How to support your students through university interviews

Sean Stevens Executive Chairman, Immerse Education

Sean Stevens, director of Immerse Education, gives teachers some practical tips on what to tell a student preparing for a university interview

Not all universities require interviews as part of the application process, but for those students who do have to interview, this can often feel like the most terrifying element of the whole process. And it shouldn’t be!

Teachers can get nervous, too, when supporting students going through stressful university applications. What should we tell our students? What suggestions can we give them?

Here is a quick guide on the most important pieces of advice you can give your students.

“Spend enough time to get ready for your interview”

The most frightening element of the interview process is its unpredictability.

Of course, students can never predict the content of an interview, but they should ensure that they are as prepared as possible and that they dedicate a reasonable amount of time to their preparation.

As a rule of thumb, they should be confident and comfortable discussing everything in their personal statement, and should be able to answer any questions about it. They should be confident in articulating their opinions, ideas and thoughts, but also able to be flexible when shown another perspective or contradictory view.

Advise them to practise with their friends or family, getting them to ask random and challenging questions based on the personal statement they have written, or offer them to practise with you!

As the teacher, you should play devil’s advocate with them, asking challenging questions – the more they practise this, the easier and less frightening it will seem when they are in the actual interview situation.

“Be yourself!”

Interviewers would far rather see the real person than a fabricated version

It is essential for students to present their most genuine and authentic self during the interview.

Remind your students that, when interviewers meet them, they are, of course, looking for somebody who can perform well academically, but they are also looking for somebody who is a good communicator.

Interviewers would far rather see the real person than a fabricated version.

Of course, students need to know that if the idea of talking to a small group of strangers terrifies them, that is okay and normal!

Having said that, it may be necessary for students to ‘fake’ some confidence in order to get themselves through the interview – this is okay, too.

“You are interviewing them as well”

The best way to encourage students to be more confident is to remind them that they are also interviewing their interviewers!

This may sound strange to them at first, but it is true; remind them they are the person who is choosing to invest in the university, to be educated by these academics - and ultimately, to pay the university a lot of money!

If the atmosphere, learning style or environment does not feel right for them during the interview, that’s a very important sign to take note of (and it can be something that does not become apparent until they do their interview).

“Vocalise your working out”

Remind them that it is perfectly fine to get the wrong answer to a question

Ask your students: do you remember when you were constantly told in primary school to ‘show your working out’ in maths exercises? It’s now time to employ the same approach!

In university interviews, academics ultimately want to see how students think.

This means that they will need to talk through their thoughts out loud, even if they haven’t reached an answer to a question.

Remind them that it is perfectly fine to get the wrong answer to a question in their interview, or not get an answer at all.

But they must show how their thinking works, as it is intellectual ability and potential that universities are looking for, rather than perfectly formed knowledge.

Being able to both argue their point solidly and being flexible in their thinking are valued qualities; they need to try and show a balance of these in their interview.

Students need to remember to not be afraid to stick to and argue for a point or perspective if they believe in it, but that they can change their mind or make a U-turn if their thinking is pushed in another direction.

“You can ask questions”

This is another point that students may quickly forget if they get too nervous on the day, but it is a valuable suggestion.

Questions are allowed during the interview, as students are not expected to know everything. Often, the material in interviews can be completely unfamiliar to them or beyond the level of what they are working on at school.

Asking questions (although maybe not too many!) when they need something clarified is absolutely fine, and it can often show an interviewer that they are willing to take on challenging concepts.

“A difficult interview may be a good one!”

We all have a tendency to leave an interview and immediately feel disheartened and dejected if it was difficult.

However, it is worth reminding students that it is impossible to tell how you have performed in an interview; sometimes, the people who feel their interview went well don’t actually succeed, and those who thought they underperformed do!

It is important for them to do their best and then to try and be proud of the fact that they even entered the room at all!

Also, if the interview felt difficult, this is most often a positive thing; interviewers may not push students academically if they do not think they have the capability, so being pushed and challenged is often a sign that a student has shown potential.

Finally, students need to remember that interviews can sometimes turn into engaging conversations – often, interviewers even end up learning from their interviewees!

- - - - - - - -

How do you support your students during their university application process? Do you have a question for Sean? You can register for your free profile and leave a comment below.