference is the diverse staff, cutting edge research topics, and their unusual mandatory study abroad program for International Relations majors. Good to know!

3. What would you have done differently?

Maybe they’d have stayed in the dorms for another year instead of getting an apartment or tried more outside-their-comfort-zone extracurriculars. Perhaps they’d have taken the low-paying summer internship in their field rather the high-paying factory work (or vice versa). And you can bet most people probably would have skipped class less and attended a few more office hours (hint hint).

Obviously, everyone makes different mistakes but just hearing a few ‘be ye not so stupid as me’ tips can be super helpful.

4. What DIDN’T the school do well?

Again, this information is particularly helpful if you end up having to decide between multiple schools.

Do the school’s shortcomings relate directly to the stuff that’s important to you? If you know you want to go pre-med but your interviewer has some harsh words about the Biology Department, maybe this isn’t the school for you. But if you’re going to be an English major, it matters less if the Biology Department is a bit of a mess.

5. How did going to this school help you get where you are today?

In a perfect world their answers would be “Their classes directly prepared me for my first job. They helped me find the right internships. The careers office coached me to prepare for interviews. The alumni organization connected me with people in my field who could give me professional advice.”

Best College interview questions to ask (if your interviewer is not an alum)

6. What makes students at your university different?

Are the students at this school particularly politically involved? Very, very devoted to their studies? More-likely-than-usual to study abroad? More entrepreneurial than usual? Learning how this student body is different than others can help you decide if it’d be a good fit for you.

7. What’s something that makes you really proud to work for this university?

Maybe they’re proud of the school’s commitment to diversity in hiring. Maybe they feel pride in the football team’s record or the new research findings from the Psychology department.

As always, check to see how these values align with your goals and what you’re hoping to gain from your college experience. That impressive football team won’t help much if you’re a soccer player who’s going to major in Physics.

8. In your opinion, what are the character traits of a student who’d do really well here?

Is this school best suited for outgoing, team-player types who love sports and collaborative projects? Or is it a better fit for adventurous, outside-the-box thinkers who want to create their own majors, do self-directed studies, and study abroad in Thailand?

However your interviewer responds, their answers will be most helpful if you know yourself well enough to understand your own character traits. Hearing that self-starters succeed at this school won’t do you much good if you don’t know you’re a self-starter, right?

(Want to figure out your core values to learn a bit more about yourself? Do this exercise.)

What if they START with “What questions do you have for me?”

Ooof. What happens if they dive right into this question, putting you on the spot before you’ve had time to get comfortable with the conversation?

If your interviewer starts with “What questions do you have for me?,” reiterate what you want. “So I’m really interested in __________ and I’m wondering about the opportunities your school offers to ____________”

Of course, it’s important to go into this interview knowing what you want to communicate about yourself: You want to study art and audition for a capella groups. You’re interested in cancer research and studying Classical languages. You want to major in political science, play in the jazz band, and be an R.A.

I shared a bunch of great college interview questions above. But if you forget them, just go back to the information you want to communicate about yourself and build questions around it.

Want to major in political science? Try “I started the Young Progressives club at my school and I’m planning to major in political science. What sort of research or publications are the Poli Sci faculty working on right now?”

You’re interested in being an R.A.? Try “I’ve been a camp counselor for years and I’m interested in being an R.A. when I’m an upperclassman. What was your R.A. like? Do you feel like they were helpful? Did you know anyone who was an R.A.? How did they like it?”

Or simply get curious. Start with what comes to the top of your mind when you think about this college and go from there.

Don’t be afraid of asking the tough college interview questions–it’s okay if you stump the interviewer!

Did I extoll the virtues of charming your interviewer a few paragraphs ago? Yes. But you don’t need to stick to softball questions they’ve heard a million times before. It’s absolutely okay if you ask them a question they can’t immediately answer or that requires a bit of research on their part. You’ve just shown your intelligence!

A few tough questions to ask in your college interview

9. How is this school dealing with [insert social cause you’re passionate about: increasing diversity on staff, reducing their carbon footprint, holding people accountable for discriminatory behavior]?

Surely you’ve got a cause you feel passionate about, right? Ask your interviewer how this school is navigating said cause. Do they have a plan in place? How have they dealt with complaints or concerns about this topic in the past? Are there student groups that focus on this cause? Obviously, ask about a cause you’re truly passionate about. Don’t use this interview question as an opportunity to be woker-than-thou about a cause you’re not actually that invested in.

10. What sort of internship and career-placement services does the school offer?

This question isn’t always a stumper, but if the interviewer is an alum who graduated a few decades ago, they might not be up to date on the school’s current internship and career services. Or maybe each department deals with internship and career support differently and they’re not sure what the English department does for its students. Since attending college is meant to prepare us for the workplace, it’d sure be nice to know how this school is doing that, eh?

11. I’m really interested in __________________. Is the _____________ department working on any interesting/innovative research?

This question is a great way to reiterate, yet again, what you’re interested in and what you want out of your college experience. This question might stump your interviewer because they’ve been out of school for too long to know what a specific department is working on, or it might be outside their area of study. Again–it’s totally fine to ask your interviewer these tough questions. They won’t be less inclined to recommend you because you’ve asked them a question they don’t know the answer to.

That’s it! Now that you know some questions to ask during your college interview you can walk into that interview more prepared. Go get ‘em.

And hey, check out this guide if you’d like more interview tips.