When an American university is admitted, it mainly depends on the applicant's comprehensive qualities such as learning and innovation ability, leadership ability, team spirit and helpfulness. It is sometimes impossible to judge students' personal qualities by relying solely on application materials. In order to recruit truly outstanding talents, some top universities in the United States often determine whether the applicants are the students they need through interviews and other means. Through interviews, they can learn about students' communication skills, verify or further understand some information in the application materials, know whether students are really interested in the school, and judge whether students will accept the admission. Although for international students, many universities may tell applicants because they can't arrange an interview, not attending the interview will not affect the admission results. However, for students who have been informed by top universities for an interview, the interview is likely to become the most critical link in whether they can be admitted. Therefore, it is very necessary for applicants to take the interview seriously and master the basic knowledge and skills of American university interviews. There are two kinds of interviews in American universities: extensive interviews and selective interviews (also called invitation interviews). It is generally conducted by the Admissions Officer (AO), alumni (alumni) and the Admissions Assistant. Extensive interview means that at the beginning of the enrollment season, the school arranges recruiters or school representatives to introduce their schools to various places. If students usually get excellent grades and are interested in the school, these people will advise you to apply for an interview, and more importantly, provide a platform for applicants to know about the school. Selective interview is usually arranged selectively according to the students' situation after receiving the application materials submitted by students, and sometimes the interview results will eventually play a decisive role. In terms of methods, there are conversations, questions, telephone interviews and e-mail interviews. Most college interviews are conducted in a relatively relaxed atmosphere through a friend-to-friend approach. The interview duration is generally controlled by the interviewer according to the actual situation, and the time is about 30-45 minutes. If there is no special arrangement behind the interviewer, the time may be unlimited. So some students have an interview for one and a half hours or even two hours. The other is the interviewer's interview with the interviewee, which is used if the interviewer needs to interview a lot of people or the time is tight. Generally, students are given a series of questions similar to machine guns within a limited time of 30 minutes. This kind of interview is relatively difficult for high school students in China, because most students in China are not good at showing themselves freely in front of strangers. Another kind of interview is telephone interview (for example, the University of Virginia often adopts this method), which is an interview arranged by the school for students at school. In addition, some schools, especially some special majors or colleges, may send you interview questions directly and reply by email if applicants miss the above interview methods.

No matter how the interview method changes, its purpose is the same. For the school, it is an opportunity to get to know the students directly. Especially for universities participating in the ranking, the proportion of students accepted is also an assessment parameter. If it makes an admission decision, but students don't choose this school in the end, it may affect the ranking of the school. So they very much hope that their admission can be distributed to students who are really interested in their school. For students, they can learn more about the school in time, which is also an opportunity to further express themselves.

Because China students are not good at expressing themselves properly, or their English expression ability can't freely show their own characteristics, experts often discourage students who have not obtained interview qualifications to strive for interview qualifications; But if the school gives the interview qualification, we must seize the opportunity. Here we summarize some principles that need to be followed in the interview process, and provide them for everyone, so that students can stand out in the interview process and add weight to the possibility of obtaining the coveted admission notice.

1, basic knowledge preparation.

People who are not fully prepared often fail to impress the interviewer. If the oral expression ability is not strong, then the result can be imagined. So before the interview, you must know the specific situation of the school you are applying for, including the school introduction, major setting, humanistic environment, school philosophy and the influence of the school on your future career. This information can be obtained through the school website. Careful preparation can help you cope with the interviewer's questions freely and reduce embarrassing situations.

2. Good communication skills and moderate self-confidence.

Interviewers attach great importance to the communication skills of candidates, especially English communication skills. For many students in China, it is not easy to express themselves freely and logically in English when faced with an interviewer who may decide their future. Besides, China people have always been taught to be modest, but excessive modesty may give people a feeling of self-confidence. Therefore, students who are interested in getting into a world-class university need to look for opportunities for experience before applying. It is very important to make psychological adjustment and show moderate self-confidence during the interview.

3. Very sincere.

Interviewers are basically many recruiters or alumni. Even some students are specially trained to judge the basic qualities of applicants. Therefore, when answering questions, candidates should regard the interviewer as a friend and express their feelings as truly and sincerely as possible.

4, observe words and observe colors, be witty and take the initiative.

Interview is an opportunity for communication and an interactive process. Generally, interviewers don't set special questions in advance, so students can guide interviewers skillfully instead of passively answering their questions. On the premise of feeling accepted by the interviewer, try to lead the interview to the topic you are good at, cleverly avoid the topic that is unfavorable to you, and try to find opportunities to show your wonderful side and uniqueness. Because the interview time is basically fixed, the more content you provide, the less chance he has to ask questions. Sometimes, after too many routine answers from other applicants, visa officers meet such an interviewer who knows how to sell himself skillfully, which can often arouse the interest of the interviewer and leave a deep impression after excitement.

5, concise and clear, straight to the point.

Answering interview questions always varies from person to person, and there is no standard answer. But simplicity is a basic intuitive measure. When practicing English writing, students have learned that American expressions are very different from those in China, and American expressions focus on pointing out the theme directly. Some students with good oral English often talk a lot, don't know how to stop, and like to quote classics and beat around the bush, which is the most taboo when answering questions in an interview. Therefore, when understanding the problem, we must organize the language quickly and explain our views in an orderly way. If you quote a few allusions and don't understand the theme, the interviewer will think that your thinking is not clear.

6, legal investigation, know yourself.

Students should have a basic understanding of the interviewer before the interview, including his education or work background, his personal hobbies and interests. , and can obtain information through the school website or other public channels. This information may not be used in the interview, but knowing the interviewer can help you know what kind of person you are going to face, increase your confidence and avoid some possible embarrassment.