Can anyone share information about the interview experience? Do you girls wear dresses? Do guys need coat & tie?Do the students give impressions on applicants toAdmissions? What information was most valuable when you took your tour? Thanks!
Not a student but in my opinion all the answers are yes. Or, at a minimum match the school’s dress code. We were at one formal dress code athletically-minded school and one applicant actually wore sweatpants to the interview and it wasn’t a dude. I was pretty shocked but maybe the applicant didn’t have the benefit of guidance from family. Look on the website and select something that mirrors the student you see.
At a minimum follow the dress code (especially if it is a coat & tie school). My kids dressed for interviews even at casual dress code schools. For revisit days in the spring they followed the dress code of the school - casual for most. Schools will vary in what information, if any, they collect from student tour guides. At one school we saw tour guides fill out forms when they came back.
Thanks for your insights! Next question: if you are traveling a great distance for the interview, will they understand if the entire family isn’t there?
Boys cannot go wrong wearing a coat and tie, even if the school is casual. Aside from the adolescent grumbling that may ensue, most of the other boys in the admission’s office will be dressed up and your son won’t feel like you’ve completely embarrassed him. It happens all the time that only one parent accompanies a child. It’s not easy to get time off, there may be other kids at home to look after etc. We visited six schools and only for one did we both attend.
One parent bringing a child is fine. We both went to most with DS, but some we couldn’t both attend (work schedules, other kid, etc) and these were fairly local schools.
The advice I remember hearing a lot regarding the student-led tours was to let your kid take the lead in engaging the tour guide. This was tough for DH and me who had so many questions, but we bit our tongues and hung back. Among our best memories of going through the process was watching AppleKid gain confidence after each tour and interview. The first school was an awkward experience in every way but by the end of our visit trip AppleKid had the routine down and I think even had fun. As for clothing, AppleKid very deliberately matched dress code, the intention being to best imagine being a student at each school.
Thanks everyone! Starting the process… Will report back in a few weeks!
One thing that we regret is that dd didn’t or couldn’t do her best with visits and interview, because she was overloaded with school work in the Fall semester. If we could do it all again, she would lessen her workload and focus on fewer schools so that she would be more prepared for each interview.
Definitely need to consider school and region. West Coast is much more casual. At most schools where DD interviewed the only kids who were in coat and tie were international applicants. (They looked lovely nonetheless…) My only concern was that they might have been uncomfortable because of this. Regardless, DD wore skirts with an overall “smart casual” look.
My DD did her interviews over Skype and always wore a blazer over a cute top.
Now that D is in college it’s interesting, the huge difference in dress for tours & interviews. D only applied to casual BS’s but I forced her to dress up (for her) - cords & a sweater.
College interviews and tours were anything goes, oftentimes jeans & T in a coffee shop, with interviewer dressed similarly.
As it is an unusual presidential election year, have any of your children been asked about the election or their political leanings? If so how have they answered those questions?
^^ Mine should have applied this year and they should asked those questions! She would have showed some strong emotion and a lot of detailed knowledge.
Alas, all the questions were either about the school or the student. So I doubt that they would ask about political views, even this year.
I think political questions would be considered taboo. Just like religion.
The process feels intimidating, but most interviewers are genuinely trying to see the kids at their best. Who wants to have missed out on a great student because he/she was so rattled in the interview? When they ask what books you’ve read recently, it’s not to judge intellect, but to see what jnterests you and why. In most cases, it is more of a conversation, with the goal of seeing whether the kid will fit into the community, contribute to it, and thrive.
@alooknac - We made DS dress a little (khakis and a polo) for an on-campus college interview. Trying to figure out dress for a late fall on-campus interview. He has an alumni interview scheduled in a coffee shop and was told casual is fine.
Make sure your kid is comfortable with what they are wearing. A little prep beforehand doesn’t hurt especially if you are seeing a lot of schools in a row. We kept a file on each school. Know why you are interested in each school. Eye contact, shake AO hand, Smile. Most schools start to ask the same stuff- which can get stale for the kid too. At Deerfield they did talk politics. He asked her what they were reading in English class ( Night, Elie Wiesel) They ended up talking about Israel, terrorism and refugees… AO was a humanities teacher so maybe that’s why- but be prepared to discuss a book or current topic. ( especially if school has harkness method)
We have only had one interview so far but I echo what has been said above. The tour (with a student) was a good opportunity for DS to get comfortable and practice asking questions and engaging in conversation; we did our best to hang back and let him take the lead. The interview was a pretty casual discussion – what’s he doing in school, favorite subjects, what new things is he looking forward to and interested in at the school. I have urged him to be ready to talk about what he’s reading, favorite movies, music, etc., in case it comes up. We got a lot of feedback from the interviewer, and it was all very comfortable and enjoyable. We have observed that when we are part of the discussion, DS will clam up and hold back, which worried us no end, but on his own he is very talkative and forthcoming. Who knew. I was curious about the politics question as well and will be curious to see if it comes up at any of the schools.
I think that EHS has the best setup for campus tours, with two separate tours: one for the student, another for the parents. It gives an opportunity to the student to connect with the tour guide without mom and dad being around.