What are some of some of the general interview questions to be expected by most schools? My interview is coming up and I should start preparing…
- Interests and hobbies?
- How would you describe yourself?
- How would you describe your family?
- How would your friends describe you?
- Why boarding school?
- Specifically why this boarding school?
- How do you feel about leaving your friends and family?
- How do you see yourself contributing to our community?
While some AOs deviate, in my experience, the questions listed above were most commonly asked.
Think about possible answers but don’t rehearse. Interviewers can tell when an answer is memorized. Try to incorporate originality in your answers (within reason). The interview is an opportunity to portray and sell yourself however you choose, so it is important to elaborate on your answers. A firm handshake, eye contact and confident posture go a long way in establishing a good first impression. It is said that an interviewer knows in the first 90 seconds whether you are a suitable candidate or not.
In terms of preparation, practice having a family member ask you the 8 questions above. If you rather practice alone, try interviewing yourself in the mirror. Engage yourself while practicing and focus on being enthusiastic.
I believe one of the most important interview abilities is being able to gauge how interested the interview is of particular answer based on their response or body language. For example, if you talk about debate club and the interview doesn’t seem engaged, move on. There were many times were I felt that the interview was going poorly until I was able to find a mutual interest.
Hope my comment was able to help! Good luck.
^ #5-8 are important. Make sure you have an answer.
I will add…
9. What did you do this summer?
10. What is your favorite book/ what have you read recently? (Be prepared to talk about it-)
11. Where do you go to school? What would you change?
10 from @copperboom came up nearly universally. And they don't want to hear about summer reading or school books.
^^ Interesting books that include contemporary or controversial topics. A good set of books is the Khaled Hosseini trio of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, & And the Mountains Echoed. The boarding school summer reading lists are a very good resource.
And yes, they sometimes do ask the dreaded question:
- So, what other schools are you looking at / applying to?
This has been discussed at length on this forum in the past. It is perfectly fine to be vague, as in "I’m still making my list, and— I wanted to visit THIS school because: xxxxx. " Turn the question around. It is really none of their business, nor is it advantageous to you, for them to know where else you are applying.
Good point @cameo43 and this did happen to my daughter with the coach. She rattled off something like 20 schools; an exaggeration but at LEAST 13. I had to reign her in big time!
@MAandMEmom: Same thing happened with us. As D walked off with her interviewer, I ran into an old acquaintance in the reception area-- a parent to a current student and 2 alums. She leaned over and said “They get really offended here if they think they are not the first-choice school.” OMG! When it came time for the parent interview, the AO looked rather sternly at me and said “SO… I hear your daughter is interested in quite a number of schools.” LOL Fortunately, D did not like the school and never applied. We had a good laugh about it on the way home.
Bottom line: Schools want to protect their yield. It cannot help the applicant, and can only hurt, for them to know your other choices.
While it is a good idea to try an prep for some of the standard questions, I think the most important prep you can do is make yourself feel calm and confident. If you start practicing questions and find yourself getting stressed or anxious maybe take a break and list the accomplishments you are most proud of. Good luck!