<p>So me and my brother are both applying to prep schools for this year. i'm applying for 11th and he's applying for 9th.</p>
<p>After his phone interview with a really really great school (one of the best) he said that it went great and that the interview had said he was "wonderful", told him the REVISIT DAYS (you know, the come-back-and-see-our-school-after-acceptance-letter-days) and said that he really wanted him to know the days because he wanted him to see the school, and told him that he thought he was positive that my brother would get into several schools but would please remember their school as being good and different. (and also mentioned something acceptance letters)</p>
<p>so i'm like, huh?</p>
<p>I've never heard of anyone getting comments like that. (i mean he basically said he would get in) I love my brother dearly, but he does have a reputation for lying. I don't want to judge him unfairly however. so i'm asking you guys: Is he lying? Have you ever herad of someone getting remarks that good? </p>
<p>thanks for all your help and i wish you the best of luck in all your appplications!</p>
<p>Who knows? I think most kids receive positive comments during their interviews. Just wondering, was the interview with the Admissions Director, member of the admissions committee, or an alumni?</p>
<p>My impression from several interviews with my sons at prep schools is that the interview process is at least as much selling you on the school as the student selling himself to the admissions rep.</p>
<p>In other words, it's an INTER-view (two-way street) ... not an interrogation.</p>
<p>My son got that exact comment from one school. It was in the waiting room and I was there. He even listed the reasons my son would want to make sure to do a revisit at the school. Your story bears an uncanny similarity to what we heard from an AdCom...just about one year ago this week. My son went to the bookstore and got a baseball cap for the school. Come March 10, he wasn't even waitlisted at that school.</p>
<p>Here's what's going on: If my son had been accepted by that school, I firmly believe that conversation would have been very important in determining where to go for revisits. That's what AdComs do. They try to find the best kids for their school and convince them to come. If you're accepted at a school and the AdCom has already convinced you to at least choose that school for a revisit, they're doing their job. If you're not accepted, it doesn't really matter to them.</p>
<p>They're selling a product and they want to increase their chances that you'll come back to the showroom when it's time to buy. If they wait to start selling their product until after they know whether you're qualified as a buyer, they're not going to do so well. So they start selling now. And this AdCom decided to do the "hard sell" now, rather than later. Pretty smart AdCom if you ask me. Heartless, but smart.</p>
<p>"So, how does it feel to sit in that new BMW convertible, son? Imagine yourself on the open road, with your girl by your side, wind in your hair. This car's right for you. I can tell. You were made for each other. Don't forget how good this feels when it's time to make a downpayment, because I know already that this is the one for you and I want nothing more than to see you in this car because that's how God Almighty would want it to be."</p>
<p>This does not mean you will be the proud owner of a BMW anytime soon. It just helps get you back in the showroom should your credit rating qualify you. If you credit score doesn't quite work out...nobody will ever notice that global warming accelerated ever so slightly the other morning.</p>
<p>As a parent, I find it unethical for an interviewer to make such comments. Many, perhaps most, applicants don't have the sophistication to judge such comments with a cool head. The interviewer is not the admissions committee, and can't make such promises.</p>
<p>The applicant who hears such comments goes away happy, of course, and interviewers probably want to have an upbeat exchange. The consequences for the child can be terrible, however. An applicant who hears such comments may choose not to apply to a range of schools, and end up on March 10th with only rejection letters.</p>
<p>On the other hand, negative comments by an interviewer should be taken to heart.</p>
<p>Remember that an important role for admissions people is to sell the school. Sometimes they say things that make an applicant believe that s/he is in. I remember a sad story about one applicant at a school who believed she was in based on comments from an admissions person, so she only applied to that school. In the end, she was waitlisted with no back-ups. </p>
<p>Do interviewers give negative comments anymore?</p>