University Interviews: Your Complete Guide

Interviewing for a place at university will, probably, be the most important interview as far as your professional life is concerned, and it’s very important to get your tone and style right, and to make sure that your interviewer knows you’re the right person for them. This really is very important. There’s a saving grace on all of these interviews that should cheer you up a little bit, however: remember that the university needs students in exactly the same way you need a university.

First and foremost a university is a business, and they need students to make money – tuition fees are what keep these institutions going, and whilst they can pick and choose to some extent, they need the students to choose the university first – you aren’t powerless in all of this, you choose the universities before they choose you. Remember that as we go over the interview stuff – it’ll help inspire some confidence.

So, here is our guide to exactly what’s required for a university interview – from body language to course details to that all-important question you need to ask at the end. This is important, and you’re obviously very lucky that we’re here to help. What would you do without us, eh?

Preparation

The best way to do the best you can in any interview is to prepare for it thoroughly. And no, that doesn’t mean asking a mate to shout a few questions at you in the pub a couple of days before (we’ve all done it, it’s a bad idea). It means genuine, intelligent and organised preparation – this is important, and you should treat it like it is.

The best way to do the best you can in any interview is to prepare for it thoroughly. And no, that doesn’t mean asking a mate to shout a few questions at you in the pub a couple of days before

There should be someone at your college or sixth form who will be able to do a few mock interviews with you, but if not then ask your parents or your most serious friend to help you out with a few questions – there’s nothing quite like live practise to help you seem confident and presentable in a real interview situation. We’ve put together a few example interview questions that should help you out in the next section, but remember that your interviewer could ask you anything at all, so practise answering some fake questions that you haven’t seen before, too – every little helps.

Another really good idea during interview preparations is to run a few of your own mock interviews in the role of interviewer – swap with somebody else who’s in a similar situation. By sitting on the other side of the table, you should be able to get a good feel of what a good interview is like and what you should be doing to look and sound better and more confident. Confidence, just in case somebody else hasn’t told you already, is key.

Make sure to research the place you’re applying to thoroughly – find out what the department’s good at, and what research has been conducted recently. You don’t need to be an expert – just well informed enough to seem curious. This can tie in with your own questions to ask at the interview, which we’ll go into in more detail a little bit later.

Appearance

Now, this may seem like an obvious one but make sure you look good, but professional. A cravat might be a bit much, but a suit is definitely what you should go for. Of course, double check this on the actual application – if it says just wear whatever you’re comfortable in then you might want to reconsider, but often a suit or smart dress will impress even when it’s not called for.

Shower, clip your nails, trim your nose hair and generally make sure that you look at your best for the interview. They may seem like little things, but you’d be surprised how much even subtle appearances make a huge difference to the interview process. No-one admits it, but that’s why everyone at the office here ended up with this job.

Some Example Interview Questions

Here’s a few example questions that might – might – come up in the interview process. Practise them, get a decent answer for each of them, but try to be as off-the-cuff as possible – it won’t look good if you’ve just memorised some answers. Also, and we know we’ve already said this but it is important, make sure to practise answering questions you haven’t seen before – it’s not easy but the more you practise the better you’ll get. Practise, practise, practise.

Why did you apply for this course? This is a big one – construct a better response than just ‘because it fitted my grades’ or ‘I like [your subject]’. Get across that you’re passionate and committed to a career in this area, and you really, really, really want to do well. It’s important you show how much this matters to do – no-one is unimpressed with passion.
What topics and themes do you enjoy the most and why? Much the same. Again, try to be a little original and throw a bit of a curve ball if you can – something a little off-beat with the actual subject. Studying English? You’re interested in literature, but also in the way language has developed culturally; for example.
What have you read on the subject? Basically, what extra stuff have you had a look at? It could really be anything, but this yet is another chance to get across your passion for the subject. Make sure to read something, and read it well – your interviewer may have read it, too.
What are your strengths and weaknesses? Do NOT say you’re a perfectionist. It’s irritating, cliché, and oddly imperfect to say in an interview. Be honest, but try to make your weakness sound like a strength without being too obvious about it. There’s a few tricks here, but we’ll leave it to you to work out the best response.
Where do you see yourself five/ten/fifteen years from now? The correct answer is basically ‘an employed graduate with a good degree’ mix that up in some better language and it’ll go OK.

Your Question

At the end of the interview, you will almost certainly get a chance to ask some of your own questions about the course and the university in general. This is still part of the interview, and another great chance to get across your passion and interest in the course. Choosing the right set of questions to ask is just another part of the interview process, and your interviewers will be waiting for some clever ones. So, you better think of some. Fortunately, we’ve got a few ourselves.

At the end of the interview, you will almost certainly get a chance to ask some of your own questions about the course and the university in general

A good line of inquiry worth considering is asking about the recent advances at the department. This doesn’t mean just ask about what they’ve done recently – you should know that already – ask more specific questions like what applications their recent research might have on the future, or what equipment was used and will you get a chance to use it (this is particularly relevant for the scientific types of courses).

Also try to ask a question about the general structure of the course – how many hours are you in class for per week, for example, or when is the department open to undergraduates. Getting across a general curiosity for the course is one of the best ways to show enthusiasm, and will show that you’ve really thought about your place within the university.

If you’re feeling particularly confident, then you could ask your interviewer if they had any problems with your application. This will give them a chance to confront anything they’re not comfortable with, and will give you a chance to refute it or explain yourself. It’s a great way to get a little bit of extra credit and to kill any doubts your interviewer might have there and then.

Some Coursefindr Tips

We’ve got some titbits of advice to give out. Generally they’re generic, self-explanatory and an utter waste of space, but you should read them anyway just in case you haven’t thought of them yet. We’re joking – this is all actually very good advice. Take it.

If you’re not confident, fake it. It’s very, very important to give the impression of confidence, and if you’re not a confident person then just pretend to be for a little bit (guess what? It’s the same thing).
Make eye contact and shake hands as you come in – don’t be a bruiser and squash the hand, though – that happens much more often than you might think, and it’s not impressive – it just makes you look like a meat head.
Have fun with it! It’ll be obvious whether or not you’re enjoying your day, and the happier you are, the friendlier you’ll be – enjoy your day and have some fun and everything else will come to you much easier. That goes for life, too.
If you don’t understand or can’t answer a question, don’t try to BS your way around it – politely tell them so for whatever reason. If nothing else, your interviewer will respect your honesty.