Questions about Questions: Are you ready?

What are the most memorable questions asked by a student during an admissions interview?

This question was asked on the website Quora.com

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The vast majority of students I have interviewed have been bright, articulate, and curious. Interviewing these students has taught me a tremendous amount about students, education, schools and countries and cultures.

In general, when I worked at my university, I tried to get students to talk about specific academic interests and specific activities or experiences so that I could refer them to possible contacts or places they should explore. As a result we often would get fairly granular in terms of give and take and questions asked.

Let me give a few examples to get past these vague abstractions I’ve listed above.

In talking with several students who were interested in creative writing we would talk about how the seminars are often run on a workshop system-- a student's work is distributed to the class and there is discussion on the part of the faculty member and the students. Sometimes there is wide disagreement about what is successful or not in a particular story or poem. Students have then asked “How do you know which students are giving you useful feedback?” This is a tough and good question to answer.

With students who have already done research in a field they will often ask how easy it is to work with a prof on their research or how easy it is to do independent study etc. If students have already asked me this question via email, prior to the interview, then I would try to match them up with someone on the faculty on the day they visited. After that, I would meet with the student and we’d talk about the meeting with the faculty member. Depending on the conversation they might ask more about getting research funding, or doing summer research or other ways to get the most out of what a major research university might be able to offer them. In other words, if a student has a passion for a field, and has some experience doing research they often ask about specific ways to continue that research.

I have been impressed with students who have asked me questions that most would not because the questions might be deemed negative and therefore hurt the students’ chances of getting in. For example, students have said they talked to current students who said that self-segregation was a problem and wanted to hear whether I agreed and whether I felt enough was being done to address this issue.

A lot of students ask what I would change about my university  either in general or  with reference to the overall academic culture. I like this question but it is pretty easy to answer in abstract terms. If the student delves into something specific, then that usually generates, at least from me, a specific response and a feeling that this student would be good in class because they are not trying too hard to please the teacher/authority figure. (There are, of course, limits to how far this should go). It is a bit of a risk to do this as some interviewers may think that a student is being too pushy if they ask what they perceive is a controversial question.

I have always liked the question that some ask in one form or another: what kind of student would not thrive at my university. If the person who answers this refuses to say anything (or essentially say that everybody would be happy), I then think this should tell the student that the people in charge are unwilling to say anything substantive about the school that might not be positive. I mention this as there are questions that a student can ask that will permit them to determine for themselves if the interviewer is trying to sell the school or if they are trying to be honest and helpful.

I have had students ask, after we talked about ancient history, who I thought was better, Thucydides or Herodotus. In talking epics I have student ask which did I like better the Iliad or the Odyssey. In other words the students listened to some of what I said and asked a question based on that. This shows a student listens well and can respond by asking something specific. It is not the question itself as much as it is the capacity to listen and then give back something that demonstrates knowledge and interest.

I once heard a student ask another admission officer at a very highly ranked school about his experiences as the editor of the student newspaper there. It showed the student had done her homework by looking up the person. The question was how much oversight the administration had in what the newspaper published as it looked as if free speech was somewhat limited. As this question was asked by a student in a country that is not known, at all, for free speech, this impressed me and the person to whom the question was asked. Some interviewers might be a bit put off if the student has done a whole lot of research on the interviewer himself or herself. I would not. It seems a logical thing to do and something that anyone who is going for a job interview should do too. 

Each interviewer has their own biases and personal quirks. Some might like confrontational questions and some might now. Ultimately, questions that demonstrate knowledge that goes beyond what is readily available on the main web pages of the school are usually going to be interpreted as good questions. It means the student has dug deeper than most. I hope this helps.