If you’re a senior whose first alumni interview is coming up, you may be a bit nervous and unsure of what to expect.
I felt the same way when I was contacted for my first alumni interview. I remember looking up questions online, practicing my responses, and setting up my interview space an hour early.
However, now having done several, I’ve learned a lot about which questions are most frequently asked and strategies to respond effectively. By preparing some responses beforehand, you’ll be able to have a successful interview, even if it’s your first one.
In this article, I discuss the 10 most common alumni interview questions (from my experience) and effective strategies to approach them.
For each question, I provide main points you should hit and pointers to help you brainstorm details for your response. For some questions, I also include a sample response.
Near the end, I provide examples of unexpected questions I received and strategies I used to answer them.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
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Most Common Alumni Interview Questions
#1: Tell me about yourself.
This was the first question I received in all my interviews and will likely be your first too. Remember, the interviewer knows nothing about you before the interview.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) A unique and engaging perspective on yourself
B) Topics that you want to discuss later in the interview (e.g. extracurriculars, interests)
Pointers to Help You Get Started:
Where were you born and where have you lived?
- What’s your relationship like with your family?
- What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know?
- What are the most meaningful extracurriculars you’ve participated in?
- What are you passionate about?
You don’t have to answer all of these questions, but spend some time drafting responses to them. Determine which responses reflect you best and set you apart from other students.
Remember, your answer to this question paves the way for other questions in the interview. You want the interviewer to ask you questions about things that demonstrate your motivations, passions, character traits, and personal growth.
#2: Why this university?
The “why this university” interview question is probably the next most frequently asked question.
The reason interviewers ask this is to make sure you’re not just applying for a college because it’s well-known or your parents made you. They also want to see if you would be a good fit for the college.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) specific things about the college that attract you
B) how you envision yourself fitting in at the university
Pointers to Help You Get Started:
To help you get started on Part A, think about the following questions:
- Does the college offer opportunities that aren’t offered anywhere else?
- Are you excited to study with a particular professor?
- Do you like the campus culture?
- Perhaps you’ve spoken with students there, and their experiences excite you?
To help you get started on Part B, think about the following questions:
- Are you excited to be a part of certain clubs or volunteer organizations?
- Are you interested in contributing to their student publications?
- What kinds of things can you get involved in on campus that would make it a better place?
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#3: What’s your planned major? Why did you choose it?
This was another question I received in almost every alumni interview. It’s an important opportunity to demonstrate your passions, motivations, and aspirations.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) Your major (obviously)
B) A story about how your passion developed
C) How you’ve pursued your passion
D) How you intend to continue exploring your passion in college
It’s not enough to provide general reasons about why you chose a major, like “I hope to be an English major because I’ve always loved reading, and AP English Literature was one of my favorite classes in high school.”
That’s a pretty generic response that anyone could say. Instead, you need to provide a unique story that demonstrates your personal connection to a major. Use a story to—as the popular adage goes—show, not tell your passion for a major.
I know this question has a lot of parts to it, so I’ve provided a sample response below. (Warning: I go on a bit of a rant here—I’m not an English major, but I really love books… however, I hope it gets the “show, not tell” point across.)
Sample Response
I’m planning on studying English in college because I love literature, and I would love to have a career exploring its endless possibilities.
My love for books started when I was seven. That was when my dad bought me my first Harry Potter series. I began reading the first book out of curiosity, and before I knew it, I was completely engrossed. I remember missing playdates so I could read.
Over the years, reading has become an integral part of my life, and I don’t go anywhere without bringing a book with me. I read everything from classic literature to contemporary rom-coms to historical fiction.
I keep a journal with me at all times to jot down sudden revelations, like why a certain event was symbolic or how a character’s action paralleled an earlier action to demonstrate character growth.
In high school, I started a book club. Each month, we would choose a new book to tackle. We would meet each week to discuss our reading and even bet on predictions about what would happen.
A few times, I was lucky enough to invite authors to speak at our meetings. In my junior year, we even raised enough money to take a field trip to the National Book Fair in Washington D.C., where we got to meet many accomplished authors.
In my senior year, I took AP English Literature, which ended up being my favorite class. Throughout the year, we read several notable literary works and analyzed the deeper meaning behind the author’s choices, from setting changes to seemingly trivial things like character names.
It made me realize how intricate and layered literature is—there’s always more to discover, no matter how many times you’ve read something.
The greatest authors write literature whose morals are universal and timeless. The best literature is a reflection of the strengths and flaws, exultations and tragedies, and goodness and evil of humankind—and that’s something I can’t wait to explore.
It would be my dream to study these things at (name of college). It has one of the strongest English programs in the nation, and I would love to study with renowned professors like (professor name), whose publications I admire greatly.
Analysis of Sample Response
Okay, so I know this was a pretty long response, so I want to break it down a bit. Let’s see if it meets all three requirements:
- Tell the interviewer your major—check! (in the first sentence)
- Tell a story about how your passion developed—check! (read the Harry Potter series at age seven and have been reading non-stop since)
- Explain how you’ve pursued that passion—check! (bring a journal at all times, started a book club, and took AP English Literature)
- Explain how you intent to continue exploring your passion in college—check! (look forward to studying with a specific professor)
All requirements met!
