之前准备
1.就好像打仗要知己知彼一样,多了解面试官对自己也很有好处。适当的邮件来往可以让对方感觉自己比较有诚意可以加深印象。所以面试前最好要通过邮件等弄清楚对方的大概身份,是Admission Officer, 还是Alumni。如果是前者需要穿正式服装,也就是no jeans. 上身最好是有领子的衣服,颜色深沉一点为妙。女孩子需要稍微打扮打扮,尤其是去参加像Upenn这种热衷于招收漂亮女生的面试的时候。如果是Alumni,就是比较Informal的了,穿的比较得体就可以了,而且地点一般都是Starbucks所以轻松自然点为妙。
2.网上有很多面试的经典题目,其实都跑不出你申请表中填过的内容,如果你对你申请表中的一切了如指掌,面试根本没有什么好害怕的,无非是,学习的课程拉,专业兴趣拉,平时的活动拉,课外交流拉,家庭背景拉,学校环境拉。最可怕的就是如果你在申请活动中填写到你参加某某个大赛怎么怎么获得奖,或者你当学生会主席组织过某某个大型活动,可是人家让你自己具体的说一说的时候却说不出什么道道来,这样就比较瓜三了。。。另外不要以为Alumni面试并不知道你申请表的内容到底是什么,即使他们不知道,他们也会把你面试上的内容大概的转到Admission Office去,所以如果你对某项自己的经历说不出具体的内容就不要自己主动提出来,万一被问着了就比较悲惨。
3.口语问题。。。现在练口语可能比较晚了,所以该怎么样就怎么样了。就像你的essay一样,你文章的内容比你词语用得高深成都重要的多,所以呢,就放心大胆的想你到底应该怎么说内容,而不要过多的重视语法,词汇什么的。不过发音上最好让对方听得比较舒服,没事的话可以听听任何标准美语发音的东西,像疯狂英语什么的。但是不管怎么说,不能因为自己的口语也许不好就Panic,如果你自己都对自己没有confidence,让面试官怎么办呢?
面试过程
1.一般来说1小时到2小时吧,当然也已因人而异。我当年面试之后竟然还陪着面试的大姐姐去帮她买手表,结果算在一起呆了差不多4.5个小时。
2.态度要自然,谈到兴奋得问题当然可以显得兴奋,如果刚开始紧张就说有一点点紧张,如果自己的意见和面试官的有异议可以不卑不亢的表达,语速不要太快,至少要让人家听明白你再说英语
3.至少要在心里对某一项话题又非常充分的底!比如你喜欢看书,你要准备好和人家讨论书,最好可以针对每本书比较深入的发表见解。如果你喜欢音乐,也不要是单纯的喜欢,为什么喜欢,喜欢哪种类型,你对音乐的品味和了解等等。。。如果遇到志同道合的面试者就更好了,不过不管怎样,要让人家了解你在至少某一方面的强项。
4.如果内容不是你很感兴趣的,至少要表明你是一个很好的听众,而且可以从中找到自己感兴趣的内容来继续发挥。
5.有时候话题是非常随意的,当你坐到面试的桌前就不是在考察你的过去了,只是在考察你随机应变得能力和你对自己到底了解多少的问题。
6.如同Admission Officer阅读个人自述的essay一样,面试官也会给很多人面试,这样你再面试过程中要努力突出自己的与众不同之处,或者有些灵巧而机智的回答。比如我记得有个朋友在面试的时候人家问他你紧张么?他说我怎么会紧张呢?我一直是面试别人的嘛!这样就自然的把话题转移到他在学生会的工作上来了。
7.你与人交流的习惯。虽然面试不是看你的长相,但是一个人的交流方式可以反映出他的性格是不能否认的。所以希望你可以注视对方的眼睛,不要有太多小动作,晚上睡好了千万不要打哈气,等等。
8.一般面试官不会问太刁难的问题或者政治敏感话题,但是不如Mr. White就比较sharp一点。可是我个人认为,人与人的接触需要真诚而体现自己的风格,随声附和的想法是不太可取得。
9.准备一些必要的问题问面试官。很obvious的就不要问了,最好问一些对方的感受阿经历阿什么的。比如我记得Yale面试的时候我问过对方耶鲁给你印象最深的是什么,答案是在耶鲁遇见的人blablabla…还有如何在Yale比较成功的survive? 答案是take initiatives.
