<p>I am applying to four prep high schools, and as you may already know, an admissions interview is required at all of them (I will be interviewed this fall and winter). I'm really not sure what to expect. Can anyone please offer me some wise tips, advice, and suggestions to doing well during an admissions interview? Thank you so much for your help.</p>
<p>The schools will all ask for names of other schools to which you are applying. Tell them that THEIR school is the only one! Otherwise you may be rejected or waitlisted if they think you're real first choice is elsewhere or that their school only has a 25% chance of your selecting it. RELAX and be ready to tell them the latest book you've read and why you are interested in their school. Read the catalogs and maybe email a coach, teacher, music teacher, theatre teacher, etc.</p>
<p>Also, if you're there at lunchtime, ask if they can recommend where to eat. They SHOULD invite you to eat in their dining room, which will give you a taste of their food and let you get the feel of the place.</p>
<p>Lying about anything in an interview is a very bad idea.</p>
<p>At the time of the interview you haven't applied to any schools, so it's not lying. How about when the admissions officer tells you that your kid is the best candidate to walk through the door in the past two weeks and asks her what it will take to get her to choose their school, then they send her a rejection letter! It's all a game and you have to be street-wise and not give them a reason to NOT offer you a place.</p>
<p>These admissions officers fall all over themselves to get your attention BEFORE decision time. Try getting them to return your call after they've rejected your kid!</p>
<p>I don't know much about boarding school process- for prep day schools I would suggest to have a list of questions that you are really interested in.
We were lucky that when my daughter applied to prep schools we hadn't heard of these boards and looked at them as a way to find out information including if we felt the school was a good fit or not.
I wasn't present for my daughters interviews, and the parent interviews for the 5 different prep schools were very different.
I really enjoyed the admission director for the school she ultimately chose, just going by that it was a good fit.
a couple other of the interviews felt very prefunctory. The admission director was either snobby/rushed or both. Not someplace that you would want to go to school.</p>
<p>I'm actually applying to five prep day schools, if that makes any difference. </p>
<p>If I tell them that I'm only applying to their school, can't they find out the truth since 3 of the 5 schools that I'm applying to share a common application? Also, what makes one applicant do better than another during an interview? In other words, what is the key to doing very well in an admissions interview?</p>
<p>On my kids' apps to day preps, they asked what other schools we were applying to. Frankly, given how competitive it is I think they would believe you're nuts if only applying to one school! They know very well that most kiods apply to several. We did make sure to tell our first choice school that they were indeed our top pick.</p>
<p>My kid's were asked different things at different schools. At most they got off on a tangent in an area they had in common with an adcom. One talked about favorite books with my daughter and another about travels and favorite destinations. Think about what it is you want them to know about you and make sure to bring the conversation around to what you want them to hear.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the interviewers tend to be skilled people persons and will probably make you feel very comfortable. That makes sense, because they want to get to know you as well as they can in a short period of time. Do be aware that the officials have seen a number of amazing kids, so while you want to let them see your strengths, you obviously want to avoid bragging. Bottom line, you want the officials to see that you are engaged in the world, curious and teachable--and that if admitted to their school, you'd appreciate the opportunity and partake fully of the opportunities that they have to offer, strive to contribute and be an asset to the school community. Check out the school's websites and school publications beforehand, paying particular attention to your areas of interest, and be prepared to ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate your interest.
Best of luck.</p>
<p>As a parent of 2 kids who have attended or are still attending a prep school, I would say be yourself. </p>
<p>If you pretend to be what you are not, you will be accepted somewhere where you don't really belong or probably don't want to be. </p>
<p>Dress neatly, have some real questions to ask them about their programs. You should make sure you know something about the school, too. </p>
<p>These interviews are not the make or break event, unless you do something terrible. I heard one college admission officer complain about an interviewee who lit up a cigarette. So don't do anything like that. </p>
<p>And I totally disagree with the advice to lie about not applying elsewhere. In fact, it is a reasonable question to ask them, "I have applied to school A. How does your school differ from them?"</p>
<p>Having said all that, there are some -- somewhat limited -- kinds of questions that can often come up at these things, such as, "What's your favorite book?" etc. These are really meant as conversation openers, I think. Don't say Tolstoy, unless you really mean it. On the other hand, don't say comic books.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>My opinion is based on real-life experience. Some posters disagree with my advice, and so you need to ,make your own decision. Just remember that at the time you interview at boarding schools, you haven't applied ANYWHERE, so you're not lying! So, why tell a school that you're interested in 5 others. What if, at the time of the interview, this is the ONLY school you are interested in, but a week later you decide to interview somewhere else. You're not signing an affadavit! These other schools are likley competitors of the one you're interviewing at. They do not see your applications. My daughter was waitlisted at a school and the head of admissions said "I'm sure she has lots of other options." That statement was based on the fact that we told them she was applying at 7 other schools. Many prep schools are very competitive. When a school has a 10% admit rate, why would they offer a place to a student whom they know isn't interested in ONLY their school? Just like selective colleges, preps want to fill their seats with the best and brightest and are looking for the yield.</p>