Hi CC! (This is my first time posting but here goes nothing)
I am a 8th grader on the west coast applying to some boarding schools for 9th grade and today I had my first interview. It was in a quaint coffee shop and around 40 minutes long (is this a good time?) However, I don’t think the interview was anything special. It was just a back and forth of question and answer and my interviewer’s affable smile seemed a bit forced. I think I did ask some good questions at the end but should I be worried about an average interview? I really like this school and would appreciate some tips on my next interviews. Thanks in advance!
Well the interview time doesn’t matter that much, some interviews can go from 20-1 hour. For me when I had interviews they were usually 40 minutes so you’ll be fine.
You don’t have to worry about preparing anything for the interview. Just prepare the interview questions they say they would ask you, and try to be your genuine self. Don’t pretend to be someone else you’re not.
Heres some tips:
-Research the school beforehand. Like try to research the school like 2-3 days before it and try to see what programs or any current events that happened in the school. For example some schools publish their newspaper or look at their instagram account and if they had a huge party 3 days ago, ask about that party.
-Dress like what students from that boarding school would dress like. If the boarding school dress code is a blazer, wear a blazer.
-Body posture and eye contact. Try to be confident and try to make yourself seem casual. Think of the interviewer as a friend. Don’t be nervous and look wildly at everything and just maintain eye contact to seem confident even if you’re not.
-Prepare for common questions. If you search up “Common Questions Asked In Private High School Interviews” there will be a lot of questions that pop up that most schools ask.
-Once you like research and learn about the school and find out what qualities they like, for example sports or music, talk about the achievements you have in them. Talk about relevant achievements and experiences.
-Most importantly be yourself. Interviewers are basically trained to know if you’re lying about what you do or if you’re not being yourself by body language or word use.
These are some advice I would’ve told my old self before interviews so I hope this helps!
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I’m sure your interview went well - 40 minutes sounds about right.
They just want to get to know you. The most important thing is to be yourself (BTW, it’s a two way street, you should be looking for a good fit as well), be attentive and send a thank you letter that hits on the topics that resonated with you. Sounds like you are on the right track!
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Thanks for the replies! I will keep all of your tips in mind for my next interviews.
Send a follow up thank you note to the interviewer for their time and reiterate your interest in the school and pull out 1 thing of interest they told you or something you both talked about even if not related to the school.
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I think the point about being yourself is most important. Remember, some interviewers are seasoned veterans, while others are newbies. My son interviewed with an AO who was new to the job that Fall - the questions the AO asked were clearly scripted…Why boarding school? Why this boarding school? What activities/classes/sports do you like best? Another AO he interviewed with had been with the school’s admissions office for years. His questions were more unique…What do you think of Shakespeare? What qualities make an animal a good pet? Our advice to our son was enjoy the conversation and try to convey to the AO what makes you tick as a student, friend, musician, athlete, etc.
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