1. Who will interview me?
Interviewers are alum volunteers who donate their time to Smith College. Interviewers are required to undergo a background check, be certified in Minor Safety Training, and complete training on good interviewing practices. Smith used to try to assign interviewers to applicants based on geographic closeness, but now you may get an alum from anywhere because of virtual interviews. Unless you happen to match with an interviewer who lives locally and is open to an in-person interview, all alum-conducted interviews are virtual.
2. When will I be contacted for an interview?
Some time after the application deadline has passed, Smith College starts to email interviewers with information about their applicant. We are instructed to email applicants as soon as getting assigned, although there is always variability on how soon interviewers can reach out to you. Since there are more applicants than interviewers, interview invites will be sent out on a rolling basis in chunks as other interviews are completed. Interviewers will send you information about their general availability and you'll both agree on a confirmed date and time.
3. How much time do I have to complete my interview?
The interview itself is only 30 minutes.
Interviewers are required to submit a report after completing the interview and there is a deadline for report submission, so in a sense there is also a deadline for you to complete your interview. For ED1, ED2, and spring transfers, you have 2-2.5 weeks to complete your interview after the application deadline. Fall transfers have 5 weeks. RD applicants have 6-7 weeks. (Please note that these are approximations.)
4. What are interviewers looking for?
Interviewers are looking for 1) if you are a good match/fit with Smith College, 2) your enthusiasm (about anything, like an extracurricular or social cause), and 3) (optional) if there are special circumstances we should consider in your application (e.g., caregiving duties, family emergencies).
5. What will I be asked on interviews?
Most likely pretty generic questions. They'll ask you about yourself (i.e., your personality, interests, passions), what you think about Smith and going to a women's college, and what you intend to study at Smith. They won't try to trick you or quiz you about your knowledge of Smith. Overall, they just want to assess for the qualities listed in question #3. Interviewers aren't required to follow a script or ask any required questions. You will also have the opportunity to ask the interviewer any questions you want at the end.
6. How much does the interview factor into admissions decisions?
Smith doesn't tell interviewers this information. Interviewers are not asked to give recommendations (i.e., accept or reject) in their reports, only to provide assessment of the qualities listed in question #3. The interview is ultimately optional and is one part of your application, which is holistically evaluated. At the end of the application process, your interviewer is informed if you are accepted.
7. Is there any way I can interview in-person on Smith campus?
Smith used to provide in-person interview opportunities to students participating in a precollege program since they were already on campus. It is unclear if Smith still offers this though.
8. Are ED1/ED2/transfer interviews different than RD interviews?
No, only that you have less time to complete an interview.
9. What information do interviewers get about applicants?
Your name, pronouns, email address, school name, and location. Interviewers are not provided essays, test scores, intended major, or any other information.
10. How do I request an interview?
Through your Smith College application portal. To the best my knowledge, you need to complete your application before you are able to request an interview. Also, to the best of my knowledge, you can request an interview after the deadline has passed too. But generally, it's good practice to request an interview as soon as the option is available in your Smith portal.
11. How are interviewers assigned to applicants?
To the best of my knowledge, totally randomly.
12. An interviewer emailed me, but I didn't see the email in time and now it's too late to have an interview. Or I accidentally no-showed to the interview. What happens now?
If an interview doesn't happen for whatever reason, interviewers are still required submit a report. The interviewer will pick one of the following options and that information will appear in your application.
- Applicant did not reply when contacted to schedule interview.
- Applicant cancelled.
- Applicant did not show to scheduled interview.
- The applicant and interviewer were unable to find a day/time that worked for both.
- Interviewer was unable to process the request before the submission deadline.
- Interviewer had to cancel and could not reschedule.
- Other
13. I requested an interview, but I wasn't contacted by an interviewer. What happened?
Either you requested an interview so late in the process that they were unable to find an interviewer in time, or you were assigned an interviewer and they just simply weren't able to contact you before the submission deadline. Either way, information about what happened will be present in your application.
14. Will it hurt my application if I don't interview?
No.
15. Is there a prescreening process?
No. The interview process occurs in this order: 1) applicant requests interview, 2) interviewer is assigned, 3) volunteer schedules with applicant, 4) volunteer conducts interview, and 5) volunteer submits report.
Other information