College Interviews

For those of you who have applied to Further or Higher Education interviews are held from March - May depending on the college and course you are applying for.

A college interview can be very stressful but, just like a job interview, preparation can take away most of that stress.

Here are some tips on preparing for the college interview, we plan to upload lots more between now and May to help you with getting that college place and we are available by phone, post or on a one-to-one basis to help you as well!

Preparing for your College Interview
· Review your written application (either CAO or the college’s own application form), especially your personal statement. Make sure you know the points you have made on it well and can expand on these.
· Interviewers will be interested in you and your motivations for going to college. Have some answers prepared about your reasons for going to college, what you hope to achieve on the course and your own interest areas and long-term goals. Make these relevant to the course you are applying for.
· Know the course you are applying for - research the content and structure of it. The college prospectus can be a good start but you could also talk to course co-ordinators or tutors.
· Think about how you will answer tricky questions, such as "Where else have you
applied?"
· Think about the challenges you may encounter in attending college - financial, time management, family commitments, location - the interviewer may want to see that you have a realistic view of these and how you will manage them.
· Develop the questions you want to ask about the course, remember this is also your chance to find out whether the course is for you or not.
· No matter how many questions you prepare for, it is always possible that the interviewer will come up with something for which you have no ready answer. So, prepare for that eventuality as well. Prepare what you are going to say if your mind goes blank so that you don’t panic.
· Practice, practise, practise. Arrange a couple of mock interviews (laegis can provide these for you). It might sound strange first time around but when you hear how much better you sound the second time you answer the same question you will see it really helps!