When I went to my interview, one of the ladies in the lobby was the hockey coach. She said, “Oh, you play softball? We’re always looking for more hockey players!” i was just so confuzzled
Coaches always looks for students with skills in one sport that can be transferred to another. Many divers started as gymnasts. Ice hockey players join the lax team in the spring, etc.
As some of you know, we had a horrid experience last year at a NE school. We flew up to the school early in the year for interview/tour. Think the AO was new. Noticed no note taking. We received a call in mid to late Feb from someone in Admissions office telling us we have not yet interviewed and must have one ASAP with local alum. My kid was so turned offand very upset that they had no record of initial interview in the file. Ended up getting WL from this school. No apologies for their mistake, just arrogance, after we gave details of date, time, AO @ campus visit.
The other bad experience was during a summer tour we had arranged at another school. We called week in advance as we were up in NE for a tournament. Got appointment time. We showed up that appointment and were told that there was no tour guide available. Ended up interviewing later on during same day as Ten School Event. Coach said to kiddo “ you are no use to us” because your top 2 sports are both in the Spring @ NE. Thankfully, another school did find GolfKiddo to be of us. Well, kiddo is a mulitisport athlete- other sport is in winter and just shut out one of his players last week. Their loss. Sweet! Can’t wait for golf season. See, things do work out in the end, or work out for a reason.
Both the good and bad experiences are growth experiences…just stay positive and focus on the donut, not the hole.
@Golfgr8 wow in my opinion that is a really tough experience especially when you have to take kid out of school/take day(s) off work to go and visit a school and then be treated or even excluded like that. I have no clue how a school could fail to have a tour guide because at most schools we visited if they were overbooked they would just put two families with one tour guide. I’m glad it all worked out in the end though.
Yes @CC4life - but the school that had no tour guide show up was on break for summer. We had made advanced reservation. We learned early on that tours were offered only on selected days during the summer, so made arrangements for that day. It’s tough on both ends because some families want to visit in summer and schools have few available students or staff on campus. Our summer guides at 3 other schools were faculty kids.
My AO: “So you’re a musician. Why do you like to play piano?”
Me: “Well, I’ve been around music since birth. I started when I was five and I listen to music and sing it and write it. My whole life is music, and I consider it a part of who I am. It’s my way of expressing myself, and my way of connecting to a vast tradition that’s gone on for thousands of years.”
My AO: “but why?”
Me: “well…that’s why.”
AO: “you’re telling me you like to play piano because you started early in life? Did your parents make you?”
Me: “yes, but I was five.”
AO: “do you actually enjoy it or do your parents make you?”
Me: “I enjoy it!!!”
AO: “why?”
Me: “um…”
AO: clucks tongue and writes furiously
Yikes.
yeesh, that’s rough
My son’s interview ended before ours did. When we walked out, he was sitting on the couch with his AO. As we sat down they started talking about a place my son had visited this summer.
AO: Why were you there?
DS: Oh, I was pitching in the World Series
AO: And you didn’t lead off your interview with that tidbit?
At a different boarding school interview I was talking about some program that I found interesting and I said "here at Middlesex. I knew I messed up because this school was NOT Middlesex. My interviewer looked at me weird and took notes quickly after. I ended up not getting in to this particular school oof
I’ve posted this before, but it’s still worth a laugh:
Andover AO: So, do you have a first-choice boarding school?
Our Kid: Exeter.
Andover AO: Exeter? Do you mean Andover? You’re talking to Andover here. See my shirt?
Our Kid: No, sir. Exeter is my first choice.
Andover AO relayed this story to us laughing until he was red in the face. Said he’d admit him just for honesty.
^^ Notwithstanding my bias for PA, that’s the kind of honesty I like to see in our military officers. 