Welcome to almost February, a great time for HS seniors! The vast majority of college-bound seniors have submitted the vast majority of their applications and passed their last mid-year academic hurdle, and many are in mid-interviewing season. I’ve offered advice about how to answer the most commonly asked supplement essay and interview question both in a prior blog post and in my new book, The CommonApp Handbook, “Why do you want to go here?” In this post, I’d like to offer some advice about answering another very commonly asked question, often the first question right after you sit down for a campus or alumni interview:
So, tell me a little bit about yourself?
If you have a basic strategy to guide your answer that feels comfortable and right for you, particularly if acquired through experience, by all means go with it!
Your main goal is to be your authentic self on your most excited and enthusiastic day about spending four years in an intellectual amusement park for (mostly) young adults.
If you know how to best show yourself in that light, just do it! But if you’re new to interviewing or you’re looking for some input, I suggest answering this question as a series of widening concentric circles:
- Start with yourself at the center: name, age, place of birth, current location.
- Next move to immediate family: ages, occupations, maybe something funny about a sibling or pet.
- Then talk about your school and/or community:
- ALWAYS lead with academics and studies.
- Use language like, “I’m grateful for the solid educational foundation acquired at school xxx and the special attention I received from my favorite teachers, abc and def.”
- “My favorite subjects include…”
- “A favorite unit, concept, project, or academic experience/achievement was…” (it’s an especially good idea to discuss an area(s) of indicated interest in college supplements.)
- Finally move to extracurricular activities like sports, clubs, hobbies, summer expoeriences, jobs, and community service: focus on two, three max and be especially enthusiastic about these and, if possible, focus on any leadership roles or experiences that cast you in a leadership role.
That should do it. And don’t be afraid to check in with your interviewer to make sure you’re answering the question correctly. Little questions like, “Am I answering this correctly?” “Is this the sort of information you were asking about?” This way, if you happen to go off track, your interviewer can help get you back on the rails before it’s too late!
If you’d like a copy of CPE’s Interview Guide©, including a list of 20 of the most commonly asked interview questions, it’s included in the “College Visits” chapter of my new book, The CommonApp Handbook; if you don’t need the whole book, just email me (DrYo@CollegePrepExpress.com) requesting a copy of the interview guide, and I’ll email it to you!
We’re here to help! 🙂