其他问题
1.电话面试是最简单不过的拉。把申请资料在桌子前打开即可。还是那句话,弄清楚自己的申请表是最根本的。所谓电话面试也就是听一下你的表达能力而已,完全不必紧张。
2.如果你可以商讨面试时间,尽量把时间定在双方都比较清醒的时间段。我当年Princeton面试的时候因为赶时间只能在晚上9点,对方就相当疲惫,所以。。。唉
3.文科学校的面试会比较亲切,他们近些年来非常重视中国的生源。所以更不要紧张,当成朋友间的普通谈话即可。你会喜欢这样的经历的。
4.面试之后写邮件去感谢人家,得到录取了或者没有录取应该再去感谢一遍。
5.如果面试官提到和你一起申请这所学校的你的同学,请用最客气的方式说明你感到很荣幸又这样的朋友和对手和你一起竞争这样一所好大学。
下帖是我曾经找到的比较全的面试经典问题了,大家可以参考以下。 在线咨询
The College Interview Questions
•Why do you want to attend X university?
•What is your strongest/weakest point?
•What have you done to prepare for college?
•What has been your greatest experience in high school?
•What do you want to do in the future?
•Tell me about yourself. (You should focus on about three things.
•Tell me about your interests.
•Tell me about your involvement in extracurricular activities.
•Tell me about your family.
•What do you think about (insert a current event of the past week)?
•What is your favorite book? Who is your favorite author?
•Which of your accomplishments are you the most proud of?
•If you could meet any important figure in the past or present, who would it be and what would you talk about?
•If you could be any animal what would you be? Why?
•What did you do last summer?
•What is your favorite class at school?
•What is your most challenging class at school?
•Questions about extra-curricular activities?
•Questions about leadership experiences
•What do you want to study in college?
•Do you have a job?
•Have you taken any honors or AP classes?
•Where do you see yourself after college?
•What other schools are you applying to?
•What are your favorite subjects, and why?
•What are your plans for the future?
•Why do you want to attend this college?
•What extracurricular activities do you enjoy?
•Who do you admire the most, and why?
•What are your strongest points?
•What would you like to change about yourself?
Questions for admission officers:
•How many students will be in the freshman class this year? "
•What activities are available for freshmen to meet other students?
•How hard is it to get time on the college's computers?
•What kind of orientation program does the college offer?
•How can I find out about part-time job opportunities or internships on campus?
•Is there anything else I can tell you about myself to help you make a fair and informed decision about my application?
•What did you like about your school? Why did you choose to go there?
•What kinds of self-growth would you like to see in your self in the next four years? You might talk about learning to set goals, taking responsibility for yourself, learning about yourself as an individual and as a member of society, gaining historical perspective about today’s world (if you’re interested in history), improving your communication trying out new ways of being and new ideas, learning to relate to people with different backgrounds, learning to take risks, or overcoming high school stereotypes starting over (or building on your past).
•If I visited your high school, what might I find as your in the community?
•What might your teachers say is your greatest strength as a person and as a student, and what are your weaknesses in each area?8 ?
•What books or articles have you read in the last year that have had special meaning for you?
•What events or experiences in your life have been most crucial to you?
•What do you see as the good life for you twenty years from now?
•If you could reach for a telephone and call anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
•Do you have a hero or heroine you admire? An author? Would you call a friend, an enemy: A world leader? A great musician? Why?
•Last year we had ten thousand applicants and were able to accept only two thousand. Why should we accept you?
•What sets you apart from others?
•Have you ever thought of not goals to college and of what you might choose to do instead?
