Everyone knows you’ll be asked questions by college admissions officers, but have you considered what you’ll be asking them? Here are the best questions to ask college admissions officers!
When preparing for the college application process, a lot of focus is placed on having the right answers. You’re ready to be asked all kinds of questions – “what makes you unique? What are your study habits?” And, of course, the dreaded “tell me about yourself.”
It’s vital to prepare answers to all these interview questions and more. But you can’t forget that answering questions is only half the battle! The other crucial part is deciding what questions to ask college admissions officers.
There are many benefits to coming up with genuine questions during your admissions prep. For one, it’s a great chance to learn more about the school. But it’s also a fantastic way to show off your insight and curiosity – two important traits in a great college applicant. Here are the best questions to ask college admissions committee members!
Obviously, you want to put your best foot forward when applying for college. That’s why covering a breadth of topics in your questions is such a great idea! It shows off the facets of your personality and lets the admissions committee know you’re interested.
In our college interview preparation webinar, admissions interviewer Marina discusses why asking questions in college interviews is so important:
"At the end of the day, where you go to college is a huge decision and you should make that decision based on a lot of factors. One of those that’s really important is where you feel like you're a good fit, where you feel like you'll be able to build on your strengths and improve upon areas of growth, and where you feel the culture is good."
As a prospective student, the number one thing to ask about is academics. Find out about programs that are unique to that particular school. Ask for their program recommendations based on your favorite subjects from high school.
Other academic-related questions to consider are:
This is a great question to ask if you’re concerned about the transition from high school to college, especially if you have an idea of what kinds of support would be most helpful for you.
If you want to pursue further education after your undergrad, then learning about a college’s research opportunities is extremely helpful! You can get your foot in the door early on if you’re aware of what’s available to you.
Classes at bigger schools often fill up quickly, so if you’re hoping to take some specific courses, you can ask this question to get an idea of what measures you should take to ensure you can register for the classes you want.
This is another great question to ask if you want to pursue higher education. It’ll give you a better idea of how a particular college might help you in your academic journey. Getting good academic advising services in your undergrad will help you move through your program with ease and set yourself up well for future academic pursuits.
It’s important to be able to build strong connections with your professors, so you should be aware of what the teaching structure looks like. You can follow up with questions about professor accessibility, office hours, etc.
Some may be hesitant to ask about academics, fearing it will make them look indecisive or uncommitted. However, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions about your academic life. A 2017 study by the US Department of Education found that almost a third of US college students switch their majors within the first three years.
The main reason people go to college – besides self-discovery and maybe the odd party – is to set themselves up for professional success. Asking about careers is a great way to show that you’re thinking seriously about your future.
Different programs will have their own career opportunities, so be sure to do your research before speaking with colleges. With that said, here are some great career questions to ask:
This will help provide insight into graduation trends as well as connections that the school might have. This question might be especially helpful for students in programs like the humanities, where career paths are more flexible.
Learning about internship opportunities at a certain college can help you determine if this school will put you on the career path that you want to be on. You can also follow up with questions about the nature of the internships, what pay and hours typically look like, etc.
You should be aware of all requirements and guidelines regarding internships, especially if they are offered by the school itself. This will help you plan your semesters accordingly.
Co-ops, like internships, can be incredibly helpful for a future career. Some programs even require students to complete a co-op, so you should be aware of the available offerings.
There may be different clubs, support services, programs, and other opportunities available to help you develop a strong career and professional profile. This differs from school to school, so be sure that you ask about it.
Many colleges have student-work programs or connections in a local community to set students up with jobs. If you’re seeking employment while attending college, you’ll want to know about how your school can support you.
College isn’t all about academics and professional development. It’s also a place to meet new people, try new things, and grow as a person! Asking about campus social life is a great way to show that you want to engage with the community.
Consider asking admissions officers questions like:
While sometimes you can look up this information on your own, this is a helpful question to ask in your interview in case school websites are not up-to-date with active clubs. Learning about the most popular clubs will also give you insight into what the school community is like and what they tend to prioritize.
Not only does asking this club demonstrate initiative, but it also will provide helpful insight into how open the college is to promoting new voices and allowing for change on campus.
This is a very open-ended question that could provide a range of answers, so you can follow this up with any details you’re most interested in learning about: concerns about social life, adjusting to the workload, etc. It will help prepare well for your freshman experience.
This question can give you some insight into what the school culture is like and whether that matches up with your own expectations. Of course, this differs from student to student, but a general answer can help you know what to expect.
If the student body tends to show lots of school spirit, that’s generally a good sign! It means that they’re proud to attend their school and enjoy going there.
This is a particularly helpful question for students who are intending to live on campus or out-of-town students. College can be lonely, so it’s helpful to learn about what the community life is like and how you can make friends.
