Whether they involve live or recorded questions, law school interviews give admissions committees a chance to see who you are as a person, beyond the story presented by your transcripts, test scores, resume and essays.
This is why applicants should prepare for a law school interview as if it were a job interview. Dress professionally, articulate your points carefully and do your research.
Most importantly, be ready to answer basic questions like why you are applying to law school and why you are specifically interested in attending the law school the interviewer represents. Law schools are not interchangeable, so come up with some reasons for why the law school matches your strengths and interests.
Expect a catchall question like, “Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?” And if you are interviewing with an admissions officer, be sure to prepare a few questions to ask your interviewer, as well.
However, there is no way to anticipate every possible question that an interview may include. Sometimes you’ll face odd questions that might leave you momentarily stumped. The key to preventing a brief pause from snowballing into a collapse of confidence is to understand the purpose of the question.
The Key to Answering Unexpected Law School Interview Questions
When admissions officers throw you a hardball question, they are rarely seeking a specific “right” answer. Rather, they want to gauge how your mind works, how you respond to a challenge and how you express your interests and values.
Instead of trying to answer a tough question at face value, think carefully about what the interviewer is looking for. Is there a character trait that the question is meant to elicit, like integrity, resilience or quick thinking?
For example, imagine the interviewer asks for your favorite book, but you’re not much of a reader, or your favorite book would sound embarrassing, trite or obscure. Rather than offer a cliché answer like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” think of another book you enjoyed that would communicate thoughtfulness or empathy. Perhaps a great novel from another country could show you are well-rounded and eager to engage with other perspectives.
What to Do if Stumped by an Interview Question
If an answer to an interview question does not readily come to mind, resist the urge to ramble on, thinking aloud. But don’t take a pass or avoid the question altogether.
Instead, tell the interviewer that it’s a good question and you’ll have to think about it for a second. Rather than search high and low for an answer hidden in the wrinkles of your brain, think to yourself: “What is this interviewer trying to get at?”
If the question is about a time when you worked with someone who you didn’t agree with, and you don’t have an example of this, then think about another time you have had to resolve a disagreement. Or think about a time a coworker took an approach to a problem that was not the way you would have handled it, even if it was not objectionable to you. Either way, you would be showing open-mindedness and communication skills.
If your answer does not address the prompt directly, acknowledge this. You could say something like, “I don’t think I’ve ever confronted that exact situation, thankfully. Do you mind if I tell you about a disagreement I had to handle in a different context?”
Likewise, if a question asks for a leadership experience, and you haven’t taken an active role in any jobs or extracurricular activities, think about more subtle ways to show leadership. For example, think of a time you took initiative or acted courageously, even if you were part of a team.
Fortunately, unlike job interviewers, law school interviewers are not looking for the absolute best candidate to fill one position. They are looking to build a balanced class of students. There is no need to come across as perfect; just be professional, collegial and committed to law school.
Source: usnews.com
