You know those people who seem to have no idea how to end a conversation? The ones who are still talking and trying to keep the conversation going while you’re smiling awkwardly and backing out of the door? You do not want to be one of those people during your all-important college interviews!

Luckily, there’s no need to draw things out: the length of an interview is not generally an indication of how well it has gone. The most important part of your interview takes place in the first few minutes. Showing up early, greeting your interviewer with a firm handshake, and being confident and friendly right from the start – these are the foundations of a successful interview.

The average on-campus college interview lasts for 30-45 minutes (alumni interviews are a bit longer) and that is generally enough time to make a good first impression, answer the interviewer’s questions and ask some of your own. Coming well-prepared with questions and a general idea of how you might respond to common questions, will help prevent valuable time from being wasted.

It’s a good idea to ask your most important questions first, in case you run out of time. If you do run out of time and still have questions you didn’t get to, ask the interviewer if you can communicate further in writing. It’s always a good idea to send a thank-you note following an interview – this is a good time to ask more questions.

When the interviewer indicates that your time is up, it’s important to take the hint and not try to keep things going. Remember, a longer interview is not necessarily a more successful one!

Beginning your college application essay can be a daunting step: the prompt will most likely be open-ended, leaving you to choose what to write about out of an infinite number of topics. Keep in mind that whatever the question asks, the fundamental purpose of the admissions essay is for a college to learn more about you as a person. Aside from the perspective gleaned from your grades, recommendations, and extracurricular interests, the essay gives you the chance to reflect on and express yourself. Think of it not as an assignment but as an opportunity to showcase your most important personal qualities.
The key to writing a successful essay is to be as introspective as possible. The process of writing begins with the process of self-discovery, which will not only inspire your topic choice, but will also furnish the shape and structure of the essay you write.
The best way to begin this process is by brainstorming: quickly generating many potential topics without fully fleshing them out. You can brainstorm with a friend or by yourself, creating a visual list or map. It may help to begin by identifying the personal characteristics that describe you, which you may choose to reveal through your essay. How do you think of yourself, and how might your friends, family, or teachers describe you? Take a look through this list of adjectives (link) and identify 5 to 10 that best represent you as a person. You could also begin with free association. Clear your mind and create a visual timeline of important events in your life. Or create a list of the people, books, movies, artists, and musicians that have been important to you. Can you remember the last time you had an impassioned conversation or argument with a friend? These lists can provide starting points for college essay topics that will reveal who you are as an individual. Try these brainstorming exercises to generate ideas: (link)

Warm-Up Writing Exercises
A. If Steven Spielberg came to you and wanted to make a movie of your life, what would be five to ten events or things that would have to be included? It may be helpful to think of your life in a timeline, from earliest to latest events.
B. Your friends want to make a video about your teenage years. What scenes should be included? Don’t limit yourself to school accomplishments or ignore those for which you have not gained formal recognition. Sometimes the most interesting essays are based on events that seem insignificant, but which have great importance in your life.

C. The New York Times has asked you to list three to five things about which you could speak or write in some depth. What are they?

D. List five people (real, fictional, dead, or alive) whom you respect and admire.

E. What movie or book most deeply affected you?

F. Who is your favorite musical artist?

G. Four of your favorite and four of your least favorite places, objects, virtues, etc.

H. List two of your most miserable failures and two of your greatest successes in life.

Let’s say 1,000 equally well-prepared high school students are applying to the same medium-sized college or university. These students all have similar grade point averages, standardized test scores and extracurricular activities. How does the admissions committee decide between similarly qualified candidates? Frequently, it’s the essay that acts as a tie-breaker.

The essay portion of the college application is an opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions committee. It’s your chance to let them hear your voice and get to know you better as a person. But it’s not enough for them to get to know you – it’s also important for them to like you.

When the admissions committee is considering your application, they are thinking about more than how well you’ll do in college level classes – they are also deciding if they want you to live on their campus and be part of their community. They are evaluating whether or not you will fit in with other students.