•If l asked your best friend to describe you, what would I hear?
•Describe your best friend. How do YOU see the role of the student on campus and in the community?
•What, in your opinion, is a college education?
•tell me about your greatest failure
Here are some questions that are commonly asked on a college interview.
1.What can you bring to this college/university? (ie: what are your personal assets?
2.What have been your major accomplishments throughout high school?
3.What is your best and worst characteristic?
4.Why do you feel that you deserve acceptance/a scholarship to this college/university?
5.What are your future goals, both personally and career-wise?
6.What types of activities do you plan on being involved with during your college years?"
7.Tell me about three people in your life that inspire you and how did they do so
8.So how did you hear about (college) and why are you interested?
9.What has been or will be the hardest part of the whole college application process?
10.If you were going through high school again, what is something that you would get involved in that you haven't yet?
11.What is the biggest problem facing your high school, and how would you change it?
12.How would you rate your overall high school experience?
13.What would your ideal college be like?
14.What are your most fearful things regard to going off to college?:
15.If I had to change one thing about yourself what would it be/why?
16.How would you describe your hometown?
17.How would you describe your high school?
18.What prompted you to apply here?
19. What are you most nervous about when it comes to going to college? What are you most excited about?
20.What is your favorite class that you are taking now?
21.How do you think your high school has prepared you for college?
22.What is it about the field you intend to major in that interests you?
23.How would your favorite teacher describe you?
24.How wuld your friends describe you?
25.How would you describe yourself?
26.What other schools are you applying to?
27.What is something new you want to explore during college?
28.30. Do you get along well with your siblings and parents?
29.31. Are there any trips you've been on or experiences you've had that have really influenced you or caused you to make change in your life?
30.32. What did you do last summer?
Be prepared for a weird question now and then. Something like, " If you were a tree, what kind would you be and why?" It might seem like a silly questions, but don't take offense or get flustered. Try to come up with an imaginative answer that tells something about your personality.
Questions You Should Ask !
You need to think of the college interview as a good conversation. The interviewer will most likely friendly and want to get to know you better. You will need to prepare questions for the interviewer so you can maintain the conversation. Preparation of the questions to ask shows that you are really interested in the school. Do not ask questions that could have been answered in the course catalog. This might indicate to the interviewer that you haven't done your homework.
1. What kind of off-campus study programs are available?
2. How many students stay on-campus during the weekends?
3. Are there career planning services available?
4. What is the town where the college is located like?
5. Tell me about freshman orientation.
6. Will I have an academic advisor?
7. What are the current housing options?
8. Will I have any graduate assistants teaching my classes?'
9. Are there any academic support services available?
10. What does your college have to offer in terms of finding a job after graduation?
11. Do you have a program that helps you find internships?
12. What is your internship program like? What percentage of students participate in an internship?
13. What is the admissions decision process at your school?
14. Is admission need-blind?
15. Do you have IBM or Macintosh computers?8
16. Do all students get e-mail addresses? Do all students have Internet access?
17. What happens on a typical day at your school?
18. Do employers come on campus and conduct interviews? Do these employers represent your field(s) of interest?
19. Are freshman allowed to have cars on campus?
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is important to you in a college?
3. What is or was your best subject in school? Your worst? Your favorite?
4. Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
5. What activities have you been involved in? Community service?
6. What are your short-term and long-term goals?
7. What does success mean to you?
8. What are your strong points?
9. What are your weaknesses?
10. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?"
11. What do you consider your greatest failure?
12. What do you like most about yourself?
13. What do you like least about yourself?
14. What is important to you in a college?
15. How would your best friend describe you?
16. Tell me about a book you read recently?
17. What does the study of history mean to you?
18. What makes you think that this college and you are right for each other?
19. How do you spend a typical afternoon after school? Weekend?!
20. What have you liked/disliked about your school? What would you change?
21. What is the most important thing you have learned in high school?
22. What mark do you feel you have left on your high school?
23. What do want to get out of your college experience?