Students will often ask how to answer the common question "why did you apply to this college?"

The importance of college selection is often underplayed by the university attempting to make what is often a daunting decision seem easier to make. Whilst it is true students will more often than not warm to the college they are eventually accepted into, it should be a consideration in your interview preparation. Interviewers at the college you apply to will be both affiliated to that college and have a lot of academic contact time with you. As a result your answer should be in two parts. Firstly, you have to express some interest in the unique aspects of that particular college, be it the location, history or gardens for example. Secondly,greater emphasis should be placed on the academic reasons for applying to said college, most notably because of any alignment of interests with the field of study of the academics there. Not only will this catch the attention of the interviewer but hopefully steer the academic conversation down this route which will be a more favorable discussion.