What Will You Be Doing in 10 Years College Interview Tips

Many college interviewers will ask applicants about their long-term goals. You dont need to know what you want to do with your life to answer this question, but be sure to be prepared to answer a question about life after college. What Do You See Yourself Doing 10 Years from Now? This common interview question can come in many flavors: What do you want to do with your life? What are your goals? What is your dream job? What do you want to do with your college degree? What are your future plans? However your interviewer phrases the question, the goal is similar. The college admissions folks want to see if you have thought about your future. A lot of students dont succeed in college for the simple reason that they dont have a clear sense of why college is important to them and their goals. This interview question is subtly asking you to show how college fits into your long-term planning. Realize that you definitely do not need to know what you want to be doing 10 years from now. College is a time of exploration and discovery. Many prospective college students have not yet been introduced to the fields that will define their future careers. The majority of students will change majors before they graduate. Many students will have careers that arent directly connected to their undergraduate majors. Weak Interview Question Responses That said, you dont want to evade the question. Answers such as these may be accurate, but they wont impress anybody: I dont know. True enough, but keep on reading to see a better way to present your uncertainty.Im not sure what Ill be doing, but I want to be making lots of money. This answer suggests that you have no academic interests, but you have strong materialistic desires. Such attitudes arent very attractive to a college that is trying to enroll an interesting and engaged group of students.I want to be working for a big company. Try to focus more. What type of company? Why? A vague answer isnt going to create a strong impression.I hope Ill be married with kids. Thats fine, but the interviewer isnt really asking about your personal life (in fact, it wouldnt be appropriate for an interviewer to ask about your future plans for family and marriage). Keep focused on career goals that are connected to your college education. Strong Interview Question Answers If asked about your future goals, be honest but also answer in a way that shows you have actually thought about the relationship between college and your future. Here are a couple ways to approach the question: I want to major in aeronautical engineering and work for NASA. If you know what you want to do, an interview question about your future is easy to answer. However, be sure to elaborate and explain why you want to pursue a certain career path. What got you interested in the field? What do you hope to accomplish in this career?I dont know what I will be doing, but I know I want to help people with their problems.  In college, Im interested in taking classes in sociology and psychology to learn what some of the options are. An answer such as this shows your uncertainty, but it shows that you know yourself, youve thought about the future, and you are eager to explore new fields of study. Again, the interviewer is not expecting you to know what you will be doing in 10 years. If you can see yourself in five different careers, say so. You will have successfully answered this question if you do more than shrug your shoulders or evade the question. Show that you are excited about the future and that college plays a role in it. A Final Word About College Interviews To have confidence when you walk into your interview, be sure you prepare for the most common interview questions, and be careful to avoid common interview mistakes. Keep in mind that college interviews are typically friendly events and that your interviewer wants to get to know you, not stump you or make you feel stupid. The interview is a two-way discussion, and you should use it to learn more about the college just as your interviewer is using it to learn more about you. Enter the interview room ready to have a friendly and thoughtful conversation. Youll be doing yourself a disservice if you view the interview as an adversarial encounter.