<p>Hello! I am an Andover graduate and I also interview prospective students who are unable to make it up to campus to meet with the admissions office. I am willing to answer any questions you or your parents may have regarding the interview process and/or what boarding schools may be looking for in potential students. So...ask away, and good luck applying!</p>
<p>How much does the interview impact AO decisions at Andover? My daughter recently interviewed at Andover and Exeter, and the former seemed to go very well, whereas the latter didn’t. It’s so hard to tell!? How can we tell how well interviews go, and how important are they anyway? Thank you!</p>
<p>What do you look for when interviewing questions? Also what do schools look for in potential students (mostly tsao schools)? Finally does not being very athletic impact decisions? thank you and any tips for interviews?</p>
<p>sorry I meant what do you look for when interviewing candidates?</p>
<p>annieoakley: The interview is an important part of the admissions process. Having said that, if your daughter’s interview didn’t go so well but she has a “hook,” like athletics or fantastic ECs or test scores, that can overshadow her interview. I’m convinced that when I was accepted to Andover and Exeter (a million years ago) the interview was what sealed it, as I had great interviews at both schools. My grades, test scores, and ECs were good, but not all that special. One word of advice: if her interview at Exeter didn’t go so well, make sure she knocks it out of the park with her essay. Hope all goes well for her!</p>
<p>asiankid2: Interviewing questions can vary from interviewer to interviewer and applicant to applicant, although we are given some guidance as to what questions to ask. What we look for most of all is applicants who appear interested in being there and interested in the school. Also, kids who don’t just answer “yes” or “no” when given a question. Elaborate! Kids who are well-spoken and comfortable in their answers are also important. It will look good for you if you ask a number of questions about the school and have interesting questions to ask. And don’t be too nervous. BUT, we know that you are most likely 14-15 and are making a decision that will change your life, so if you ARE a bit nervous, that’s ok. We will understand! As for what schools look for in potential students, they are primarily: top grades, good test scores, interesting ECs, and (sometimes) athletic prowess. About athletics, if an applicant is a star athlete, that will help their chances IF they are good students in the other areas mentioned above. I don’t think Andover would accept a top football player if they are a C student and have low test scores. Tips for interviews: see squashisawesome’s “How to interview (and do it right)” thread. Squash provides some great tips, and I have added some as well. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think Andover will accept a top football player with low scores, especially if he is a PG. The reason is that the entire Andover sports machine focuses ok defeating Exeter in football, and a PG really doesn’t matter in the stats for Andover–after all he will only be there for a ueae, and there are sufficient ‘gut’ classes in the arts to get him through to graduation. Andover is very serious about football.</p>
<p>Interesting, makennacompton. If true, it’s useful info to those lurkers who are very good at football, are considering applying as PG, and looking for ways to “get through to graduation” in a tough school. :)</p>
<p>makennacompton: I disagree with you. Yes, Andover is very serious about football. It is very serious about all sports, and excels at most. However, PGs who apply to PA are aware that they cannot get by with taking, as you say, “‘gut’ classes in the arts,” and sail through to graduation. The vast majority of classes at PA are extremely challenging and not to be enrolled in lightly. As far as PG football players, Andover has its pick of many talented sportsmen who will be PGs and reject the majority of them, like they do with applicants to the other grades. The PG football players who are accepted are as talented as the rest of the senior class and attend top schools, like Harvard and Brown (at least the ones I remember from my graduating class). If they were not top students with excellent test scores they would not be accepted into such universities. I have interviewed potential PG football players and I was impressed with them and their other ECs, not just their status as an athlete. I can’t divulge whether they were accepted or not, but they were just as academically talented as the majority of the other applicants. They were not just “dumb jocks.”</p>
<p>asiankid2: After reading over my answer about what BS look for in students, I realized that I left out the most important thing. Schools look for kids who are UNIQUE. An applicant can have the best test scores and grades in the world, but if they are personable and interesting, then THAT is the greatest “hook” they can have! BS look for students who are well-rounded and who will add something new to the school community. For the most part, they are not looking for a testing machine. Keep that in mind! :)</p>
<p>When I went to an Andover information session, the AO said that the one dealbreaker is if your application doesn’t scream niceness. (Is that a word?)</p>
<p>I would say that esp. at andover is there a standard for PGs. That’s why many sports who are successful don’t get many, if not any PGs. There are a couple in my dorm and by no means are they incompetent (two are in linear algebra and fluid mechanics and receiving honors marks in both).</p>
<p>Benlee, I think those can be problems at any school. Public, private, or boarding. </p>
<p>As far as the last few articles you posted, kids are kids. I don’t think it matters one bit where they live or go to school some are going to try drugs and alcohol, and some are going to “hook-up”. And some aren’t. Nor do I think it matters where they come from.</p>
<p>As for the Keller articles, again I do believe that can happen anywhere. You never know who someone is until they get caught. I remember back in Catholic grade school I was always told I could trust my priest. Turns out, not so much. What he did was brought to the public, and he was defrocked. Does that mean that the rest of the priests of the world are like him? Of course not. And while the whole situation with Keller is horrible. I don’t think it’s fair to blame the whole boarding school world for it.</p>