Sample Interview Questions

These sample questions will help to establish a casual conversation while eliciting the kind of information that will be most helpful to us in reading the student’s file and will help you complete the interview evaluation form.

Tell me a little bit about your high school.
• If you were given a magic wand to change anything about your school, what would you change?
• Tell me about the courses you are taking in high school.
• Tell me about your favorite class(s) you have taken. Why was it your favorite?
• Which class has been your least favorite? Why?
• Which classes have been the most difficult (or most challenging)?
• What subjects do you plan on studying in college? Why?
• What activities and/or classes have you taken related to that field?
• What is your dream job?

Extra-curricular Activities

What extra-curricular activities are you involved with? What do you like to do for fun (outside of the classroom)?
• When you’re not in class, studying, or doing homework, what do you do with your time (organized activities or things for fun)?
• How did you get involved/started with ____ activity?
• What activity is the most meaningful to you, and what is just the most fun?
• What extra-curricular activities do you hope to be involved with in college?

Specific interest question

If the student is involved with the newspaper, student government etc - What has been a controversial issue at your school? What is your reaction to the controversy?
• If the student enjoys traveling - Where is your favorite place you have ever been? Why? Where would you like to go (if money and time were no object)?
• If the student wants to study abroad - Where would you like to study abroad? Why?
• If the student has expressed a love of reading, or a particularly good English class - What books are you currently reading? Or what have you read recently for school?

College Expectations

What type of environment are you looking for in a college/university?
• To what other colleges/universities are you applying?
• How is the admissions process going for you?

George Washington University specific

How did you become interested in GW?
• What do you find appealing about GW?
• Why do you think you GW might be the right fit for you?
• Do you know any students at GW?
• If you had an opportunity to tell the Admissions Committee anything about yourself, what would it be? What would you want the Admissions Committee to know about you that may not come across on your application?
• If I were to ask you to think back in three months to your visit to GW, what would be the first thing to pop into your head?
• What have you learned about GW that seems unusual or surprising?

Miscellaneous

• Is there anything we haven’t talked about, that you wanted to talk about?
• Apart from looking at colleges, how have you spent your high school summers?
• If you got up, and your best friend sat down, how would he/she describe you?
• How would your teachers describe you?
• If you had a year to do anything you want, what would it be?

Click here to download a printable copy of the sample interview questions.