To Seniors: As you know, most colleges no longer require interviews. Of those that do, usually the smaller liberal arts colleges, Bates in Maine pays a great deal of attention to them. The Director of Admissions at Bates wrote the following questions for his colleagues to ask of young candidates. You may find reading them and thinking about them good preparation for the interviews you will have.
What has influenced you to like history, (biology, French…)?
How would you describe yourself as a student?
Have you been a strong student?
What do you see as the value of taking challenging courses?
If I met one of your good friends, how would he or she describe you?
In what ways are you different from your close friends?
If you were the head of your School, what would be your priorities?
Do you have a sense of the direction your academic career might take?
How do you think you might change in college?
What kind of I lifestyle would you like ten years from now?
What kind of an adult do you want to become?
How are you like or unlike your parents or siblings? Why?
What do you and your friends see as the social or political issue, which is effecting your generation most seriously?
Do you have a sense of how college, this particular college, will help you grow as a person as well as a student?
What is your attitude toward...
What are your feelings about ...
Picture yourself as a student here. How do you see yourself becoming involved? How would you contribute to our school community?
What haven't I asked you that you feel I should know?
One final note: Your counseling sessions with us are good preparations for
college interviews. Beyond these, don't hesitate to ask us to give you a practice
one prior to your sitting for a college interview. Above all, believe in yourself.
You will do well.