College Visit? What do I say? HELP!
In the late 1800’s in London, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were both running for Prime Minister in Great Britian. In the week before the election, one young lady had the opportunity to dine with both men. Naturally, the press asked her what impressions the rivals had made. She said, “After dining with Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the most interesting person in the world.. . .but after dining with Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was most interesting person in the world.”
Do you have upcoming college visits and interviews? And are you nervous? Even a little bit? If you answered “yes” to those questions, know you are not alone, and that HELP is a few sentences away.
So what do I do? HELP is the answer. Use the HELP Acronym to guide you into a discussion about other’s interests. You see, by asking great questions, you can deflect the attention, and have an outstanding interview by making others feel important.
H How are you? How’s it going today? How was your day? How are you?
E Education Did you go to school here? Where did you go to college? Where did you attend school?, What did you study?
L Likes What do you like to do in your spare time? What are your hobbies? What did you like most about this campus?
P Places Were you born here? Where have you lived? What places on campus do you like the most? Where have you vacationed that you have enjoyed the most?
The most important thing to remember is that people are most interested in themselves. All of us are naturally selfish and self-interested. Even college admission counselors. Armed with that knowledge, you can easily have a great time communicating on your visits. Simply keep their interests as the focus of your conversation.
By the way, Disraeli won the election.
Chris Zervas
Imagine College Coaching