This application season, many universities have added interview components to evaluate applicants.
Interviews test not only your on-the-spot reaction skills, but also genuinely reflect your potential and caliber. If you can impress the interviewer, you'll not only boost your own profile but could even surpass competitors with better qualifications. All in all, to secure an offer, you must prepare well for the interview.
Study abroad interviews may be in-person, by phone, or through online platforms like Skype, lasting 3min-30min.
Many applicants fear interviews mainly because they feel their pronunciation is not standard or they have an accent. In fact, interviewers are mentally prepared for applicants' accents. They place more importance on your language expression ability—whether your tone sounds natural, your delivery is fluent, and your narrative and logic are clear.
Today, your CheersYou（清柚教育） editor has prepared the ten most common interview questions. Practice them—it will greatly help your interview!
Tell me about yourself
This question seems simple, but answering it well is much harder than it appears. The key is to make the interviewer feel that you are truly different from other students. You can talk about your hobbies, interests, family, friends, etc. Avoid using overly generic words like "responsible" or "hardworking." You want to introduce the real you—be sincere and earnest. Make sure the interviewer sees you painting a colorful picture of yourself, not a simple sketch.
Most importantly, be confident, be confident, be confident!!! Just think—the person opposite you is the interviewer for your dream school. Isn't that exciting enough to get you pumped up!
Why are you interested in our college?
This question is as common as they come, so your answer must be extremely specific. The interviewer wants to see your love and desire for the school; you need to demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the institution.
You can mention anything from the campus environment to academic activities, student clubs, and research projects—preferably naming specific programs or events. Tell them what sets this school apart from others and why that difference matters to you.
Tell me about a challenge/sucess/faliure?
Everyone loves a good story, so at this point, knowing how to tell one well is crucial.
Stories of success, failure, and challenges tend to follow similar patterns, and interviewers are used to students' well-worn "angles." So be sure to focus on details—the more specific, the better—and keep it within 2–3 minutes. This way, your story will be vivid and compelling, and the interviewer will sense your passion.
There's a STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result. As long as you include these four elements in your story, you'll definitely capture the interviewer's attention!
Why major?
If you’ve already decided on a major, talk about your interest in it—preferably in story form, sharing personal experiences related to the field. If you haven’t decided yet, don’t go in empty-headed. At least tell the interviewer about areas you’re curious about and why you’re still undecided—maybe there are too many things you’re passionate about to choose, or you want to explore further.
Tell me about your extracurricular activities？
You can discuss extracurricular activities that relate to your résumé and elaborate on them. Use the three-step method: Why, How, What.
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Why? Why did you choose to do this activity? Explain your initial motivation.
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How? Here you can talk about the most memorable part of the activity, challenges you faced, who you turned to for help, what interests it sparked, and so on.
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What? Describe how this extracurricular activity deepened your understanding of your major and how it changed you.
What will you contribute to our campus community?
Don't give a simplistic or hollow answer like "I'm a hard worker." Think carefully about what makes you unique—what different cultures and perspectives you can bring to the school.
Diversity is key to answering this question. The school wants to see how you can enrich campus culture. Think about your hobbies and interests—what you like to do outside of class. This is a great opportunity to showcase your non-academic background.
Recommend a good book to me
This question requires good preparation. The book’s genre doesn’t need to be strictly defined—it can be an academic work or a literary novel. The key is that you must be very familiar with it. It’s best to review the book’s background, summary, and your personal reflections. Be sure to choose a book you find interesting, not one that is just highbrow. The point is to show that you have something to say. Treat the interviewer as a friend, and introduce the book in a warm, sincere tone.
What do you hope to do after graduation？
Many students have no idea what they want to do after graduation, and that’s okay. But if you truly don’t know your career goals, you can mention fields related to your intended major.
Interviewers know the future is uncertain; they just want to see if you have a rough plan for your life. You could say you plan to pursue a PhD and do research, or work first and then start a business, etc.
Who do you admire？
You need to introduce someone you admire—it could be a real person, a historical figure, or a character from a novel. The focus should be on why you admire them. It’s not recommended to talk about historically prominent political figures because interviewers don’t think they have a profound impact on your daily studies, extracurricular activities, or personal relationships, and your answer might sound hollow.
The person you choose could be a family member, a teacher, a friend, a coach, or someone you volunteered with. Don’t focus on how brilliant their achievements are; instead, emphasize how they have influenced you.
What can I tell you about our college?
During the interview, the interviewer will also give you a chance to ask questions. You must ask questions, but they need to be thoughtful, targeted, and specific. Never ask questions that can easily be answered on the school’s website—that’s pointless.
You can ask questions about your major or campus life:
What do graduates from your school consider the most meaningful aspect of their four years here?
I learned that your school has an interdisciplinary studies program. Could you tell me more about it?
Questions like these clearly show you’ve done your research and will leave a better impression on the interviewer.
Of course, no matter how well you prepare, without real face-to-face experience, you may still be caught off guard by unexpected situations during the interview. It's best to find a native speaker who knows your target field or an admissions officer from a top school to conduct a mock interview with you.
