<p>This is a question I quarreled with my parents on how to answer. Personally I believe just to be straight out honest and mention every school, however they believed that if I was at a lower tier school I shouldn't run-off and mention 1st tier schools. Honestly, I think there mind set is pretty ridiculous because in the end I'm going to be having to list all the schools on my app. form anyways. What do you guys think? Whats your thoughts about having to answer these questions?</p>
<p>Just list every school. Honesty is extremely important when applying. I mean we might sometimes overly exaggerate or inflate some things, but when it's black and white things like that, it's best to be honest.</p>
<p>First question I get at almost all of my interviews. Im applying to 4 top tier schools so I don't mind naming the other schools. Just helps me not have to talk as much, half way through the interview and they start trying to sell themselves to you. Makes you a lot more comfortable.</p>
<p>There's no need to answer this with a laundry list of names and then wait for the next question. It should be a conversation starter. Name each school and WHY you are looking at that school. And be sure to include WHY you are looking at the school you're visiting, too!</p>
<p>Giving your reasons conveys that you've thought about this process and that you're serious. If you're just doing it as an excuse to check out the changing New England leaves and spend quality time with your mom or dad, you might just spout off names of schools on your tour. But if you know something about yourself and the schools you're applying to -- which, one hopes, is the case by the time you're sitting down for interviews -- then you can tell the admission officer a lot about yourself in the context of sharing information about the schools you're applying to.</p>
<p>Before going into each interview, think carefully about what you want to say in response to this question. The reasons you give should be different for each school you're applying to, designed to bring out the best in you vis-a-vis the school you're interviewing. </p>
<p>In other words, at St. Paul's you might say you're applying to Andover because of the freedom you believe they offer students to make academic choices, while at Exeter you might explain that you're applying to Andover because you thrive in larger community and feed off on the energy of others around you. You might not want to give the Exeter answer during your St. Paul's interview. And it's okay if you say for some schools that something about the school piqued your curiosity but you don't know enough yet. You don't have to provide an introspective reason for every school that you're applying to. But the more you can share about yourself, in the context of naming schools that you're applying to, the better -- especially if you're trying to figure out ways to boast of an achievement without coming across as being too boastful.</p>
<p>Consider the opportunities questions like this afford you to share more about yourself. If you got a letter from a school because of some activity or talent you have, consider saying that you're applying to Deerkiss Academy because they sent you a letter after you won the county squash tournament or they identified you through some academic talent program. What a perfect way to put that out there without force-feeding it to the admission officer! And, best of all, it's in response to a question that they asked.</p>
<p>Consider going a step further with this question and asking the admission officer what kinds of students they're hoping to attract to the graduating class you hope to be a part of. Why not find out something about who you might find in your class if you were to matriculate next fall? Or use this question as a prompt to ask the question, "What other schools do Deerkiss Academy students also apply to?" It might give you some interesting information...maybe even alert you to a school you might find to be a good fit that you hadn't seriously considered.</p>
<p>Every question in an interview is an opportunity, so seize it. Never get caught off guard twice by a question. Always think of ways you can answer the question to paint a more complete picture of yourself and, if possible, use questions as springboards for sharing additional information and forming your own questions.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don't be a Sarah Palin, arguably the worst-ever interviewee. She was not only unprepared but she got defensive with wide open questions and appeared as though she had been attacked. Some questions that she complained about as being unfair were complete softballs that any experienced interviewee (regardless of experience or specific knowledge) would have hit out of the park. Other questions were ones that should have been high on the list of expected questions. Being a skillful and deft interviewee is something you'll need no matter what station you achieve in life. That's why you can't practice enough for your BS interviews -- preferably with someone who is a master with interviews of any sort.</p>
<p>Just be honest. Schools ask this question for several reasons, including gathering information they find useful for their own recruiting/admissions process.</p>
<p>"That's why you can't practice enough for your BS interviews -- preferably with someone who is a master with interviews of any sort." <--I respectfully disagree. </p>
<p>Students can...and do...overprepare. Admission officers dislike students who come off sounding too rehearsed; they'd much prefer to have an honest conversation with a real, live person. They want to know what you are truly interested in, what you are really all about. After all, most of the kids who interview are 13 or 14 years old...what teenager would say something like, "I want to apply to XXX Academy, because I thrive in a larger community and feed off on the energy of others around me." While it is important to be well-prepared for a job interview as an adult, honesty is the best policy when it comes to boarding school interviews as a TEENAGER. </p>
<p>In many cases, admission officers ask "what other schools are you looking at?" as a way to size up their own competition. If they like you and want you to come, when March/April rolls around they will need to come up with a plan to YIELD you. For instance if your #1 interest is horses and they know (from asking you in the interview) that you also applied to Thacher, then XXX Academy--which doesn't have a horse program--will have to work extra hard to convince you to send them your enrollment deposit.</p>
<p>My son interviewed at 12 schools - a WIDE range of them at that. There is no way he was going to list all 12 when asked. Before each school, we agreed on the other 2-3 that he would say he was looking at. His answer was "I
m touring at quite a few, right now my top choices are..." He would of course say the school we were at and then at least one school in the same "ballpark" as that one. It would not have made sense for him to be at Cushing (a fine school, one we liked but didn't end up applying to ) and to say "I'm applying to Deerfield and St. Paul's" Clearly Cushing is the safety at that point.<br>
One thing as I mentioned, we always agreed as a family, which schools to say in case they asked us seperately we would give the same answers. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for all you opinions, but I'm still rather torn and not know the proper answer. In most of my interviews I gave a range of schools, not just the "safeties" or high reaches but just an overview of all the schools I was applying to. Is that alright?</p>
<p>Ya well I'm applying for 11th in most school and I guess I'm a little bit more mature than most of the kids that go for their interviews. I believe being able to develop a propensity to talk with confidence and always thinking quick on your feet is a necessity for the top schools. I thought about possible questions about 5 minutes before each interview, if your children have any personality and know how to express themselves well they should do great.</p>
<p>Just be truthful and name the ones your most likely going to apply to in my opinion. Why not, unless you come up with a reason why you shouldn't be truthful.</p>
<p>Well, the idea of practicing for your interviews is so that you're NOT rehearsed. A good interview is not rehearsed. But well prepared. It's a skill you can't start preparing for too soon. And honesty is the rule...even as an adult.</p>
<p>These interviews are given A LOT of weight in admission decisions. Winging it and letting your 13- and 14-year old just let it all hang out there isn't wise. It's true that some of those quotes I used would sound awful for a kid. The point is not for anyone to crib responses that I dream up. Then you'd sound like me...and that's not good. The point is to show that it pays to be prepared and let the interviewer see as much of you (or your child) as possible. Answering this question by listing schools is a missed opportunity. There are lots of ways to take this question, but giving the counselor a list of schools is one of the least wise ways to answer it.</p>
<p>The only real "preparation" a bright child should need is knowing a few details about the schools. They sometimes hit you with questions specific to their school, and always looking for knowledge specific to their schools in the questions. Other than that I seriously can't see how else you would need to prepare. If your a student with capabilities of getting into these top prep schools talking should be the least of your worries. I look forward to interviews, I think the preparation and stress should all be in your essays.</p>
<p>Of course you want to be truthful, but do you really want to answer the question "So, do you view us as your safety school since the other 4 schools on your list are ASDE?"<br>
No.<br>
Do not underestimate the importance of the interview. I would say it ranks higher than the essays. By a long shot. Interviews and recommendations.</p>
<p>I would also, I also would say that if you plan on getting into most the schools people here apply to, then the interview should be the least of your worries. And nobody can really say what is more important than the other, for all we know the recommendations could easily be the crux of your application.</p>
<p>If your confident in yourself and you think the interviewer will like you for you. Then over thinking the whole situation will make you uncomfortable during the interview and in turn will make the interviewer uncomfortable with interviewing you.</p>
<p>Obviously don't answer the question with 12 schools, this is something you think about 5 minutes before the interview. Pick the 3 schools your going to say, say them, then move on to the next question.</p>
<p>I think my interviewer was surprised that I was only applying to three schools. Also, everyone (current parents, students, and the interviewer) kept saying how different Choate, Andover, and Exeter are. I'd have to agree, though I haven't seen Exeter or Andover.</p>
<p>I think there's a misunderstanding -- probably fueled by my choice of words -- as to what it means to prepare for an interview. First, it means knowing what questions are likely to be asked and not being caught off guard by something that everyone else goes in ready to answer. Second, it means knowing something about the subject matter: the school in this case and, more generally, what the boarding school experience is all about. And, third, but most importantly, it means being skilled at interviewing. Good interviewing skills cannot be taught too early. Or, at least, 13- and 14-year olds aren't too young to learn how to interview effectively. And it's a skill that you only get better at through practice. Not rehearsal, but practice. The more practice, the better. The more the interview becomes a lively discussion, the better the interview. The more it looks like a Q&A session with the interviewer asking 90% of the questions, and the interviewee answering questions as though it's an oral exam, the worse it is. Helping a 13- or 14-year old (or older) person learn how to use the interview questions as springboards for discussion is an important skill that will pay off well beyond this March.</p>
<p>As for allocation of time, this should be a big priority. First of all, the interviews generally take place before the essays get written, so it's a temporal priority. And second, there's only so much time needed for the rest of the application process to make it polished. Even if you find someone who doesn't know much about boarding schools to give practice interviews -- about any subjects -- if that person is an experienced interviewer they can provide invaluable help. So practice with school counselors, people from work, and others who know how to interview and be interviewed. Finally, interviewing is one of the experiences from this process that the applicant can keep and use down the road, so get the most out of them as a lasting life skill. </p>
<p>Considering the number of adults that I interview who do miserably in interviews, I can only believe that the percentage gets higher as the maturity and age goes down. And that means the interview is a great opportunity to truly stand out and differentiate yourself from the pack. It's one of the few variables that, as of this time in the cycle, you have the power to dramatically alter in your favor. </p>
<p>Please don't dismiss it as a minor formality or be too enamored by Junior's outgoingness and figure he'll be charming. And when Junior reports back that the interviews are going well, and he hasn't practiced and hasn't had experience interviewing, you have no choice but to take his self-evaluations with a huge grain of salt. If he feels good afterwards, understand that 95% or more of the applicants feel that way. The admission officers want them all to feel that way. So be at least as intentional, deliberate with, and committed to this crucial element of the application as with all of the others.</p>
<p>I wouldn't coach a student. So what if the competition fares miserably at interviewing? That's because they're 13, 14, 15 year old kids. I think genuine response will be more convincing than a polished answer, anytime. </p>
<p>I think the biggest obstacle in many applicants' path is the suspicion that their parents are pushing them to get into the most prestigious school available. If a child is unnaturally composed, and rattles off adult answers to predictable questions, but can't answer anything he hasn't been coached on, what's an interviewer to think? </p>
<p>If an applicant is naturally outgoing, I'd remind him to mind his manners, look the interviewer in the eye, and answer questions. He should be prepared to answer, "why boarding school?" "Why this school?" and "Have you read any good books lately?" If a child is very shy, then it's worthwhile to run through the social basics, very lightly. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the worth of the interview in admissions, because some children will blame themselves if they aren't accepted. </p>
<p>If an applicant is very introverted, then an interviewer may wonder if he will be happy, away from home, at boarding school. It doesn't mean he "blew the interview." It means the interview worked as it is supposed to. The purpose of an interview isn't to convince an interviewer that an applicant is perfect for the school in question. The purpose of an interview is to allow an interviewer to have unmediated contact with a candidate, in order to assess "fit."</p>
<p>I tried being a politician my first interview, it went ok but could've gone so much better. Be yourself, and it will impress the interviewer a lot more.</p>
<p>That's what im saying MDog. D'yer , when did I say I've never interviewed before? I've been to multiple interviews, spoke in front of almost 2,000 people. While you may doubt my self evaluation of how I did, I don't. Being yourself is the best answer, preparation should be going on in your head the night before. Maybe on the car ride over there. Go over some quick things and re-evaluate everything you have researched about the school.</p>
<p>Yes I'm 15, but trust me I have a lot more experience than you may think I hate with interviews and interviewing. Also, to be very blunt, nobody knows how well you've done in an interview, and most times it depends on the interviewer. Personally, if your not smart enough to think about nailing home the crucial parts of your application you probably shouldn't even be applying. I don't see what preparation you need to talk about something if your truly as passionate as your application would suggest. Just my 2 cents. Go ahead and spend an hours "preparing" for an interview. You will end up being something your not, I've done it before. Be yourself.</p>
<p>And I would highly dispute that 95% of people feel good after their interviews. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses, and self-evaluation is not something I feel shaky about. If I didn't do well, my interviewer wouldn't waste his time by e-mailing me about how he loves Atlanta. Or give the track coach my e-mail to get in contact with me, while I could be wrong I would think I didn't do horribly.</p>
<p>I was just myself. No preparation and no coaching. If they like you they like you, if they don't...at least you leave with your integrity.</p>