When you outline your response to the “Why this major?” question, ask yourself, “If I were listening to someone else say this to me, would I be thoroughly convinced of their passion for this area of study?”
Note: If you applied as undecided, you need to explain why you applied as undecided. Additionally, you need to explain how you will use opportunities in college to find a suitable major.
#4: What is a challenge you had to overcome?
This is another alumni interview question that I was asked many times. Colleges want students who are adaptable and resilient in the face of a challenge, and this is the opportunity to demonstrate that.
Your answer to this question doesn’t have to be academic-related (although it can be). It can be about challenges you had to overcome in an extracurricular, your personal life, or some other area.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) The challenge that you faced
B) How you took a step back and analyzed the situation
C) How you took action
D) The outcome of the situation
E) What you learned and how you can apply that in other areas
#5: How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect you?
This may not be as relevant of a question anymore, but several of my alumni interviewers asked me this. The purpose of this question was to assess my adaptability in the face of unexpected change. Because of that, it’s quite similar to the previous question, “What is a challenge you had to overcome?”
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Main Points to Include in Your Response
A) Changes that resulted from the pandemic (e.g. distance learning, canceled plans)
B) An unexpected challenge and how you coped with it
Pointers to Help You Get Started:
- Did you do distance learning, and if so, for how long?
- What downsides did distance learning have, and how were you able to deal with them?
- Were there any benefits of distance learning?
- How did the pandemic affect your extracurricular activities, and how did you adapt?
#6: What is your most meaningful extracurricular?
This is another alumni interview question that almost always pops up. The extracurriculars you’ve pursued set you apart from other students.
As such, this is an opportunity to demonstrate unique skills (both hard and soft) you’ve learned that other students may not have.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) An extracurricular that you believe is most meaningful
B) How you started
C) How the extracurricular has helped you learn and grow
D) How you can apply the skills you’ve learned in college and beyond
Pointers to Help You Get Started:
To help you get started, write down two or three extracurriculars that have been most meaningful to you.
Make a T-chart of hard and soft skills you’ve learned from that extracurricular as I have done below:
Once you’ve created a T-chart, provide specific examples of how the extracurricular taught you certain skills.
For example, I could say:
Our weekly book club discussions taught me to be open-minded toward others’ ideas. Inviting authors as guest speakers also taught me how to effectively communicate with others.
Running the club has also helped me become adaptable in the face of challenges. The biggest challenge we faced was raising enough money for the trip to the National Book Fair.
We needed to raise ___ amount of money, which meant that my club members and I had to brainstorm effective fundraising strategies. We hosted book sales in our neighborhoods and bake sales at school, all of which took lots of collaboration and attention to detail.
Finally, you need to explain how the skills you’ve learned will help you as a college student and beyond.
Going back to the book club example, I could explain how the hard skills I’ve learned have prepared me for my English major studies. I could also explain how the soft skills I’ve learned will enable me to be a collaborative and attentive classmate.
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#7: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This commonly-asked alumni interview question may be directed towards your academic strengths and weaknesses or soft skill strengths and weaknesses.
Either way, you should prepare a response carefully because this is one of those questions where you don’t want to reveal too much.
Particularly when talking about your weaknesses, you should be careful not to present yourself as an unfavorable candidate.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) Your strengths and specific examples of when you demonstrated them
B) Your weaknesses and how you’re working on overcoming them—this demonstrates self-awareness and a desire for self-improvement, which are favorable traits in a student
Pointers to Help You Get Started:
- What are some of your best qualities? Here are some terms to help you brainstorm: resilience, resourcefulness, creativity, persistence, and open-mindedness.
- What are some of your weaknesses? Here are some terms to help you brainstorm: too detail-oriented, lack of self confidence, or overly self-critical.
- How have you been working on your weaknesses?
If the question is academic-oriented, ask yourself:
- What subjects am I best at, and what do I enjoy about them?
- What subjects am I weaker in, and how I have worked to improve in them?
#8: Where do you see yourself in five years?
For most high school seniors, this may be a difficult alumni interview question to answer. However, the good news is that you’re not expected to know exactly where you’ll be in five years.
The main purpose of this question is to make sure that you have motivation and a vision—the interviewer wants to know that you’ll make the most of your college experience.
As such, you don’t need to provide a microscopically specific description of your intended career path; it’s okay to admit that you need time to explore—after all, that’s what college is for!
However, you should provide a response that communicates the things you’re passionate about and how you envision college will help you shape your path.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) What you intend on studying in college
B) How your college education will help you find your path
C) The positive difference you intend to make using your college education
If these points are confusing, I have provided a sample response below. (I’m still an aspiring English major for the purposes of this response.)
Sample Response
As a seventeen-year-old, I’m not entirely certain what my future career holds. However, I hope to use my college education to discover ways I can help others through my passion for English.
