Why are interviews so important?

I’ve been back in the office for a week now from my trip to the Windy City where I spent my time visiting with high school students in the Chicago suburbs. Thinking back over my travels to both St. Louis and Chicago it seems like the theme of my fall travel has been INTERVIEWS. While on the road in Chicago and St. Louis I personally conducted twenty interviews and also helped to run an Evening Interview Session where twenty students were interviewed by Holy Cross Alumni.

So, you may be sitting at your computer thinking, “Why are interviews so important anyway?” Or something along the lines of, “If they are so important, how can I get one?”  In this blog I hope to answer both of those questions…

First and foremost, interviewing prospective students is one of my favorite responsibilities as an Admissions Counselor. My friends tell me that I’ve become quite the listener. The logic behind interviews are simple;  can you think of any better way to have someone on our staff get to know you than to sit with them for about twenty minutes and tell them about yourself?

To say that students can get a little worked-up about the interview can sometimes be an understatement. There’s no need for unwarranted pressure.  So, I encourage you to think about it as a conversation. We never ask you questions that you don’t know the answers to, because guess what….our questions are always about you! More importantly, we want you to come off as the impressive soon to be high school grad that you are. Come dressed professionally and be prepared to talk about your experiences as both a student and person. Don’t forget that interviews are an opportunity for to you to ask questions of your interviewer as well. Spend a little time on the Holy Cross website and be ready to gather even more information on Holy Cross during your interview.

So hopefully by now you feel more at ease about the actual interview. Now, let’s get it on the calendar! Call our office two weeks prior to your desired interview date to schedule your appointment on our campus. Alternatively, you can visit our website to learn more about opportunities to interview in your hometown with a Holy Cross Alumni Representative.

In closing, I would like to extend an enormous thank you to Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois and to our Alumni Interviews who made our Evening Interview Session a success.

To all of you students out there, I hope to see you getting a leg up and taking advantage of the very important college interview!

Suzanne R. Timmons
Admissions Counselor