Hey, I’m a grade 8 student, aiming to go to boarding school in the 2022-2023 school year. As I prepare my application, I saw the need to practice for my interviews. I have not scheduled any yet. I wondering about possible questions or key tips to remember while the interview.
Is this a decent list of sample questions?
What aspects of school are important to you?
What activities do you enjoy and what is your skill with those certain activities?
What are your goals for the next few goals?
What class or subject do you enjoy the most and least?
Can you describe your perfect teacher?
Why do you wish to go to boarding school (or name of school)?
Please help.
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@hibyejoef, I received a PM from another user a few weeks ago with a very similar question to yours, so I will copy and paste my response to them below:
I don’t remember all of the specifics of my interview, but I know that your interviewer will ask about what clubs/activities/subjects interest you in school. You also may get questions about any books you’ve recently read, or any topics that you’re passionate about, volunteer work you’ve done etc. You will almost definitely be asked “why do you want to come to this school”, which is a question that you should think about before the interview starts. You can briefly mention why you want to go to BS in general, but look through each school’s website and try to remember the name of a specific/unique class that they have, or a club or school value that “stood out” to you. Taking 10-15 minutes looking for things online that play into your interests should give you all the information you need for this type of question.
They will also ALWAYS ask you at the end if you have any questions for them. Think of these beforehand! It’s okay to ask fairly broad ones, but try to have one or two that are very specific to each school. This again will demonstrate that you are prepared and have done research on each school you are applying to.
Think about the main things that you want to get across about yourself, and make sure that you remember to talk about them. I found that the best way to “prepare” was googling “common college interview questions” (the one’s you listed above seem like a decent representation) and record myself talking out my answers because it helps you think through how to articulate your response. However, do NOT write any answers down or try to memorize them because that’s an almost guaranteed way to not seem genuine and leaves you at risk of forgetting or sounding like you’re reading.
Most of the AOs are very kind and forgiving, and they recognize that no students are perfect, so you really shouldn’t worry about seeming awkward or messing up. Good luck!
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One tip we received is to treat your interview like a conversation. The AOs want to get to know your personality, they don’t just want a list of things you enjoy. So be sure to expand upon any question they ask, and try to keep the conversation going naturally. In one of kiddo1’s best interviews, they spent the entire time talking about books, as kiddo is a voracious reader. When they were finished (after going over time) the AO said he wished he could have talked to her all day.
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I also agree that you should try and keep it conversational. Remember, at boarding school the faculty share housing, meals, essentially their lives with students so interviewers are also evaluating “would I want to have dinner, share a house etc. With this person?”
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