A lot of our clients and blog readers come to us for advice about interviews. They’re stressful, often hard to come by, and it’s hard to feel truly prepared to speak to someone who once attended your dream school. Below, we compiled a few tips for those students who are preparing for an interview at Stanford:
Know Why You Want to Go to Stanford:
Literally thousands of high school students across the world want to go to Stanford. If you applied, we hope you have solid reasons. In preparation for your interview, you should review your notes and find a few reasons why Stanford is the best place for you to go to college. There’s an important distinction between “why you want to go to Stanford” and “why Stanford is the best school for you.” Anyone can memorize a course catalogue, which is why that isn’t the goal. Your reasons for wanting to go to Stanford should not only speak to your knowledge of their offerings, but also highlight why you’d be a good fit. We suggest coming prepared to discuss at least three reasons, and don’t forget to go deep! Spend time doing deep dives to show that you’re interested in more than just what comes up at surface level.
Relax:
While there’s truly nothing worse than being told to relax when you’re anxious, we had to include this hot take. It might feel like the most important interview of your life, but we promise you that it isn’t. Anxious energy won’t get you far here. If it makes you feel any better, interviews are only one part of the admissions process. Things would have to go really, really, REALLY badly for your interview to seriously affect your chances.
Don’t Take Over the Interview:
You’re being interviewed, you’re not in charge here. We understand the urge to want to cross every box, but ultimately, you need to let the interviewer take control. Always, always answer the question you’re being asked – not the one you want to hear!
Let the Conversation Flow:
Piggybacking off of our last point, keep in mind that you’re talking to an actual human with real feelings. Ask them questions about themselves! When you over-prepare, you run the risk of coming off as robotic. Academics are just one aspect of your life thus far, don’t be afraid to settle into the conversation and just see where it goes.
Prepare three questions:
This is advice for every interview, not just Stanford! More often than not, you’ll be asked if you have any questions at the end of a traditional interview. It’s not great if you don’t have any! We suggest brainstorming at least three questions so that when one of them is covered during the interview, you still have something to ask.
We’ve written more interview advice here and here. Go over your notes, take a deep breath, and put on something you feel good wearing. Good luck!
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