How to Fail a US College Interview

The interview causes anxiety and even fear among many applicants, especially from non-English-speaking countries. After all, in an interview with the admissions committee, you need not only to show the merits of your candidacy and show the right interest in the university, but also to do it all in a non-native language.

Curiously, during the interview not only will you have to answer questions, but you will also need to have questions for the admissions committee. Yes, your questions are a sign of interest in the university. So, you read something, you were interested in something, and the deeper your question, the better.

But there are questions that should not be asked under any circumstances. While not all of these questions are necessarily taboo, they are a sure example of how to lose your application, even the strongest one. Let’s get into it.

Topics that should not be discussed with US universities

Do not ask about your chances of admission.
You may be considered arrogant, and your interviewer may not even be qualified to give you an honest answer. Often the interviewers are current students or alumni who have not seen your application and, other than telling the school about the interview, they do not have a say in admission decisions.
Don’t ask too many non-academic questions.
Focus most of your questions on academia. While it’s okay to ask about campus life and extracurricular activities, remember that you’ll be learning first, not having fun. If most of your questions are about parties or sports, you may not be perceived as a serious student.
Do not ask for any information that can be easily obtained from the university’s website or from basic research.
If you ask the interviewer where the school is or if they have a certain specialty, you show that you have spent little time preparing. They will say goodbye, smile, and then refuse the application.
Don’t ask about ratings or anything like “which members of your faculty are the best?”
While universities like to advertise their rankings on their websites or in their brochures, your interview is not the right time to discuss them. Remember that the interviewer is trying to learn more about you and determine if you are a good fit for this school. You don’t want to be seen as overly concerned with reputation or rankings. In addition, the interviewer will hesitate to say that any program or specialty is the best, since others may seem the worst against the background of this answer.

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Interview Tips for US Universities

The interview causes anxiety and even fear among many applicants, especially from non-English-speaking countries. After all, in an interview with the admissions committee, you need not only to show the merits of your candidacy and show the right interest in the university, but also to do it all in a non-native language.

Curiously, during the interview not only will you have to answer questions, but you will also need to have questions for the admissions committee. Yes, your questions are a sign of interest in the university. So, you read something, you were interested in something, and the deeper your question, the better.

But there are questions that should not be asked under any circumstances. While not all of these questions are necessarily taboo, they are a sure example of how to lose your application, even the strongest one. Let's get into it.

Topics that should not be discussed with US universities

Do not ask about your chances of admission.
You may be considered arrogant, and your interviewer may not even be qualified to give you an honest answer. Often the interviewers are current students or alumni who have not seen your application and, other than telling the school about the interview, they do not have a say in admission decisions.
Don't ask too many non-academic questions.
Focus most of your questions on academia. While it's okay to ask about campus life and extracurricular activities, remember that you'll be learning first, not having fun. If most of your questions are about parties or sports, you may not be perceived as a serious student.
Do not ask for any information that can be easily obtained from the university's website or from basic research.
If you ask the interviewer where the school is or if they have a certain specialty, you show that you have spent little time preparing. They will say goodbye, smile, and then refuse the application.
Don't ask about ratings or anything like “which members of your faculty are the best?”
While universities like to advertise their rankings on their websites or in their brochures, your interview is not the right time to discuss them. Remember that the interviewer is trying to learn more about you and determine if you are a good fit for this school. You don't want to be seen as overly concerned with reputation or rankings. In addition, the interviewer will hesitate to say that any program or specialty is the best, since others may seem the worst against the background of this answer.
Share in the comments what other tips you would give to students on what not to do during interviews!

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