The benefits of preparing for college interviews with a private counselor

You’ve taken too many college entrance exams to name.  You also made sure to take every Advanced Placement course your high school offered.  You’ve been in extracurricular activities since you were in 9th grade and for the most part you’re ready to handle any challenge thrown at you, but that was before you realized the college of your choice highly recommends interviews.

Now you’re nervous.  You don’t know what to expect.  What should you say? Should you be yourself? Should you be formal?  How should you dress? What type of questions will they ask you?

The person most qualified to answer these common questions that most prospective freshmen ask themselves is a private counselor. With the help of a private college counselor, you’ll have the direct assistance of a knowledgeable professional whose life work is dedicated to getting students like you into college. You might be thinking to yourself, is it really worth the money to pay for a private counselor to help you ace the dreaded college interview? And the answer is an emphatic yes.

As such, below are a few benefits of preparing for college interviews with a private counselor:

1-You’ll have someone who is familiar with your school preferences and career goals guiding you

While the guidance counselor in your average school sees hundreds of students, a private counselor will work with significantly less students at a time (perhaps around a dozen prospective college freshmen at one time).  This means he will be familiar with your wishes and preferences.  This also means that instead of a cookie-cutter view of what college interviews could be like, a private counselor will help you identify the type of questions the college of your choice is likely to ask.

2-You’ll have someone who will be able to dedicate their undivided attention to your interview practice sessions

A guidance counselor will have to attend to several duties and will not be able to dedicate their undivided attention to developing your application.  However, a private counselor is there to help you not only navigate the application process, but also to master the interview process.  Hence, attention is what you need if you’re going to stand out from the crowd, and a private counselor is willing and able to provide it.

3-Private counselors are subject matter experts…not generalists

When you have a private counselor, they specialize in getting you into the college that’s the best fit for you.  They’re experts at the admissions process, so they are more versed in what you should expect during a college interview than your average guidance counselor usually is. 

What does being a “subject matter expert” mean and what does this have to do with the college interview? This means that the private counselor will have insights and suggestions that a guidance counselor at your local high school will not have.  Again, the private counselor specializes in college admissions, while the guidance counselor wears many hats in the high school world, which restricts their time in focusing on making sure you get into the college that best suits your intellectual, emotional, and academic needs. And as a result, the private counselor will give you an upper hand in the admissions process, just from the sheer knowledge of college admissions, specifically lending a helping hand in preparation for your interview.

4-If your needs aren’t being met, you can find someone else to help you

Most private counselors are private business owners.  The great thing about seeking help from a private business owner is that if you aren’t satisfied with the service, you can simply find another counselor.  This means not only are you looking for a knowledgeable professional, but you’re also looking for someone who is a good fit for you.  The better the fit, the more likely you are to get the help and preparation you need.

5- They’ll know which questions to ask

Private counselors learn the admissions process of their clientele’s top college choices.  Normally they also have regular conversations with the admissions teams at various colleges and universities.  Because private counselors regularly visit colleges year-round and talk to administrators and faculty, they can give you an edge in the interview process by knowing what kinds of questions are the norm for your particular college of choice.  And sometimes an edge is all you need to have in order to boost your confidence and ace your interview.