Common College Interview Questions for Study Abroad

College interviews are not meant to be intimidating. It is a chance for the interviewers and interviewees to find out how they will both benefit from their future association. The college interview is meant to be a conversation, an easy discussion about the investment of your time and money in the study program and how much you will actually be able to gain from it.

The university employees will try to gauge why you have chosen a particular country, university, and course. They try to find out if you will be able to do well in the program and what prospects after that lastly, if you would be able to adapt to the college environment. Here we have mentioned below some of the popular interview questions category-wise. They may not be exactly as worded but will give you an idea and help you prepare.

Common College Interview questions you should prepare for:

1. Icebreaker Questions

• Tell us something about yourself.
• Tell me about your family.
• Why do you want to pursue further studies?
• What did you do last summer?
• What do you like to do most/what do you do best?
• Have you ever traveled to a foreign country before? What did you learn there?

2. General Questions

• What are your educational/career goals?
• How do you think this course will help you in your future career plans?
• Where do you think you will be doing 5/10/15 years from now?
• Who is your idol/ hero/ has influenced you most?
• How will you contribute to the college community/society, if you are selected?
• Tell us about your achievements/most memorable student experiences.
• Who has helped you most to reach where you are today?
• What subjects seemed most challenging/ interesting to you?
• Why have you chosen to go to this country for this study program, instead of doing it from India itself?

3. Questions based on your Degree and University Choice

• Why have you chosen this major/ subject/ focus area?
• Have you been accepted to any other graduate schools yet?
• Is there a particular faculty member you want to work with?
• Why are you interested in this particular college?

4. Personality Assessment Questions

• Outside of your academic interests, what do you do for fun?
• Tell me about your success story/ or challenges that you have overcome in the past.
• Does your academic record accurately reflect your efforts and abilities well?
• Recommend me a good book/ movie/ song.
• If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?
• What are your weaknesses/ the areas that you need to improve upon?
• What do you think has influenced your life goals/career aspirations most?
• How do you define success?
• What makes you special/unique?

5. Questions based on your religious or political beliefs or other sensitive issues

• What philosophy do you have about life?
• What do you think about the latest news that was on TV about _________?
• Do you think the cultural norms of your nation should be more flexible?
• What do you think about the stance of _______ on ________?
• Quickly advise the Prime Minister of India/US on how to end terrorism/religious violence/racism.

6. Document-based Questions

• You wrote in your personal statement that you read poetry/classics. What kind of poetry/novels do you read? Which one have you read recently and liked/didn't like?
• You have scored less/took an odd course in your academic resume. Please tell me more about it.
• You are fluent in ________. Can you translate this for me?
• One of your recommendations has been written by your high school Principal. Didn't you find someone who has been associated with you more recently/closely to write a recommendation for you?
• One of your advisers has researched a lot on ________. Do you agree with him?

7. Subject-based Questions

• Give me some most recent studies in the field of your chosen subject.
• Which methods or techniques do you intend to use in your research work?
• If you were an ambassador to another country and some citizens of your country are concerned about their safety, how will you handle the situation?

8. Scholarship or Fellowship Questions

• How will this scholarship help you in your future goals?
• Why do you deserve this scholarship more than other candidates?
• What will you do if you don't receive the fellowship?
• Do you know who founded this scholarship and what was its purpose? How do you fit the criteria?

9. Immigration-based Questions

• After completing your studies, do you wish to settle down in our country?
• If you want to come back to India, why do you want to pursue studies abroad?

10. Open-ended Questions

• Do you want to know anything about our college or the course you want to pursue?
• Is there anything you want to ask us?

You will find some of the answers in the Interview Guide for F1 Student Visa. Not only this, but you will also find the Dos and Donts of an interview for visas and in general. Read the article to find the most relevant and appropriate answers.

Also read:

• Preparation Guide to crack MBA Interview for US Business Schools
• Interview Tips for Student Visa

All the best!