Students sometimes forget the importance of being likeable in an essay. The pressure to present themselves in a good light and highlight their achievements sometimes leads to an essay that sounds boastful and exagerated. Try to resist the temptation to write about yourself as if you are a cross between Stephen Hawking and Neil Armstrong. Instead of just trumpeting your achievements, focus on presenting yourself in an honest and human light. If you pat yourself on the back, pat gently! When you’re finished, read your final draft over with a critical eye: do you like the person who wrote that essay? If you don’t, the admissions committee certainly won’t.

If a school requires an interview to apply, the decision is obvious. However, many colleges and universities offer the interview as an optional part of the admissions process, and leave it up to you to decide. As an applicant, the first point to determine is whether the interview will be informational or evaluative. When it’s solely informational, it’s a good idea to interview if you are undecided about the school and want to learn more. In that case, it’s a matter of personal preference that can’t help or hurt you as an applicant.
An evaluative college interview, however, is a tool that the admissions office uses to assess you as a candidate. Keep in mind that even if you interview with an alum, student, or faculty member off-campus instead of the dean of admissions, your interview will influence your chances of admission. Generally if the interview is strongly recommended by the school, it’s advisable to go ahead with it, to demonstrate both your interest and qualifications. Also if you’re applying to a “reach” school when you may not be the most obviously qualified candidate, it’s wise to interview if you can show positive qualities in person that may not be visible in your paper application. If your grades, writing, test scores, or recommendations are not as strong as your personality, social confidence and interpersonal skills, an interview will work in your favor.
You should decide against an optional evaluative college interview if you have strong grades, writing, test scores, and teacher recommendations, but tend to get anxious and make a poor impression in face-to-face interactions. Sometimes, you may not be the best judge of how you present yourself. If you’re uncertain, it’s best to ask an adult who knows you—such as a teacher or college counselor you’ve worked with—for their opinion about how you would come across in an interview.

If you have a college interview coming up, chances are you’ve already thought about what you’re going to wear (and hopefully you’ve decided against an ensemble of torn jeans and your favorite T-shirt from Six Flags). You may have even thought about how you’ll answer certain questions you think the admissions counselor may ask. All of this is very admirable, but it would be a mistake to think your interview preparations are done; because now it’s time to come with some questions of your own.

Colleges like to accept students who show a strong interest in attending their school, so one of your main goals in an interview is to make your interest clear. The best way to do this is by having questions ready that show you’ve given this thought and have put in the time to prepare.

Don’t waste the interviewer’s time by asking questions you could easily find answers to on the website (like how many students attend the school.) Instead, ask about things that really demonstrate your desire to learn more about this college or university. You might ask if many classes are taught by graduate students, or if the school sponsors lots of activities on weekends. Whatever you ask, listen carefully to the answer and don’t interrupt the interviewer; make sure the answer is complete before you ask your next question.

The key is being prepared, so make sure to come up with your questions in advance. Once you’ve accomplished this, you can give your full attention to picking out an outfit. In case you’re wondering, there are no hard and fast rules about interview attire, but you may want to give some serious thought to leaving your eyebrow ring at home.

With all the uncertainty students face around college admissions, it would be wonderful if there was a simple yes or no answer to every question. Unfortunately, there are some areas where the answers aren’t black or white. And the score choice option – for both the SATs and ACTs – is one of those extremely gray areas.

Since March 2009, the College Board has given students the choice of whether or not they want the scores from a particular test date to be reported to colleges. According to their website, this step was undertaken to reduce test-day stress on students, allowing them to put their best foot forward by giving them the option of not releasing their scores.

Since then, some elite colleges and universities have rejected this policy and are still requiring students to report scores from all sittings; the College Board’s own website admits that “colleges continue to set their own score use practices, which may vary from college to college.”

The ACT has always had a score choice policy, but apparently some selective colleges are now ignoring that as well, and will look at all the ACT scores a student obtains. This disregard of SAT and ACT score choice policy is not widespread right now, but it is possible that other colleges may follow suit. For now, there is a great deal of uncertainty, creating confusion and stress for college applicants, their families and high school guidance counselors.

