I applied last year too, but the financial aid I received was not enough so I decided to apply again during a gap year. I am still working on many different projects (programming, since that is my desired major). I am sure I will be asked by my interviewer about why I decided to take a gap year. While it is true that I wanted to find out if I really wanted to pursue computer science before embarking on a college journey, reapplying is also a big reason why I decided to take this break.
Should I tell the interviewer about this (taking a gap year to reapply)? If I should do so, will I have to provide acceptance emails etc., to prove that I was admitted last year?
To clear up any confusion, I have not applied to this college (where I have the interview) last year.
My second question is about the “What other colleges have you applied to?” question. Should I tell them my entire college list? Why do they ask this in the first place? I’ve heard it is to see if the applicant has applied to dozens of colleges that are hugely different from each other, just to get a higher change of being admitted anywhere.
I assume you’re asking about admissions interviews with college alumni? Each school does interviews slightly differently, but in all cases, just be yourself and approach it more as a conversation to learn about the college, the alum’s experiences, and share your interests and goals with the interviewer so they can write something about your desire to go to their alma mater. They largely don’t matter for sdmission decisions, as long as you actually do one if offered. And don’t drop any doozies like how you may have cheated on an exam or come across as a psychopath.
For most, if not all, schools, they should not be asking you where else you are applying. At some schools, this is explicitly stated in interviewer training. If the interviewer asks you this, and you’re uncomfortable answering, just say something vague, deflect, say you don’t want to jinx it, whatever. You don’t have to answer unless you want to.
As for your gap year, just tell them all the fun things you did and learned. The interviewers don’t know anything about your application other than your name and high school. They might be curious why you took a gap year, and you can tell them the truth, because there is no shame in saying you couldn’t afford to go to college at the time, so you decided to better yourself and try again. They are not supposed to ask for your grades, test scores, resume, or verify anything about you on behalf of the school. Interviews really are just an outreach exercise so that applicants come away (hopefully) with a positive view of the school, and feel more comfortable about the prospect of attending if accepted. Of course, I know there are some alumni interviewers who want to exercise their (non-existent) power and act as a sort of ad hoc member of the adcom… They’re just doing everyone a disservice. If you encounter an interviewer like that, I would advise just focusing on telling them about you, your passions, and asking questions about their experiences and other things you might be curious about regarding the college.