Seniors: What not to ask in an interview

Seniors, in the next weeks,  many of you will be interviewing at the schools on your list which offer that opportunity -- in the admission office, via Skype or with an alumni interviewer. In most interviews, at some point, you will be asked if you have any questions. Don't waste the interviewer's -- and your -- time with questions which can be readily answered by looking at the college's website, such as the number of undergraduates or whether a specific major is offered. That communicates that you didn't do your homework. Research in advance the basics of the who, what or where of the university. Also, don't try to stump the admission officer with a question only the head of the physics department can answer. You should really want to know the answers to the questions you pose -- because you are having a conversation about a place which, if you enroll, will affect your life in significant ways.

In next week's advice, we'll have some ideas about and suggestions for questions you may want to ask.

For more information on interviews, including what to expect and how to prepare, as well as advice for parents, see Chapter 11, "College Interviews," in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.