Although there are, unfortunately, no black or white answers, the most logical advice is not to take any standardized tests as a lark, just to “see how you’ll do.” The SAT and ACT tests should be diligently prepared for, and despite score choice policies currently in place, it’s wise to assume there’s a chance that the college of your choice will choose to see your test scores.

Given a choice between root canal and on-campus college interview, many high school seniors would choose the root canal. What these students obviously don’t realize is that interviews can be surprisingly painless. And, unlike intrusive dental work, they can be a major advantage in the college admissions process.

Adding an interview to a campus visit shows a high level of interest and usually works in the applicant’s favor. Admissions officers understand that interviews are stressful and they tend to forgive students who are nervous or not particularly outgoing. At a workshop I attended recently, the head of admissions at a small, selective college said that students “would almost have to try to make an interview work against them.” What is the one thing she said interviewers would not forgive? Attitude!

Apparently, what you say during a college interview may be less important than how you say it. You should certainly come prepared with an idea of how you’ll respond to certain questions, and it’s important to have questions of your own ready to ask. But be aware that interviewers will also be judging your manners, body language and overall attitude.

It’s important to show up on time and greet your interviewer with a firm handshake. Your attitude should send the message that you are friendly, polite and confident.

Don’t argue with the interviewer, complain, or correct anything that he or she may say. Your body posture should be relaxed, but not excessively so (don’t slouch!) Try to get comfortable speaking about yourself by practicing in front of a mirror or another person.

A good college interview can improve your chances of being accepted – and if you approach it correctly, it will almost certainly be more pleasant than a day at the dentist.

What do you think? Do you have an interview experience you’d like to share?

Many colleges and universities will require you to answer supplemental essay questions in addition to the Common App’s Personal Statement. These essays tend to be shorter, and it’s tempting for some students to give them significantly less attention than their primary essay. This is understandable – you’ve probably worked really hard on the first essay and may feel like you’ve run out of steam.

But supplemental essays should be taken seriously, since they are a terrific opportunity to round out the picture of yourself you present to a school. The questions posed may ask you to explain your interest in a particular college, or to describe the extracurricular activities you’ve enjoyed in the past. Take advantage of this chance to introduce a completely different aspect of yourself to the admissions committee. For example, if your Personal Statement describes your work with Habitat for Humanity, the secondary essay should steer clear of volunteer work and focus instead on your acappella singing group or your involvement with Model U.N. Use the supplemental essay to highlight a different facet of your character or experience.

It may be helpful to check out a particular school’s supplemental essays before writing your Personal Statement (especially if the school is one of your top picks.) Since there isn’t always a choice in supplemental essays, you may want to rethink your Common App essay to avoid being redundant.

These questions are also useful to show that you are a good match with a particular school, so do your homework and make sure that your essay reflects a strong knowledge of the school, its culture and course offerings. It’s important to treat the supplemental questions as a significant part of your overall application – these essays are not secondary and they shouldn’t be second-class.

When a student is applying to college, the whole family can feel the stress. Students and their parents often find themselves dealing with doubts and a host of nagging questions: Am I making the right decision? How do you qualify for financial aid? Will the school I pick today be the right fit three years from now?

The My College Advisor blog can provide much needed support and guidance to families making these all-important decisions. The blog offers insights on selecting the right college, writing admissions essays, and preparing for interviews. There are also strategies for getting the most effective recommendations, taking the SAT or ACT tests, and applying for financial aid.

The blog is an offshoot of the cost-effective products MCA already offers to assist parents and students in selecting, applying to and paying for their best-fit schools.   After nine years of research, development and testing, these college admissions products and the blog are being launched nation-wide. In addition to manuals and an interactive online program, MCA offers a patented college selection system and an out-of- pocket college cost calculator to help families estimate individualized costs for every school they are considering.

Official MCA blog postings reflect the opinions of a wide array of college admissions and financial aid professionals, as well as parents and students who have been helped by My College Advisor’s experts.  We welcome responses to our postings and hope to establish an online community of contributors. At MCA we believe that the college admissions process – when done well – enables students to realize the full value of a college education. And we’re here to ensure it’s done well.