Common university interview questions a person should expect typically depend on whether someone is interviewing to be admitted to a university as a student, or interviewing for a position of employment with the school. Someone interviewing with a university for admittance as a student should expect questions about his or her prior education, including information about any honors or awards he or she received, as well as questions about extracurricular activities in which he or she may have participated. An applicant looking for employment, on the other hand, should expect university interview questions about his or her previous experience and specific questions about the subject area in which he or she may work.
University interview questions are typically asked by an interviewer of an applicant who wishes to either attend classes or work at a university. New students will typically have to answer questions during admittance interviews, though not all colleges and universities will interview all of its students. Someone looking to work at a college or university may have to answer university interview questions throughout several interviews, including at least one with the dean in the department in which he or she wishes to work.
A person who wishes to attend a college or university may have to answer university interview questions during an admittance interview. These questions will typically pertain to specific activities or achievements the person may have. Someone who made especially high grades or test scores, as well as those who are awarded honors for scholastic achievements, will typically be asked about various classes he or she preferred and what those honors or grades really represent to that person.
Extracurricular activities are often considered beneficial for applicants at major colleges. University interview questions may center on these types of activities, often asking applicants about what such activities have taught them. Questions can also revolve around any essays an applicant had to write for admittance to a school, often to gain further insight into what the student wrote.
Someone who is interviewing to work at a college can typically expect university interview questions about his or her particular area of expertise. This is true of staff members who might handle financial assistance or grounds keeping, as well as potential faculty members who wish to teach classes. Prospective professors will typically interview with the dean of their respective departments, and specific questions about the subject area they teach should be expected. Someone who wishes to teach English may be asked university interview questions about views regarding classic works of literature or different criticism styles, while a psychology professor may be asked about a paper he or she recently published or different schools of psychology.