Interviews are rarely a required component of the college application process. But usually the college offers opportunities for applicants to interview with an admissions officer, an alum or a current student if the applicant requests an interview.

Do you want to request an interview? I say YES! You want to interview. You do. Why? Two reasons. First, you get a second chance to make your case for admitting you - this time through conversation rather than in writing - and two bites at the apple is always better. Second, you can get a lot more information about the college that can help you determine if the college is really a right fit for you and you want to know everything you can about the place that will shape your destiny. So you definitely want to interview.

Now that it is established that you will be requesting and scheduling interviews, I need to give you some advice about what to do before, during and after the interview to make sure that you use the interview to boost your chances of getting accepted and to learn if this college is the right fit for you.

Before the Interview:

1. Generate a list of possible interview questions and prepare your answers. There are lots of places to go to get possible interview questions. Google "college interview questions" and take your pick of lists. You definitely need answers to the following three:
   
   • Why are you interested in [fill in name of college]?
   • What are your academic interests?
   • What are your interests beyond the classroom?
2. Generate a list of questions that you will ask about the college. I encourage you to ask the same questions for each college, so that you have comparative information. These should be questions ABOUT THE COLLEGE, NOT ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS OR FINANCIAL AID. Here are my favorite five questions:
   
   • Why did you choose to attend [name of the college]? (Assuming that you have someone who is an alum - many admissions officers are.)
   • What is the most popular major? Least popular? Why?
   • Can you describe a typical weekday in the life of a student at [name of college]? What about a typical weekend?
   • What is one "can't be missed" tradition, event, opportunity that I should take advantage of while I am a student at [name of college]?
   • I am really interested in [fill in a major, program, activity] at [name of college]. Can you tell me more about it?
3. Practice interviewing with your parents or your college counselor. And I mean a full-fledged practice interview - they should be seated at a table or desk, you should come in, greet them, sit down, they ask you questions, you answer, you ask questions, they answer, they end the interview, you thank them, leave. Then review the interview together.

At/During the Interview

1. Dress for success. You should wear "business" attire. For a young man, that means a collared shirt, belt, nice pants (not jeans) and dress shoes (not sneakers). It is fine to wear a suit and/or a jacket and tie, but generally not necessary. For a young woman, that means a nice pantsuit, a dress with jacket, or a skirt and nice top with dress shoes. Do NOT wear something that is clingy, "date clothes" or otherwise designed to highlight your sex appeal. Don't make me explain any of this advice. You should already know these things. Really.
2. Arrive early and take three deep breaths before you go into the interview. You need to be calm, cool and collected. That's not possible if you are late and/or rush into the interview.
3. Bring a copy of your resume (just your educational history, honors/awards, activities list in resume format), your list of questions, and a pen and notebook for taking notes when the interviewer asks you questions.
4. Shake the interviewer's hand when introducing yourself.
5. When the interviewer begins the interview, offer your resume, saying "I wasn't sure if you would have a copy of this, so I brought an extra."
6. Listen and answer the questions the interviewer asks - do not just give canned answers. This is a conversation, so respond in the moment. Your prepared answers will be incorporated in a spontaneous and authentic way if you just answer the question asked.
7. Ask the questions you have and take notes when the interviewer answers.
8. At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for his/her time and make sure you have contact information (including the interviewer's full name spelled correctly) for him/her.
9. Shake the interviewer's hand on the way out.

After the Interview

1. Take 10-15 minutes and write down your thoughts about the college based on what you learned in the interview. For example, did you learn something that made this college more attractive to you, less attractive to you? Is there anything you need to investigate further? File this information in the file you keep for that college.
2. Write and send a thank you note to the interviewer. This note may be sent by email IF, and ONLY IF, you send an email that follows all of the conventions of business correspondence. No emoticons, no abbreviations, no sentence fragments. It may also be sent as a handwritten note if your handwriting is legible. Again, follow the conventions of business correspondence. No exclamation points, no slang.
3. Let the college admissions office know that you had your interview if the interview was with an alum or a student. Thank the office for their help in setting up the interview and tell them how much you enjoyed it. (This little bit of follow-through will ensure that the interviewers' evaluation becomes a part of your file.)

At ALL Times

1. Be polite. Rudeness is a huge negative. If you're not sure what polite means, ask your Mom or if she's not a "go to" person on this front, get an etiquette book. I'm not kidding.
2. Be respectful of people's time and effort. Interviews are big investments for everyone involved. Under no circumstances should you fail to keep an interview appointment or fail to respond to an invitation to interview. I know, why am I stating this obvious point? Because tragically, I would say about 10% pull a "no show" or simply fail to respond....and guess what, they don't get in....even with perfect scores. No lie.
3. Be a grown up. This is not the time for your "fun-loving kid" side to assert itself - even with student interviewers, be a grown up. What do I mean? Don't answer a question by telling about the time you got wasted or played a wicked practical joke or ask a question about the "party atmosphere" of the school. Again, you think I make this stuff up? You haven't done hundreds of college interviews then. Maturity counts.

Comments or Questions? 

Try out an answer to an interview question on us or get your question about interviewing answered -- post a comment! We'd love to hear from you!

Alison Cooper Chisolm writes the series 52 Weeks to College. She has worked in admissions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Chicago, and most recently Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School. As part of the Ivey Consulting team, Alison works with college applicants and their families as they navigate the college admissions process. Read more about Alison here.