<p>I'm going on campus visits/interviews in a few days, and any tips would be very much appreciated. What should I wear? What do I need to bring? Anything else to prepare for?</p>
<p>Jeans are frowned upon. Wear nice slacks or skirt/dress. It will be very cold in NE, so make sure you have warm clothing, boots etc. </p>
<p>Just be yourself in your interview. Don’t try to over-impress or drop names or try to make artificial connections to the Admissions office (ie. my father’s college room mate played hockey with the director of admissions, etc.)</p>
<p>You’ll do fine.</p>
<p>ok, thanks. i know that jeans are not very wise to wear, but… are students at boarding school allowed to wear jeans? because it seems like they aren’t…</p>
<p>Do a search for some combination of Interview Attire, Tour, Interview Questions within the BS subsection of CC. There were several threads on the topics about which you have questions.</p>
<p>Here’s one:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1045838-what-not-wear-prep-school-interview-edition.html?highlight=What+not+to+wear[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1045838-what-not-wear-prep-school-interview-edition.html?highlight=What+not+to+wear</a></p>
<p>I think the most important thing is to do your research on each school (go deep into the their websites, not just the main pages) and have some genuine questions about the school that might not be answerable from just their marketing materials. If you have a particular thing about the school that appeals to you, have a question about that…for example, if you are into natural sciences: “I see you offer AP Environmental Studies as a 9th grade course. Can you speak to why you take this direction when so many other schools start with Physics?”</p>
<p>Also, be able to answer this question: “Why are you interested in attending SCHOOL X?” with something other than “Well, it’s a really good school.” Show that there is something unique about the school that appeals to you and that you have “done your homework” on the school.</p>
<p>@vivsters: It depends on the school’s dress code. FWIW, St. Paul’s recently made the switch to allow jeans…but I think they have to be of the clean, unripped variety.</p>
<p>@vivsters
You are very committed for flying from China to NE to attend the interviews! I couldn’t do that because I didn’t trust my mom’s driving skills in the winter. </p>
<p>I wore jeans during my interview. It was the plain black skinny kind with no design what so ever. So it sort of resembles dress pants but with a bit of my own taste. I’m saying this because I’m a guy. I wanted to show I actually had a personality and taste instead of the typical/stereotyped Asian guy.</p>
<p>Some schools allow jeans, others don’t. At Hotchkiss, our tour guide was definitely wearing what I would call jeans, but because the fabric was not blue denim, it passed the dress code. Lawrenceville seemed to be the most relaxed about dress, but when I called the admissions office to enquire about appropriate dress for the tour/interview, I was told “no jeans”. As one of the other posters mentioned, it’s all very school specific. </p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I found the dress code for girls pretty relaxed at all of the schools we visited (Choate, Hotchkiss, Deerfield, Andover, SPS and Lawrenceville). Where there is a more strict dress code, the boys seem to have less latitude than the girls.</p>
<p>Here’s a comment from the thread I linked to above, by one of the only posters here who is known to be an AO (GemmaV):</p>
<p>"Since you asked.</p>
<p>I’m a bit oldschool when it comes to this; my Hogwarts colleagues might disagree.</p>
<p>I read once that you should dress for the job you want to get, not the one you already have.</p>
<p>Even students from very modest backgrounds have shown up in my office in perfectly tailored suits. An AO cannot help but be impressed by that.</p>
<p>Of course, one should consider the dress code of the school. If a school requires jacket and tie for boys, a male applicant should of course wear a jacket and tie to the interview.</p>
<p>But if a school has a casual dress code, does that mean you can dress casually to the interview? Can, yes. Should? I don’t know."</p>
<p>hmm so interviews, no jeans, but for students already attending the boarding school, they CAN wear jeans? or not?</p>
<p>because apart from jeans, i don’t really like wearing any other pants/skirts…</p>
<p>All of the schools have different dress codes. Some schools are very formal and others are more casual. It depends on the specific school whether you can wear jeans or not when you actually attend the school.</p>
<p>@Vivsters: Do what you want, but I advised my daughter to dress up a bit for the occasion. And remember, GemmaV who I quote above is, by most accounts, an actual Admissions Officer. </p>
<p>Note, if you are most comfortable in jeans, you should make sure the schools you are applying to have them as part of the dress code.</p>
<p>It just snowed here so try to where something under your pants for insulation purposes (leggings, etc.). Try corduroy or slacks for pants and a nice shirt. You want to feel comfortable. DO NOT WEAR A SKIRT. That’s just common sense, it’s too cold for that- especially if you’re not used to the conditions.</p>
<p>Try to go by the dress code. I did that and felt very comfortable. Don’t be that one person who shows up WAY over or under dressed.</p>
<p>Interview Tips:
-Be yourself.
-Try to make the interviewer like you.
