One day, you will be sitting in front of a college admissions officer. You will have to amaze this individual and sell yourself in order to get ahead from a college admissions standpoint.

Last Saturday, I had a virtual interview over the phone for the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and I wanted to give my personal experience and give quick tips for future Hawthorne High School seniors.

Possible questions an interviewer can ask may include: Why do you want to go to this college? What do you want us to know about you? Why are you interested in this field? What three adjectives best describe you? What are your strengths and areas of improvement? If you could change anything about your high school, what would you change?

Definitely make sure to research the college that you will be having an interview beforehand so you can show true interest in the school. Be sure to not hold anything back about yourself or your achievements- these interviewers came out of their way to see you, the prospective student, and listen to what you have to offer their campus. Also, always conduct yourself in a very professional manner and put your best foot forward. Even though it is important to prepare for an interview, do not memorize answers to possible questions they might ask word for word. Finally, and most importantly, just be yourself during the interview; there is no reason to be nervous. Usually, these types of interviews are conducted by an alum or graduate of the university and can last anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour.

I reached out to current Hawthorne High School senior Daniel Teixeira to offer his own personal experience with college interviews. “My advice for people going on college interviews would be to just be yourself. Do not be intimidated by the interviewer. The interviewer is simply there to get to know you and to see if you would fit the school’s college setting. Therefore, it is imperative that you should be yourself.” Last month, Teixeira applied to Harvard University and planned to study pre-med upon acceptance. Harvard offered Teixeira an interview, which was held in Goffle Grill here in Hawthorne. He hears back from this prestigious college in the spring. Best of luck!