One of the topics you can be sure to discuss in your college interview is yourself. Talking about yourself might sound easy, but in fact it can be quite difficult. Here are a few tips to decode the questions and make sure you are prepared:

“So, tell us about yourself…”

Often the interviewer will ask you just to talk a bit about yourself. If you’ve already written a good personal statement, make sure you review it beforehand. That way, you’ll remind yourself of any qualities or stories that you want to accentuate. This will also help you to stay true to your editorial line.

Keep in mind those things you should not include in your college essay. You will also generally want to avoid them in your interview.

The hidden meaning behind ‘so tell us about yourself’ is ‘tell us why this college is a good fit for you?“

In order to respond appropriately, you’ll need to have done your research. What does the college have that you need?

EXAMPLE: “Although I am interested in engineering in general, I am also particularly interested in working for the defence industry. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to apply to this program is because I have read some of Professor Johnson’s work on radar systems, and I’m hoping to take a class with her.”

You want to show that your relationship with the school will be reciprocal.

In other words, you want to make it clear that not only you will benefit from the school, but the school will also benefit from you. Of course, this can be difficult to do if you don’t have a lot of experience. One good tactic, though, is to discuss how you plan to get involved on campus.

EXAMPLE: “I’m excited to join the Robotics Club! I like to tinker with robots at home.”

Read the rest of this blog post here

Hopefully you’ll be accepted to every school you apply to, but you might also receive a rejection or two.

If you applied mostly to top-notch Ivy Leagues, then you are very likely to get rejected. This can be hard to accept, and telling your friends and family the bad news can be a challenge.

Initially, you may be asking yourself if you even have to tell them at all! However, if you’ve been raving about how you’re certain to get your degree from Harvard, then it’s probably impossible to keep it a secret.

Read 5 simple tips to help break the news about a college rejection and help refocus your energy on what really matters.

The cost of a college tuition varies greatly depending on the country. Since you can find excellent, English-only programs in multiple countries, it’s important to take a look at college costs around the world.

See table of college prices in various countries

Don’t be fooled by tuition averages

Of course, understand that the costs in the table (linked here) are simply tuition averages.
For example, $585 is the average cost of one year in a French university. Yet, tuition at Sciences Po in France — one of the world’s top schools for politics — is over $10,000 a year!

These numbers also don’t take into the account the price of housing, food or other expenses…. keeping reading

Never forget about scholarships

As an international applicant, some schools will be more likely to give you scholarships than others. Some of the top U.S. schools for international student financial aid are:

• Williams College
• Amherst College
• Trinity College
• Stanford University
• Harvard University
• Duke University

According to U.S. News data, all 6 of these schools offer an average of over $50,000 in aid to international students. That’s over the price of tuition and fees in all cases. In other words, many international students attend these schools for free. As it turns out… keep reading

Price isn’t everything

Education is much more than just a price tag. After all, no amount of money can account for the quality of an experience.

For example, while New Zealand may appear to be the cheapest option of the English-speaking countries, none of their universities are ranked within the top 100 worldwide… keep reading