This question can help you learn about attractions beyond the college campus and whether the town or city is somewhere you’d like to live, even if you weren’t attending school there.
For social life questions, there are more benefits than simply appearing interested. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average time to get a degree is on the rise from the typical four years. You’ll likely be spending a lot of time on campus – why not make sure your school’s social life will be a good fit?
When you mesh with a college’s philosophy, culture, and overall vibe, you just know! If you know which school culture questions to ask, an admission representative can help you decide if you’re going to enjoy the atmosphere on campus.
We recommend asking:
Asking this question can help you compare your own priorities with those of the student body. Ideally, you’ll have created a college list prior to this interview and are familiar with what you’re looking for in a college. You can learn more about what draws people to this particular college and whether that lines up with what you’re looking for.
While this is a general question, it can help you determine how easy it might be for you to make friends and adjust to life as a freshman.
Diversity is important for the promotion of different perspectives, viewpoints, backgrounds, and ideas. A diverse student body makes for a well-rounded, enriching academic environment!
This question is helpful for narrowing down the school’s values. You should aim to attend a school that cares about the same issues that you do.
If you choose to attend this school, you will share a reputation with other graduates. So, it’s helpful to be aware of what that reputation is and how it might affect your future as a graduate of this school.
This question will give you an idea of the school’s trajectory, their goals, their values, and their priorities. It’s important to know about these things so that you can ensure that your goals line up with the values of the school.
Asking questions in your college interview is a great way to keep the conversation flowing, learn more about the college, and make a good impression on your interviewer. Marina offers this advice in our webinar:
"Be prepared to ask questions about the school! Don’t skimp on the questions. You don't have to ask all of them, but when I do an interview and ask, “Do you have any questions for me?” and they say no, I just think, what a missed opportunity to have more conversation. It's not going to negatively impact them, but it could have positively impacted them if they had shown that they had thought deeply about the college experience, that they had investigated the school and wanted to learn more about it."
Asking questions is a great way to show that you’re putting thought into college applications. But it’s also a balancing act. Too few questions will make you seem disinterested. And too many can be annoying for admissions committee members, who have dozens of appointments each day.
There are a few general rules to keep in mind about which questions not to ask, such as:
Interviews are always stressful and can even be overwhelming sometimes. That’s why, to minimize your anxiety, it’s a good idea to prepare well before your meeting. With proper preparations, you can be sure that you’ll make a good first impression.
Here are some tips on how to prepare for your admissions interview:
Dominique, a former alumni interviewer at Dartmouth, offers this advice in our college interview questions webinar:
"Prepare but do not over-rehearse. You don't want to sound like a robot. You want to sound like you are a human being that cares a whole lot about this. You're smart and you're articulate and you have worked hard to prepare and you really want to put your best foot forward here, but you also do want to show that you're human and have a conversation because at the end of the day, that's what this is."
Still have questions about the best questions to ask college admissions committees? We don’t blame you, and you’re certainly not alone. You have a lot to think about prior to your admissions interview, even before taking questions into account. So here are the answers to some of the most common things people ask!
As you’ve seen, there is a lot to consider asking when speaking to college admissions committees. The best questions will vary depending on who you are and what you plan to study, but it’s generally a good idea to ask about your program of interest and the school as a whole.
If the school you’re applying for holds admissions interviews, this is the time to make questions truly count. Many of the above questions will signal that you’re seriously interested in this school and will help your application stand out from the rest.
If you don’t ask enough questions, or your questions aren’t the right ones, it can hurt your odds of getting accepted to your dream school.
If you ask us, anytime you speak with an admissions officer is a good time to ask questions! These can include visits to your high school, visits you make to the campus, college fairs, and, of course, admissions interviews.
When coming up with questions, be sure to ask plenty that are useful to you and not just questions that make you appear interested. Decide what’s important to you about a school’s culture, social life, and academics, and ask genuine questions about them.
Absolutely! From the research you do beforehand to the way you correspond with admissions officers to how you answer questions on the day of, there’s a lot to consider before your admissions interview.
If you’re concerned about how your interview and other application materials might affect your acceptance odds, try our college admission chances tool! You can find out how likely you are to be admitted into college and weigh your odds.
Getting into your first-choice college normally isn’t easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. And the more thought and preparation you put into the admissions process, the more likely you are to receive that all-important acceptance letter in the mail.
Questions are one of the best ways to show off your insight, curiosity, and serious investment in a college. Preparing the right questions to ask admissions committees, whether they’re about the school’s culture, academics, career opportunities, or anything else, will go a long way in setting you apart from other applicants.
As an ambitious applicant yourself, you’re looking to improve your odds of success as much as possible. For more tips and guidance on wowing college admissions committees and getting into your dream school, you can always speak with an expert admissions consultant!
