24Fall Admissions Interviews Grow Harder: New Interviews Added, Timed Writing Introduced

发布时间：Date: 2023-10-11 返回新鲜资讯Back to News

In the 24Fall application season, interview difficulty has escalated across many universities. Besides rising standardized test requirements, interviews have become more rigorous. For example, the University of Manchester has added interview requirements for 12 undergraduate programs, accounting for nearly half of all its programs, while graduate interviews now more comprehensively assess applicants' language skills, logical thinking, and academic abilities, significantly raising the overall admission threshold. Meanwhile, NYU's School of Professional Studies (SPS) has innovatively introduced a 15-minute timed writing component in its interviews, which, combined with its flexible and tricky questions, shatters the former impression of it as an easy safety option. CheersYou（清柚教育） reminds prospective international students and parents to adjust their application strategies early and substantially enhance their overall competencies and on-the-spot adaptability in the face of increasingly stringent and varied evaluation formats, so as to calmly meet the challenges of the new study-abroad application season.

The 24Fall application season has just begun, and the across-the-board rise in standardized test requirements has already left applicants at a loss... Yet universities don't seem ready to give anyone a break—beyond test scores, interview difficulty is also escalating...

University of Manchester Adds Interviews for 12 Programs

After the G5 universities all added written exam requirements for undergraduate applications, the difficulty of applying to Manchester’s undergraduate programs has climbed once again!

Last year, the University of Manchester’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering program announced on its website that it would require interviews; this year, Manchester has added interview requirements for 12 more undergraduate majors, accounting for nearly half of all its programs!

Source: Manchester official website

However, since undergraduate interviews are mostly informal alumni interviews, the overall tone remains relatively relaxed.

On the other hand, graduate admissions interviews are quite different and much more rigorous in both format and content. They not only test your language ability and logical thinking, but also evaluate your academic aptitude during the conversation.

NYU SPS Adds Timed Writing to Interviews

Even before 24Fall applications opened, NYU’s School of Professional Studies (SPS) had already been silently turning up the heat on interview requirements.

In its latest updated interview requirements for 24Fall, NYU SPS has actually added a timed writing component! A 15-minute timed writing task is now part of the interview process!

Source: NYU official website

Answering interview questions isn’t enough—now you have to write on the spot? Since when did SPS become so demanding? It’s safe to say that the era of slacking off and using SPS as a safety school has officially ended. Hassle-free, no-interview SPS applications are already a thing of the past.

In the 23Fall cycle, these NYU SPS programs had already quietly raised the bar, adding Kira interview components that replaced the VEPT requirement for international applicants.

· MS Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting

· MS Human Capital Analytics and Technology (STEM)

· MS Human Resource Management and Development

· MS Marketing and Strategic Communications

· MS Public Relations and Corporate Communication

Source: NYU official website

The interview questions are wildly creative and leave people exclaiming how bizarre they are, such as "How would you determine how many people are on the phone right now in New York City?" and "How would you describe a flower to someone who has never heard of or seen flowers?"

Source: Xiaohongshu

This makes many students exclaim how difficult it is—they have no idea what to say...

Source: Xiaohongshu

Now 24Fall has also added a timed writing task, making things even more difficult! But NYU SPS is not the first school to require timed writing. For instance, USC’s Rossier School of Education has long had a requirement for applicants to write a 350–700 word essay on a given topic within 45 minutes during the interview.

Source: USC official website

Without proper preparation, you'll only embarrass yourself during the interview.

Study Abroad Interviews Gaining Increasing Importance

In an era of cutthroat competition over GPAs and test scores, more and more universities are adding interviews and raising their requirements. This actually reflects that schools are attaching increasing importance to students' genuine knowledge base, quick thinking, and language logic skills.

Moreover, interview methods vary widely among schools. For example, Columbia SPS has an even more complex process: in addition to a Video Interview, applicants cannot escape a face-to-face screening interview with the admissions officer.

