interview process for college
admissions

What are the recent law regarding the areas of the interview process for college
admissions?

The laws governing admissions in the state of Florida are found in The Florida Statutes
chapter 1007. 1007.263 states that each trustee or board is authorized to adopt admission
rules provided that the rules do not contravene what is stated in the statute.
The education code makes it compulsory for students joining colleges to be offered
counselling or career credit programs unless exempted under s.1007.30. counselling must use
tests to measure achievement of college-level communication and computation competencies
by students entering college whereas credit programs or tests are used to measure
achievement of basic skills for career education programs as prescribed in s. 1004.91.
Counselling includes providing developmental education options for students whose
assessment results, determined under s. 1008.30, indicate that they need to improve
communication or computation skills that are essential to perform college-level work.
Admissions for degree programs are subject to the minimum standard provided for by the
state board of education which are;
a) A standard high school diploma, a high school equivalency diploma as prescribed in
s. 1003.435, previously demonstrated competency in college credit postsecondary
coursework, or, in the case of a student who is home educated, a signed affidavit
submitted by the student’s parent or legal guardian attesting that the student has
completed a home education program pursuant to the requirements of s. 1002.41.
Students who are enrolled in a dual enrolment or early admission program pursuant to
s. 1007.271 are exempt from this requirement.
b) A demonstrated level of achievement of college-level communication and
computation skills.
c) Any other requirements established by the board of trustees.
The interview should therefore ensure that the above requirements have been met.
What can be asked?
The most commonly asked interview questions are general questions about the interviewee
for example information about themselves and their interest in the particular college, this
helps the interviewer know whether the interviewee is really interested in the college and
took the application seriously. It is also important to ask the student to elaborate the grading

system that is used in their high school so as to find out whether they passed or not, their
academic strengths and weaknesses and finally if they have any questions. A detailed list will
be provided in a table below.
What cannot be asked?
It is bad practice for the interviewer to ask what other colleges the applicant is applying to as
this antagonizes the student, other questions that the interviewer should steer clear of are
about religion, family, questions about the applicants marital status, maiden name, questions
on children,arrests,physical abnormalities and where they live.
What types of interview scoring rubrics are appropriate?
Most educational institutions use the “holistic review” process when evaluating college
applications. This means admissions officers place emphasis on the applicant as a whole
person, not just on their academic achievements. Another rubric that may be used is the
analytical rubric which is a two-dimensional rubrics with levels of achievement as columns
and assessment criteria as rows. Allows you to assess participants' achievements based on
multiple criteria using a single rubric. You can assign different weights (value) to different
criteria and include an overall achievement by totaling the criteria written in a table form.
The rubrics that an institution decides to use should contain the following so as to ensure the
right candidates are picked, GPA, course rigor, standardized test scores, extracurricular
activities, recommendation letter, essays and demonstrated Interest through interviewing.
Are denied applicants entitled to any information?
A college has no obligation to provide a rejected applicant with copies of interview reports
and other records of the consideration of their application. Despite the fact that the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires educational institutions to provide
students with access to educational records, a rejected applicant is not a student at the
institution.
However some institutions can provide information upon request.

Application Process What can be asked What cannot be
asked

Types of scoring
rubrics

Fill an application
form.

Tell Me About
Yourself

What’s your race? Holistic method

Pay an application
fee.

Why Are You
Interested In This
College?

What is your maiden
name?

Analytical method

Florida Residency
Declaration Form.

What Are Your
Academic
Strengths? Can you
explain the grading
system in your
school?

Have you ever been
arrested?

Submission of high
school transcripts
and GED

What Are Your
Academic
Weaknesses? How
Have You
Addressed Them?

Do you belong to
any organizations?

Selection process What Do You Plan
to Contribute to This
School?

What other schools
are you applying to?

Why Do You Want
to Go to College?