image/svg+xml
  1. Home
  2. Tough Interview Questions
  3. Tough Interview Question: What changes would you make at your college?

Tough Interview Question - What changes would you make at your college?

What changes would you make at your college?

Similar interview questions:
What do you like and not like about your university?
Are there any areas where you would do things differently at your college?
Have you tried to proactively make any changes at your university?
What do you see as the negatives of your college?

Why the interviewer is asking this question:
The interviewer is asking this question for three reasons: 1) to see if you are able to objectively assess areas for improvement at your college; 2) to see if you are a proactive and positive agent for change; and 3) to see if you are generally content with the status quo or seeking to make changes. If you are extreme in being discontent with your college, this can be an indicator that you may be a future malcontent employee.

The best approach to answering this question:
Select an area where there is an opportunity for change, ideally one where you have gotten involved in a positive way to help bring about or facilitate positive change.

An example of how to best answer this question for experienced candidates:
"When I was in school, I was part of student government my last two years. One particular area where we saw the opportunity for change at our college was providing students with a variety of study areas to accommodate different needs. We did a student survey and found that there was a diversity of the types of study locations that worked well for different students. We then worked with administration to help build out some of these preferred study cells, many of which were adopted and implemented during my Senior year…"

An example of how to best answer this question for entry level candidates:
"Several of the capstone classes in my major lacked real world experience connections. So I worked with two other students and the Department Chair on a plan to enlist successful alumni to come in to speak to these classes. Initially these talks were done in evening hours outside of the classroom. But as they showed success, they were eventually incorporated into the classes themselves…"

An example of how you should not answer this question:
"Well, I have complained a lot about the food in the cafeteria, but that seems to fall on deaf ears. I made it a point to complain each time I am in the food line that the food tastes lousy and that they need to change it. Nothing has changed and we still have lousy food. So I finally moved off campus so that I could cook for myself…"

Remember to answer each interview question behaviorally, whether it is a behavioral question or not. The easiest way to do this is to use an example from your background and experience. Then use the S-T-A-R approach to make the answer a STAR: talk about a Situation or Task (S-T), the Action you took (A) and the Results achieved (R). This is what makes your interview answer uniquely yours and will make your answer a star!

Further review: know the answers to these 100 Common Interview Questions to be fully prepared for your interview!

Search for jobs: