<p>My son is going to have his school visit and interview in January. He is a very shy and modest boy and I think this would be the weakest area of his application. Also this is going to be our first interview ever. Can anyone give us some insight as what kind of questions are asked? What are the pitfalls? How important is the parent interview? Do schools expect both parents go? Thanks so much</p>
<p>Most interviewers are very skilled at making kids comfortable and drawing them out. For both my kids (I have twins who are going through the application process now), I suggested that they start off the first interview by telling the AO that it was their first and that they were a little nervous. That seemed to work well.
And they don’t hold it against you if both parents can’t come, but I have found it a lot easier when my husband was there, because he is better at this sort of thing than I am. 
As to the other questions, others will have better answers than I do.</p>
<p>There are some threads on this forum that focus on the interviews, you can search for those, they will likely be helpful. Just try to relax and have fun, the AOs are very nice and I’m sure you will have a positive experience on your visit! Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>As cameo, suggested, look at interview threads, and twinsmama’s idea of letting the interviewer know it’s his first is also a good idea. I also have a fairly quiet, modest son, and when we did this last year, we spent a few car rides with me asking him some practice questions (“what do you like best in school,” “what do you like to do outside of school,” “why this school”), just so he could think about some answers. We did NOT then talk about or “edit” those answers (you don’t want him to sound too rehearsed-- just let him think ahead and get comfortable with the type of questions he’ll be asked). He was worried about the idea of sounding like he was “showing off” if he said anything positive about himself, so we suggested he could just DESCRIBE things (“here’s what I do in music”), rather than describing himself (“I’m good at music”). All that seemed to work well. I’m sure the interviews weren’t as sparkly as the interviews of some kids, but I think they all went well and the AOs got to know him.</p>
<p>We’ve also done the asking of questions in the car since at least my kids aren’t very reflective or introspective and it gives them a chance to think about (for example) what their favorite class is and why and to realize “I dunno” isn’t really answering the questions!</p>
<p>My son began interviewing before we discovered CC, so we never saw those threads until it was too late. We had, however, googled college interview questions, and figured it would be similar for prep schools. So we compiled a list of possible prep school interview questions we thought would be good for our son to think about.</p>
<p>My son also does not like to boast, but we found that what interviewers really wanted was for him to describe his interests and activities, talk about his current classes, and explain why he wants to attend school X. It was more describing and explaining rather than reporting his accolades. They see grades, test scores, awards, activities, portfolios, etc., elsewhere in the application. Most interviewers want to see what he is like as a person, how he relates to adults, how he thinks, what he’s passionate about, etc. They know some kids are quieter than others, and I really don’t think shyness is an issue unless it is extreme. Modesty is a good thing.</p>
<p>Interviewers all have different styles. One or two of them fired away with direct questions (Do you play an instrument? Have you done community service? Are you involved in any sports? etc.) , and the others left it much more free form (So tell me about yourself - what do you like to do with your time?)</p>
<p>The interviewer will ask your son if he has any questions about the school. He should be prepared to ask 1 or 2 questions, so have him look over the website and brochures, and think about anything he would really want to know before attending that school. They can be about academics, sports, arts, social life, Saturday classes, the attrition rate, etc. Pretty much anything.</p>
<p>Most interviewers expected us parents to use our time with them to ask questions about the school, so you should go prepared with questions, too. It is not necessary for both parents to attend. My husband and I attended the interviews together, but I noticed that at all schools, the vast majority of student applicants were accompanied by only one parent. Both of us went because we have the flexibility in our schedules, and it was convenient, since our son applied only to schools within about an hour drive.</p>