By leveraging internship opportunities, I will explore career opportunities and determine what suits me best. Am I comfortable with mentoring others? Am I better suited to the quiet environment of a writer? Or perhaps I prefer a mix of both?
No matter what happens, I know that in five years, college will have helped me understand my strengths and preferences better. I’ll be able to choose a career that I enjoy and which enables me to help others, whether that be teaching in a classroom or writing for a publication.
#9: What is your favorite book?
This is a question that is frequently asked during alumni interviews because they want to make sure you’re constantly seeking ways to broaden your knowledge.
In fact, some alumni interviewers may expand on this question to ask about publications, podcasts, or other media sources that you follow.
This is one of those instances where you may not want to be 100% honest. If your favorite book is a trashy romance novel or you just don’t read at all, then you should take some time to craft a good response.
However, your response still needs to come across as genuine. If you say your favorite book is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it probably won’t come off as realistic (unless you can launch into an in-depth discussion of the subtle nuances and overarching morals in the play that make it an invaluable contribution to our understanding of humankind).
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) A book with some degree of literary merit
B) What you learned from the book and why it has been personally meaningful
#10: How would you describe your high school environment?
This alumni interview question can be difficult to answer because of how broad it is. However, you just need to provide some context for your academic and extracurricular achievements.
Pointers to Help You Get Started:
- How big is your school? Is it a private or public school?
- What is the culture like?
- What kinds of opportunities does your school offer? How have you taken advantage of them?
Note: In some of my interviews, my alumni interviewer asked me if there were any downsides to my high school. Don’t paint your school in a negative light (too much negativity is never a good thing in interviews). Instead, focus on one thing that could be improved and how you may have already taken initiative to improve it.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) General context about your school (e.g. size, culture)
B) Opportunities you leveraged to help you grow
C) Perhaps a downside you faced and how you navigated around it
Hardest Alumni Interview Questions (That I Was Asked)
Most interviewers stick to general questions about your background, interests, character traits, and future aspirations. However, some may deviate a bit from the norm.
In this section, I’ll share three unexpected questions that I was asked and strategies I used to respond to them.
#1: Does your academic success come naturally or do you have to work hard for it?
This question came up in one of my alumni interviews and caught me completely off guard. I had to take some time to think before responding.
Ultimately, I responded that academic success is a combination of natural talent and hard work; neither can be lacking. Then, I provided a brief story explaining how both components played a role in my success in a specific class.
In general, if you’re caught off guard by a question, you should:
- Take some time to think before responding
- Elaborate on your response by providing a specific example (stories are better than vague general statements)
#2: Where else are you applying?
When looking up college interview questions online, I saw this question a few times. However, (wrongfully) believing it to be an awkward question, I didn’t prepare. Consequently, I was surprised when one of my interviewers asked me about it.
Looking back, the purpose of this question is to understand what you look for in a college. That way, alumni interviewers know if you would be a good fit for their college.
Additionally, some interviewers may be familiar with other colleges you applied to and be able to provide you with more information on them.
In either case, it’s not a question you should overthink. Interviewers understand that you have to consider other schools and cannot throw all your eggs in one basket.
Main Points to Include in Your Response:
A) Names of a few other schools you applied to
B) Characteristics of a college that you look for
Depending on the intent of the question, the interviewer may or may not elaborate from there.
#3: Many people do activities just to put them on college applications. What was your motivation for [extracurricular activity]?
When I was asked this question, I was caught off guard not because I doubted my passion for the activities I did but because it was a very straightforward statement.
Many admissions officers and alumni interviewers know that sometimes, students do things just because they look good on college applications. And that’s not what they want.
To prepare for this question or variations of it, think about the story behind each activity you’ve done. Prepare genuine responses that demonstrate your motivations and values.
Final Tips for Answering Alumni Interview Questions
This is a lengthy post with many detailed strategies. However, I want to make it clear that there is no single best way to respond to a given question.
The strategies I provide are meant to help you get started, but they are by no means formulas you have to follow.
Don’t stress over the interview too much or overthink your responses. Here are some final tips to help you have a successful alumni interview:
- Don’t be vague. Specific stories and examples provide a much clearer idea of who you are.
- Be genuine. At the end of the day, admissions officers want to get to know you beyond a few documents. The alumni interviewer is, in a sense, the medium through which they get to know you. Don’t be afraid to go into detail about things you’re passionate about or talk about things not many people know about you.
- Go with the flow. Every interviewer is different. Some may be more interested in one part of your application than another. Some may enjoy sharing personal experiences, while others are more impersonal. Or, in some cases, you may find something you’re both passionate about and have a lengthy discussion about it. You may end up not answering any of the questions you prepared for. In any case, just be yourself and treat the interview as a natural conversation, not an assessment.
And that’s all! As long as you keep these tips in mind and outline responses to common interview questions beforehand, you’ll be prepared.
If there are other alumni interview questions you would like advice on, please let me know in the comments below!
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