I recently did a tour of some boarding schools, (Middlesex, St. Georges, Concord Academy, Groten, Andover) and am wondering if anyone has some clues that I could look for during an interview to tell if it is going well. So far, I believe that they have been going fine, but I’m worried that my interpretation could be incorrect. If anyone has any tips, they would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I think you’ve answered your own question. 
I also think that right now you are better served by reflecting not on how you did during the visits, but on the impressions each school made on you. It is a gift that you were able to physically visit these schools; many applicants aren’t able to do so for a variety of reasons (and they do fine too BTW, their process is just different). How was the “feel” at each school? Did you have questions about the schools which were not answered? Did you experience anything which gave you misgivings about a school? Did you experience anything which changes your priorities in selecting a school? Have you sent your thank you’s?
Thank you for your reply, I have not sent out thank-you’s to my guides yet but am planning to do so soon. I did have some good and bad feelings about the schools, but want to know more about how they felt about me when I visited. It’s one of the last steps in my process and I want to make sure it went ok. I won’t get a do-over. I am planning on getting in touch with the science and theater departments at some of the schools in question. If you had any tips for a good interview that would be really helpful
I wish I had something to tell you! AppleKid had what was considered an abominable interview at one school and we all thought for sure there would be no offer of admission. Lo and behold on M10 the kid was accepted. On revisit to that school the interviewer made a point of coming over to say hi and to offer help in answering any questions we had about the school. I don’t know if it made any difference or not, but when AppleKid sent the AO the thank you for the interview, AppleKid addressed some of the areas where it was thought the interview had not gone so well.
At another school AppleKid thought that the interview was far and away the best of the bunch. AppleKid was totally comfortable, lots of areas about AppleKid’s life were discussed and AppleKid thought a real connection had been made. On M10 AppleKid was waitlisted at that school.
At a third school AppleKid noticed that kids were coming out of their interviews with trinkets given to them by the interviewer. AppleKid got no trinket and was worried about it. But on M10 there was an acceptance from that school.
I think that interviewers have good days and bad days. I also think that some people are better interviewers than others. None of this has to do with the applicant, so it’s hard to make general assumptions about whether an interview was good or not and if you can use that impression to make a guess about your chances for admission. I also think that even if an interviewer really likes, you might not be a good fit for the school for other reasons. And I suspect that there might be interviewers who might not click with you but when your application is reviewed it is determined that you have something valuable to add to the incoming class.
There are also posts here which suggest that you will know after an interview if a school is really interested in you. I think that might be the case when a kid might bring something a school really wants to add–think big strong hooks here. If you have such a hook, and a school made a big fuss about it, then that’s probably a good sign.
Putting yourself out there like this is a really big deal. I remember being just amazed that AppleKid seemed to manage the process so well at age 13. I probably felt a little sick to my stomach throughout the application process because I love my kid and no mom wants their kid to feel disappointment and rejection even when we know that it’s a part of life and necessary for the kid to grow and become stronger. I say this because I know its easier said than done for you to try to move on and not get stuck re-living how you did during the interviews. Maybe focusing your thoughts and efforts forward will help keep you from doing this and make you more productive. I wish you luck!
I agree completely with what the other posters have said. My son had an “okay” interview at the school he attends now, but I didn’t get a good feeling at all. We left the school and as we drove away I said “there’s no way you’re getting in there”. He sent no thank you notes to any of his interviewers, but still had a good result. You just can’t be sure what is going on. Most of the interviewers are very good at talking with teenagers and are quite friendly. It’s a positive thing that an interview went well, but do your best not to read into anything.
I think the interview is as much for you as for the schools. If you feel good about a school than don’t worry- apply! It’s all just part of the process. Good luck!
So much of this element has to do with the interviewer, not the applicant. Interviewers can get overwhelmed, tired, and can just be “off.” As long as the interview is in the “ok” range, that’s pretty much fine. Anyone taking the time to prepare, and is authentic in their responses, should be fine. We were told going into the process that interviews can only help—they don’t expect a lot from 13 or 14-year old applicants. To the extent a kid really blows their doors off, that’s helpful, but mostly they are just trying make sure there is a general fit and the kid has thought about why he/she wants to attend a rigorous boarding school (and live away from home).
The other factor that we were told is that the more selective the school, the more they expect kids to be super-nervous–and it’s incumbent on the interviewer to really guide the process. So that’s why there are plenty of stories about kids who have “not great interviews at the schools they wind up going to.” The kids were super-nervous going in–in part because they really wanted a good result–and probably interviewed better in places where they weren’t as stressed. But because it was the same for everyone (or at least most), it evens out.
Just be yourself. Looking back we had some schools we felt great about and others not so much. In the end DS got the ones that were meant for him. Our interviews were in our hometown and not on campus, except 2 that were done via skype. DS received small trinkets from some and nothing from others. I will say we did tour most of the schools we applied for after the interviews to make sure he felt comfortable. In the end DS got in all the schools at the top of his list.