Source: Columbia official website

So in recent application cycles, we have seen many otherwise strong applicants stumble at the last hurdle—the interview—and narrowly miss out on offers from their dream schools, which is truly a pity.

Source: Xiaohongshu

However, although interviews are full of randomness and uncertainty, if we figure out the various interview patterns in advance and prepare and practice, we can become invincible!

Summary of Study Abroad Interview Formats

To efficiently prepare for interviews, you first need to understand the several types used by overseas universities. For most Master’s applications, there are three common interview methods: Video Essay, Online Video Interview, and Face-to-Face Interview.

Video Essay

Video Essay commonly comes in two forms. One is requiring the applicant to record a video themselves, answering questions in English posed by the school, and then uploading the completed video. For example, NYU’s MPS program requires applicants to complete and upload a Video Essay before submitting their online application; applicants can see the prompt requirements, prepare a script in advance, and then record and upload the video.

Source: NYU official website

The other form of Video Essay is through the Kira Talent platform, which is one of the most widely used interview platforms by universities today.

Source: Kira Talent official website

Kira is somewhat like TOEFL speaking: the entire process is recorded by the system, which displays questions as video or text, and the applicant’s responses are recorded in full and later reviewed by the admissions team.

Although the format is similar, each school usually customizes the Kira interview questions, question type, number, and response time to assess their applicants.

Kira is known for its deep question bank and many new questions, with a wide variety. Therefore, when reviewing Kira interview experiences, you often see a range of bizarre questions.

Let’s take a look at Kira’s deadly three “Why” questions:

If you had to solve a problem that is not from your country, which problem would you solve?
If you could eliminate a disease with one finger, which one would you choose? Why?
If a choice would bring short-term benefits but cause friction and conflict with your international trade partners in the long term, would you make that choice? Why?

There are even more outlandish questions from Imperial College Business School, such as “What is the difference between hair and skin?” and “What animal would you most like to be?”...

Source: Xiaohongshu

These questions are utterly baffling, and if you haven’t seen them before, coming up with a great answer within just a few seconds is extremely challenging.

Online Video Interview

The second common type is the online video interview. Admissions officers conduct one-on-one interviews with applicants via software like Skype or Zoom.

Usually, after submitting your online application, you will receive an interview invitation email from the school; the interview typically lasts only 10–15 minutes in most cases!

Face to Face Interview

Some schools also hold in-person interviews, often held in hotel conference rooms in major cities; invitations are usually sent out after you submit your online application.

However, in addition to one-on-one interviews, in-person sessions may also include group interviews and written tests. The interviewer may first give a topic for group discussion, and then have everyone take turns sharing their views.

How to Effectively Overcome Interview Challenges

Although interview formats vary, no matter the type, we can prepare strategically in advance! To prepare efficiently, “interview experiences” are absolutely essential. Whether it’s a live interview or an automated one, spoken or written, with these tips at hand, you’ll never dread an interview again!

CheersYou（清柚教育） Exclusive Interview Question Bank (for enrolled students only)

Plus, hundreds of real interview questions compiled from past applicants’ recollections can help you prepare precisely, doubling your efficiency!

Follow the "CheersYou（清柚教育） Study Abroad" official account

Reply "kira" in the backstage to learn how to get it for free

In addition, mock interview practice before the real “battlefield” is extremely necessary. For many students who struggle with nerves, even if they’ve prepared thoroughly, they might still go blank during the actual interview. If you’ve done hands-on drills beforehand, you’ll naturally feel more relaxed and perform closer to your true ability!

CheersYou（清柚教育） Interview Coaching System (for enrolled students only)

The 24Fall application season is in full swing. CheersYou（清柚教育） once again reminds all students not to neglect interview preparation while working on other application materials. We hope everyone gets their dream school admission offer this season!

Precise positioning to win top schools! Scan the QR code below now to start a one-on-one study abroad consultation~