-Make sure your personality comes through.
-Be as personable as possible w/o being creepy.
-Crack some jokes.
-If you share similar interests talk about that.</p>
<p>For my interviews, I’ve sworn by J. Crew (found at consignment shops! I’m savvy ;)) because it’s just really formal and business-like. </p>
<p>-Know what you want to say without sounding rehearsed – brainstorming is ok, but scriptwriting is not
-Make eye contact
-Have a firm handshake
-Practice saying “Yes”, and “Pardon me?” instead of “Yea” and “What?”
-Be reminded that you are “selling yourself”, so don’t miss an opportunity to bring up an interesting hobby or extracurricular
-Be engaged and mention what interests you about the school
-Let the interviewer set the mood (loosen up slightly if the interviewer jokes a bit, and be extremely formal in the opposite circumstance)</p>
<p>Vivsters, ask your tour guides about times when it’s possible to wear jeans on campus. My daughter has learned to differentiate between “class dress,” “chapel dress,” and the dress permitted in the students’ free time. Every school has its own policies, and it’s a good question to ask to break the ice on a tour. </p>
<p>I would recommend applicants dress well for interviews. I would recommend that a female applicant wear a skirt. Your interviewer should be able to tell that you have made an effort to dress well for the occasion.</p>
<p>DO NOT wear jeans to your interview, whatever the dress code is.</p>
<p>Just don’t wear jeans that would be worn on a farm. Just a rule of thumb. I’m sorry if that’s offensive but it sort of means dress jeans black jeans that look like dress pants etc. But for hotchkiss i suggest not wearing jeans just for the reason that they have such a strict formal dress code</p>
<p>Boarding schools have dress codes ranging from jacket and tie to jeans and collared shirts; however, all schools have occasions where students need to be in formal dress.</p>
<p>Therefore, wear a jacket and tie to your tour/interview regardless of the school’s dress code. The argument of expressing yourself here does not apply because wearing jeans will not make the school think you’re expressing yourself but rather that you do not take the occasion seriously.</p>
<p>Tips for the tour.
The student is not a part of the admissions committee so you can be more relaxed here in conversation. Ask him or her anything you’d like to know about the school, from statistics like matriculation and SAT scores to big questions like what are the things that set the school apart, down to little details like how do the students do their laundry, etc.</p>
<p>Tips for the interview.
The interview is a huge component of the application for boarding schools. Through the interview, the admission officer wants to get to know you as a person. He will ask you simple questions like why do you wish to apply to their school, what hobbies you have, etc. What they want to hear is a cohesive answer to not only express the answer but also the way you talk and interact with him or her. Conversation is a two way street, cliche but true, discard the yes or no answers, elaborate, and show interest in whatever you talk about.</p>
<p>Again the dress applies here because it’s all part of the package of presenting yourself; the tie that you wear, the handshake, the way you sit, the things you talk about, etc.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the advise!</p>
<p>Also, I have an art portfolio that I want to submit. Should I give it to the Admissions Office or the Art Teacher?</p>
<p>In addition to the excellent advice given above, if you visit on a game day and you have the time, then check out a game. You’ll see how people interact with each other, you’ll see the level of sportsmanship (interesting data point), you’ll see students and faculty chatting with each other and get a sense of the “vibe.”</p>
<p>On the dress code for interviews: always wear a coat and tie, nice slacks, nice shirt, nice shoes. You are a candidate for admission. Your dress code SHOULD be a bit more polished. It is a sign of respect for the interview process. It is a sign of maturity that you dressed that way. NO ONE will say, look at the silly dressed up kid. They will all say “he’s (or she’s) looking at the School.”</p>
<ul>
<li>Practice being asked some interview questions by your mom and dad or a friend just to get the hang of articulating your opinions easily and quickly</li>
<li>Be able to answer the question: “So why Groton? or Why Thacher? etc” with answers that connect your desires to ACTUAL, unique attributes of the school. Generic, non-specific answers don’t stand out.</li>
<li>Smile (a lot), if you’re naturally funny, feel free to let your sense of humor flow (a huge plus). </li>
<li>The importance of that ready smile, along with good eye contact and a firm handshake cannot be underestimated. It sets a tone. A limp handshake sends a limp message.</li>
<li>Finally - HAVE FUN!!! - It’s a fun conversation, candid, open, humorous, you’re as important to them as they are to you. If you have the attitude of “this is fun, I’m really enjoying this” it comes across</li>
</ul>
<p>FWIW, my son wore a shirt and tie but no jacket to all of his interviews, and we saw very few young men (and no young women) wearing jackets. Frankly, I didn’t want to spend $100 or more on a jacket when he is growing so fast- the new dress pants I bought in September are already looking short! A jacket is a nice touch, but I don’t believe any otherwise well dressed kid will be turned away for lack of it.</p>