Interview?

Ok, this is for the more....grown or experianced of forumers....*COUGHclark kentCOUGH*

Ok, so my #1 College choice, the University of Florida called me tonight, and they want to interview me on the phone, Tuesday night.

What is this about? Does it mean they are thinking of accepting me? Do all big colleges conduct interviews? Do I plan out what I am going to say? What will they ask? Aaaah!?

Ok, Just so you know I have my application in, and have had it in since this time last month. I applied "Early Decision", which means as soon as I am accepted (if I am) I have to deny all other colleges and take out all other applications, and pay a certian % of the first year. This ups my chances of getting in. UF is a hard school to get into. Entrance GPA average is 3.8, ACT 26 and SAT 1250. My GPA for highschool was a 3.6, but I got a 4.1 this semester so it should go up. I have a ACT of 26 and a SAT of 1150, with a retake score coming in soon.

Fat Stalin wrote: Have you been to princetonreview to see what they consider for admissions?

Na, I have been going off the admission standards on www.ufl.edu

I will look at that site, thanks.

I'm a 16 year old lesbian - calling me "experienced" isn't very nice...   :P

But honestly, not sure how much help I can be.  Colleges all have different procedures, and as best I can tell they are applied almost randomly.

Some schools interview, some don't - some interview only sparingly, others interview all the time.

But, generally speaking, an interview could most likely mean one of two things:  Either you are on the bubble or you are a lock.

You could be on the bubble - your grades/scores are good enough, but there are others in your boat, and they are trying to differentiate among candidates that are otherwise similar.

Or, you could be a lock, and a very good candidate, and they are "interviewing" you to get a chance to sell you on the school - convince you to go to their school.  Top candidates usually have a choice of schools, and are courted.

You have to ask yourself whether they are courting you, or testing you.

Of course, they might also have a "random interview" policy - I don't know.  Some schools do that as well, or interview whenever they have local people to handle interviews.

As for interview preparation - that's a tricky one.  There are books and books on the subject.  It really depends on whether the interview will be a "conversational" interview or a "question" interview. 

For conversational interviews, your best bet is simply to be yourself - but make sure that "yourself" is engaged and engaging.  Don't just answer questions - engage in a conversation.  You don't need to try to impress people, just show yourself as the intelligent rational human you are.  Don't be afraid to have an opinion, but be prepared to back it up.  This isn't a knowledge test, it is a test of rationality and personality.  They are looking to see if you have the personality they are looking for in their student body, and whether you are a "thinker" - many good students don't hardly think at all.  These interviews are the better and more intelligent interviews - and also easier for you, assuming you are a good candidate.  Just don't be afraid or bashful, and don't be an ass.

For question interviews, you will be asked stupid questions like "if you were a tree, what kind would it be" and "what is your greatest weakness."  There are books on these questions, with pat answers to them.  Any interviewer stupid enough to ask these questions will likely be impressed with a pat response, so that may be the safe route here.  If you have time, I definitely recommend checking out a couple of books on the subject.

Hope that helps - good luck.

Tae Kwon Do wrote: He also went on to say that they will most likley ask me my projected Major, why I picked that major, why I picked UF, how far I want to go there, ect...

Classic "conversation interview" stuff.  Just be honest and interesting.  When they ask "why UF", don't say "dunno, it's close to where I live", but don't give the suck-up answer from their website either.  Just be honest with them - sounds like you've been wanting to go to UF for some time.  Tell them that.  When they ask which major, you are allowed not to know - you just aren't allowed not to care.  This is a great opportunity to engage in a conversation about your hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes.  Simply answering "Sociology" (or whatever) is not a good answer.

Good luck!

Ive got the questions planned out in my head

Why UF: I want a degree that will mean somthing, one from a major school that I can take with my in life. You [UF] offer a great journalisim course and have some of the best facilities on the state.

What major: I really want to get into Journalisim. When I took the tour of UF over the summer, I went into the Journalisim building and one of the graduate students gave me a seperate tour of some of the radio booths, news production studios, research rooms, and the labs for the newspaper.

Why Journalisim: I like writing. I enjoy research and knowing all I can know about subjects that I dont know about. I love current events and watching the world change around me, and someone has to document it all.