Tips for Parents During the College Interview Process
College interviews. Those two little words cause many stomachs to somersault – and I’m not talking just about the teens applying! Parents’ anxiety surrounding the college application process can destabilize their children just when they need to be cool, calm, and collected. As a college interview coach, I’ve successfully prepared students to interview at institutions as diverse and selective as the United States Naval Academy and Harvard University. Here are my top three tips for parents as their kids prep for college interviews.
College Interview Coach Tip #1: Manage Your Own Anxiety
A report by the Harvard Graduate School of Education last year confirmed what I’ve long suspected. “[D]epression and anxiety in parents are linked to academic, emotional, and physical problems in children.” Moreover, “[a]nxious teens are about three times more likely than non-anxious teens to have an anxious parent.” If you want your child to enter the interview room like a boss, model that type of behavior for them. As a yoga and meditation teacher, I offer stress management services which I’m happy to discuss. However, you don’t need to pay one cent. YouTube and free versions of apps like Calm and Insight Timer have tens of thousands of recordings to start you on your journey to equanimity. As an educator and college interview coach, I assure you that finding your equilibrium will help your child achieve theirs.
College Interview Coach Tip #2: Let Your Kids Talk to Strangers
No, I’m not recommending that you let them take candy from strange men in vans. But we need to encourage kids to get comfortable ordering food from servers in restaurants. Have them ask teachers for work that they missed while absent. Ensure that they interact with adults in hundreds of other ways from the time they’re quite little.
During the pandemic, we sheltered children to protect their physical health. A 2024 meta-analysis of the impact of COVID-19 found that the psycho-social effects of this isolation among children were profound. College interview coaches see students’ persistent difficulties in maintaining eye contact. Many struggle to hold a conversation – rather than merely answering an adult’s questions. Parents can foster their children’s ability to dialogue with adults. Allow them to do so at school, on the field, in the market, and at every turn.
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College Interview Coach Tip #3: Allow Your Teens to Follow Their Passion
Last night, I gave a talk entitled, “So, You Want to Go to an Ivy College?” at Bryant Library in Roslyn, New York. One mom in the audience asked me, “So, how did you get into Harvard?” I responded that while my grades were excellent, my SAT scores were just above average. Reflecting on my candidacy from the perspective of a college interview coach, I concluded that my interview was likely very strong. I was able to discuss the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s recent retrospective of Edgar Degas’ work. Having brought my own portfolio with me, I shared with my interviewer how my artistic interests had developed since ninth grade. In short, I was able to converse maturely about topics about which I was passionate – and I had concrete proof of that passion!
As a college interview coach now, I implore parents to not try and game the system. Allow your child to follow their authentic interests. If they do so, they’ll likely have so much to speak about during their interview that you’ll never need the assistance of a college interview coach!
Conclusion
College interview coaches will tell you that an interview cannot make a weak candidate strong. Likewise, a flubbed interview won’t render an excellent candidate weak. However, it just might make the difference between a strong candidate who’s waitlisted and one who’s accepted. Students able to dialogue calmly with an adult for a half-hour about their life and interests just might make it into the “accepted” pile!
For Information on Crimson Coaching’s College Interview Coaching Services
A former alumni interviewer for Harvard College, Dr. P. now assists students around the globe as they prepare for college interviews. To find out whether she might be the right college interview coach for your child, feel free to email her here or sign up for a complimentary half-hour consultation here.