The University Interview

2 March 2011Indre S

Sweat seeping from pores is swept away from your forehead by a similarly sweaty palm. The necktie that looked professional ten minutes ago is now too tight, and the consequence is a throbbing head and purple hue. With manic eyes and shaking limbs, it’s hard to pretend that you’re not nervous: confidence – perhaps your most important characteristic – has deserted you.

This scene is the dreaded university interview. With an array of applicants who appear perfect on paper, there is no better way to test one’s maturity, confidence, and articulation than through such an interview. This has had an significant affect at Brentwood, as this year students have traveled to the UK, USA, Abu Dhabi, and throughout Canada for interviews, and have also been offered many interviews that have taken place over the phone. Though the usual outcome is the conclusion “That 15 minutes was the cause of all my stress?”, the days leading up to and including the encounter that decides one’s future can be feared, or unforgettable.

An interview for a position at a school is typically 15 minutes to half an hour. The style of this varies; for some schools it simply involves sitting in front of a panel, while for others it can be more interesting, with applicants placed in various role play situations to test their ‘people skills’. Then there is the more impersonal technique of the phone interview, which tests a student’s ability to communicate and show their interest in the program/school they are applying to.

Whichever method may be used, inevitably, an interview will cause panic. But through these nerve-racking dark times, there is a light. Unique opportunities arise for those who are offered interviews abroad. Flying to London, for example, to visit a school may seem a bit excessive in terms of the amount of time and money it may take (being absent from school for a week can easily put one far behind), but with such opportunities, the good outweighs the bad. A chance to not only see the university before deciding if it is the right choice, but also being able to see a different part of the world is the most enticing aspect of the process.

Though this does not give much hope to those offered phone interviews, there is a favorable feature to this method: though one does not get to travel to a land unknown, the sweat protruding, the hands shaking, and the purple hued head are not visible to the interviewer (just be careful that the heavy breathing is not directly into the phone).

Whichever form of interview, Brentwood students know that though these may not be the ideal paths to acceptance into university, they are quick and virtually painless. And often come packaged with other rare potentialities.

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