How to Control Emotions during College Admissions Interview?

With all the rising pressure of expectations and the thought of being turned down, college admissions, tend to create an emotional burden which does a lot of harm. It can reduce your clarity of thought and may even make you look confused or aimless during the interview.

This is why it is extremely important to be able to collect your senses and ensure that your emotions do not get the better of you during critical situations like a college admissions interview.

The interviewers may try to find your weak spots or you may end up in an opinionated argument that can cause friction between you and the interviewers. This can create a negative impression on the interviewer’s mind and can impact the results.

Here are a few ways in which you can take control of your emotions instead of your emotions controlling you during a college admissions interview:

Take time to process the question

You will get one chance to impress your interviewer and your answers will matter. When anxiety begins to build up, there is a possibility that you may be willing to agree quickly with the interviewer in order to get selected. But it is important to take the time to process every question and weigh your answers. A total agreement may only display a lack of insight into the questions and how they can affect your future.

Since anxiety is one of the biggest emotions felt during college admissions interview, overcoming such an emotion requires you to calm down and take the time to thoughtfully answer the questions.

Another emotion that we generally encounter among participants in the college interview is an aggressive and defensive take on their answers. If the interviewer questions an opinion or a belief, then it is not necessary that they want to enter into an argument about it.

Instead of being defensive, try a pragmatic approach towards the questions and use your rationale to answer them. Your opinions play an important role, but aggressiveness about the opinions can lead to a showdown between you and the interviewer and paint a negative picture in the interviewer’s mind.

Be mindful of your actions

An interview requires you to be seated at all times with the interviewer across the table. Your seating position and your actions will often speak a lot about the emotions you are experiencing. People who fidget a lot of display anxiousness while those who slouch on the chair are usually seen as lazy. Sit in an upright position with your hands on the table.

Use hand gestures when needed in addition to answering the questions. Avoid moving your feet too often and always look at the interviewer directly while answering questions.

If you feel unsure of yourself, then practice “anchoring” by setting both your feet firmly on the ground and trying to be mindful of how strong the ground below feels under your feet.

Pick a mantra to help you reduce anguish or anxiety

Find yourself a mantra that will work for you as a motivator if you seem unsure of yourself in the interview. Excellent motivational mantras like “This will pass”, “It’s only an interview”, “You are doing well”; can be of great help.

When you realize that the interview is going to play an important role in deciding your future, it is possible that you may feel a certain amount of anguish. With the help of these tips, you will be able to channel your anguish into a successful conversation with the interviewer.