<p>Ehphant, many of the interviewers share with the parents their general impressions of the applicant. I wouldn’t be concerned about this at all. </p>
<p>That being said, we were amused in one interview where the AO read his notes to us, and included things like, "You son says he was born in <strong><em>, and moved to _</em></strong> at age ___. Basically, he read ds’s life story to us. That seemed a bit peculiar, but perhaps he felt that he needed to fact check in case ds got something wrong.</p>
<p>D has completed 4 interviews and I would comfortably say that they all went really well. All D’s interviews were 30 minutes in length. Some posters on other threads have said that their interviewers have made comments that led them to believe they would receive good news in March. With the exception of one interviewer who said to my D , “I certainly hope to see you around campus next Fall”, we have not had that experience. All the interviewers were gracious and polite, but gave nothing away about what their assessment of my D’s chances were at that particular school. My guess is that since they haven’t seen all the candidates yet, they really will have no idea about where an applicant stands until after January 15th.</p>
<p>@Ehphant: I’m a parent. And at nearly every interview we’ve been to so far, the AO gave my wife and I a little “in a nutshell” summary of how his/her talk with our D went. We often heard things like “She seems like the sort of kid who will be able to get a lot out of the boarding school experience.” I saw this as a reaffirmation of our decision to explore the BS option, but not as any barometer of her chances of being admitted into that specific school.</p>
<p>Seven-I am in total agreement with your conclusion. I got the same information from the AO’s, even some of them I asked if they thought my d was the type that would do well. I had a few to ask where else my d was applying. One school, helped us realize that their school was not going to be enough for my d. They asked us why we were there and recommended schools that they felt would be a better fit for my d. She would have been a breakout star there, but it wasnt what they thought we were looking for. It was then when I realized that many schools and AO’s really were interested in my d having a good fit and the right match. </p>
<p>In a few situations, I flat out asked if my daughter was competitive in their pool. If she wasnt then we didnt want to waste our time or theirs in the application process. The schools were honest with us. We ended up with 5-acceptances, 1-wait-listed, 1-not selected.</p>
<p>Additionally, I have had a school where they matched me up exactly with an interviewer and another where they didn’t at all. It was based on the preliminary app. I think it depends on the school, the schedule, and of course if you get the prelim app to them before interview day. Also, any hints they give usually happen late in interview “season” since that’s when they know “what they have”. Just my opinion as always.</p>
<p>Most of my interviews have gone very well, from my, my dad’s, and the interviewer’s perspectives. Unfortunately I do not watch the clock while I’m talking to someone so I don’t have the exact minutes that I talk to them…</p>
<p>Good: This year I’d say my best interviews would have to be Deerfield and NMH (maybe Taft); with those I connected with the interviewers and had a good conversation going. Exeter was okay, still good, but not up to my <em>huff</em> standards.</p>
<p>Bad: Last h=year my Exeter interview was HORRIBLE! It was with a coach that I wasn’t there for and who was only there for the recruit who came after me. And omggg this guy and I could NOT get a conversation going no matter how hard I tried to seem engaging. It was very one sided .</p>
<p>For most people’s interviews, it’s typically before the applicant has done his/her SSAT’s, submitted transcripts, or sent in essays. Thus, not sure if the AO’s indication of whether the kid is a good applicant or not is all that meaningful. The AO’s have every reason to be nice to the candidate.</p>
<p>For example, out of the 80~90+ percent that were rejected this past year by the HADES, how many of those were given favorable impressions from the AO? All? It could be argued that most of the applicants deserve admission and could handle the school. But that’s unlikely. Does any AO ever tell even the most objectionable applicant that they have little chance of admission?</p>
<p>Good point Alextwoo - without the transcripts and SSAT scores in front of them the AO’s really have no idea whether you meet the basic requirements for admission. They encourage you and say nice things because they want you to follow up with the application - the higher the number of applicants, the lower their acceptance rate will be. Most BS’s compete for low acceptance rates. The applicant is in ontrol until the application goes in, then the school has all the power. Then it shifts back to the student once an acceptance is received. You will see the best of each school at re-visit day when they try to convince you to attend.</p>
<p>I have to go for and interview to Andover and Exeter and I’m really nervous. Everyone applying to those schools are super super smart braniacs and im just me. I hope I get in. Any tips?</p>
<p>My family found the AOs at both Andover and Exeter to be very warm and easy to talk to. Be polite, dress appropriately, and you should be fine. The AOs know that the whole interview process can be very intimidating, and they usually try to put the student at ease.</p>
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