Top 21 College Interview Questions in 2024 [with Answers]

Completing your school and joining a college is a journey as exciting and thrilling as driving an Overspeed car. The charm, attraction, and magnetism of college life are perfectly splendid and exquisite. In addition to this, joining your favorite or desirable college can be considered a cherry on the top. Most of the colleges, nowadays, conducts interview followed by a written screening test. The college interview process can be daunting, stressful, and nail-biting for some. Following proper techniques and doing a whole-hearted preparation will not only increase your chances of selection but will also increase your confidence, useful and beneficial for your career in the long term.

Preparing for the questions which are most probably going to be asked in the interview boosts your chances of selection and gives you an edge when compared with other candidates. We through this article will discuss twenty-one latest, most important, and trending questions, asked mostly during college interviews nowadays.

List of 21 Trending College Interview Questions

1) Please Express Yourself?

This the first question that an interviewer asks from a nerve-racking and tensed student. Do the person, the so-called interviewer, sitting right in front of you, know you, I reckon the answer is a ‘No’. Interviewers ask this question, to know you up to a level, which helps make assessments. By the term ‘express’, an interviewer wants you to:

• Tell your name
• Tell your educational qualifications
• Tell something about your family background like,
  • Who is your father?
  • Who is your mother?
  • Where are your siblings(if any)?
• Tell the extracurricular activities you have attended during your school time
• Tell your hobbies, interests, and any additional qualification.

Word of Caution

It is absolutely fine, to do some informal talks, like telling about your hobbies, personal interests and maybe your favorite weekend idea. But never, overdo this, as overdoing can give an impression of a non-serious candidate. There should be a smooth transition, from informal to formal speech.

2) Why Have You Applied For This College?

The next question, that an interviewer prepares is to evaluate how serious or genuine is your admission request. It has been observed, that students apply to various colleges at the same instance, which includes some colleges, on the lower side of their priorities. No interviewer would like to admit a student, who considers, his/her college inferior or less good.

The best way to answer this question starts from a deep analysis of the college, post which you will have some valuable and important facts about your prospective alma mater. Reciting these facts, in front of an interviewer, exhibits your seriousness towards the college.

3) Tell Two Of Your Good and Bad Qualities

It is a common and most asked personality evaluation question. The preparation for this question begins with self-introspection and evaluation. Everyone is Most of the students think, that they know the answer and hence avoid any preparation whatsoever. But, committing this mistake proves to be fatal in the end. Every person is unique and has possessed his own set of qualities. Interviewers here, expect some genuine and true answers instead of the customary ones.

4) Why Do You Want To Study This Course?

Students often, apply for a course considering its prospects, growth, and money-earning capabilities. Usually, the ability to earn money remains an important factor. In a quest to plug this common practice of choosing a course based on money solely, interviewers have come up with this question. Every college, counselor, or even your confidante, advises you to take up a course only if you are genuinely interested in it.

To answer this question effectively, link any of your extracurricular activities or any educational qualification (like marks in a particular subject) with the course showing that you genuinely want to pursue this course and this is your first career choice.

5) Whom Do You Admire The Most?

An interviewer, through this, wants to peep into your future. Students idolize someone and end up becoming like that or sometimes a glimpse of him/her. The person who stimulates you reveals a lot about your values, mindset, and perspective.

6) What Do You Want To Be In The Next 10 Years?

Planning the future, framing policies, and making plans are quintessential for anyone. Through this, an interviewer wants to know your seriousness towards life and wants to know your goals and ambitions.

7) 2-3 Questions From Your Highest Scoring Subject

To evaluate your grasp on your best subject and to judge your abilities to express and communicating, there could be two to three questions from your best subject. Since you have scored nicely, it would be easy to answer.

8) Which Book Have You Read Most Recently?

Interviewers ask you these types of questions to evaluate your intellectual interests. If you have read a book genuinely, just describe the main plot, in brief. On the contrary, if you haven’t read any, then simply answer in negative.

9) One Question From a Recent Event or Happening

I order to judge your awareness of the surroundings and the events taking place around you, an interviewer might shoot this question towards you. If you have answered, Question No. 8 in negative, then this question becomes almost inevitable.

10) What Do You Like To Do When You Are Bored?

This question can be a cakewalk for many as we all know what we do when we are bored. Hence, no special preparation is required. But, do remember, don’t mention some straightaways like, hanging out with friends, or share anything taboo.

11) One Worst Thing About Your School?

No one is perfect and this applies to educational institutions as well. List one major drawback that you felt was too annoying or any event in your school which you found boring or less absorbing. But don’t get carried away and try to keep it as short as possible.

12) Which Is Your Best Subject?

The best answer for these types of questions is the subject which will be used most in the course that you have applied.

13) How are you unique from others?

 Spend some time before the interview thinking about your unique perspectives. It could be any special quality that you possess or it could be related to your family background too. Just be true.

14) Have You Applied For Other Schools As Well?

It is a trick question, that requires you to answer honestly. If you have done, then don’t hesitate in saying a yes.

15) How Will You Deal With This Situation?

You will be given a depressing situation, wherein you are stuck. They need an exit plan from you which is well designed and thought of. Skipping questions of these types could be fatal to your chances of selection as answers to these questions helps them to evaluate your problem-solving skills.

16) What is success for you?

Just don’t say being successful is making a lot of money or having a big bungalow. Just share your visions and goals and tell them that their accomplishment would mean success for me.

17) Are You Dominant Among Your Cousins?

A positive answer would represent you as a high-handed and arrogant individual. So just say a no and tell them that you are not dominant but popular.

18) Have You Ever Worked In A Team Before?

Quote any instance from your school life wherein you were given a school project to complete or a responsibility to organize an event. Both of them show your teamwork skills.

19) What Is Your Best Talent?

The answer to this question simply lies at your heart. Whatever you feel great at or gives you joy, be it a sport or instrument or maybe singing or playing chess. Just tell this to your interviewer, who will be able to sense your passion, happiness and will draw out a conclusion that you are not a mere bookworm.

20) What If We Don’t Accept You?

It is a tough question to answer, but don’t get angry or overly optimistic. Just express with a beaming smile and say, ‘I will try other places.

21) Do You Want To Ask Anything From Me?

The worst answer to this question could be no sir. Don’t respond to this question in such a way as it depicts that you were not curious and not engaged. The best way to handle this question is to frame 2-3 questions during the interview, this exhibits that you are interested and paying attention.

Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (for college interviews):

Conclusion

Getting your dream college, is a dream pursued by thousands of students every year. Doing an optimal level of preparation, thus becomes almost inevitable. A college interview provides the educational institutions an opportunity to evaluate your communication skills as well as the presence of mind.

Further, a college interviewer is also interested in knowing your hobbies, interests, and other interpersonal skills along with finding an answer to a common question, If selected, how will you contribute to our college. Proper preparation can work wonders and it includes a college interview. If you like our articles then don’t forget to share them with your families and friends. Also, tell us in the comments section below, how helpful you consider our articles to be.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10869-006-9024-7.pdf
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bhq9DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT9&dq=Top+21+College+Interview+Questions&ots=17w3ehDako&sig=IYcNmPRyMnzaX-XooU6pPYuxV5k