<p>Can anyone give me any helpful information regarding interviews and what they are like? Such as:</p>
<p>What questions did they ask?
What is the atmosphere like? Tense? Relaxed?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>The atmosphere for me was very relaxed, but this can differ from AO to AO.
Questions:
Why do you want to go to school XYZ?
What could you contribute to XYZ?
How would your friends describe you??
Basic questions(what sports or instruments do you play, what languages do you speak, etc)
Do you play on continuing the sport, instrument, or language at school?
What are you most passionate about?
Why are you leaving your current school?
How would console someone who was upset?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>When did you schedule your interviews? I plan on doing them next month to get them out of the way.</p>
<p>I had my Andover one in June(bad idea because everyone was gone)
The Hill School in November
Hotchkiss and St.Paul’s were in January</p>
<p>I’d suggest scheduling when school’s in session just so you can get a better feel.</p>
<p>I had two very different experiences. At one school, the interview was more like an intellectual conversation. The AO asked me:
-What books have you read recently?
-What are your hobbies?
-What do you want to be when you grow up?
-Why do you want to come to school here?
-Who do you admire?
In all, the questions were easy to answer, and I just had fun with it. All of my jitters went away instantly because the AO was so warm and relaxed. (This is the school I’m going to.)</p>
<p>At the other school, the questions were similar, but the AO didn’t seem to care about what I was saying. I kid you not, I asked more questions than he did. It was an awful experience, and I didn’t get to show my personality or my interests. My
friends who applied there got different AOs (the lucky ducks) and seems that my case was a rare one.</p>
<p>General tips:
-Dress up. In my opinion, it is better to be too dressy for an interview than it is to be too casual. Take a look at the school’s dress code, and make sure that your outfit is appropriate.
-Make a list of questions that you have about the school beforehand. This will benefit you at the end of the interview when you are given the chance to ask questions. Trust me, you should.
-Maintain good posture. This is an instant confident boost to</p>
<p>yourself, and you’ll appear more open.
-Be yourself. I know, I know. That phrase screams "CLICH</p>
<p>Every interview is different; it really depends upon your interviewer. I had one great interviewer who helped me stay calm and at the end, I couldnt believe that we had talked for over an hour. I have also had a bad experience where my interviewer just read the questions and barely even looked at me. That interview lasted 15 minutes. </p>
<p>My advice is to stay calm and be yourself. It might also help if beforehand go over some notes about why you want to go to boarding school and why the particular school stands out to you.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I appreciate your comments</p>
<p>One good thing that happened to me and other people I’ve heard was when you really connect with the interviewer. For me we connected about adoption and someone else it was about dancing. This will help the person interviewing you get more personal with you. I would recommend visiting the schools if in the north east in October or September because it gets chilly. Last thing you want is your chilliness distracting you from the tour.</p>
<p>Molliewithane- thank you! :D</p>
<p>I have very good knowledge about two of the schools (sibing attends one of them, applied for another but was rejected).</p>
<p>There are a gazillion threads on this topic worth checking out:</p>
<p>[College</a> Confidential - Search Results](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php?searchid=47891801&pp=15]College”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php?searchid=47891801&pp=15)</p>
<p>SevenDad- Thanks, I will definitely check it out.</p>
<p>In every interview, my D was asked what other schools she was applying to… and one of the AOs wanted to know “Where does our school stand on your list? Are we your first choice?” We were a little taken aback by that one…</p>
<p>Just don’t follow my footsteps and say “I want to go to andover because…” In the deerfield interview…things got awkward realllll fast</p>
<p>In my andover interview, I was interviewed by a local alum. I prepared a list of questions beforehand and we basically spent the whole time discussing those questions. Super casual, plus he gave me a really good review</p>
<p>It’s an absolutely horrific, nightmare-ish experience, left me… Just kidding. :)</p>
<p>Actually, if anything, it’s completely the opposite. AOs are almost always very nice and supportive. Even in the interviews I felt went poorly for me, the AOs still came off as warm and welcoming.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s a coincidence, but with the two schools I had a (relatively) bad interview with, I got flat out rejected. Regardless of whether there is such a direct correlation, and as I’m sure you’re well aware, the interview is a VERY important part of the application. That doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and relaxing though; most of my interviews (and it seems the other CC’ers interviews as well) were laid-back and encouraging. Just be yourself, be prepared, and be AMAZING! No pressure. :p</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>They asked me about my interests, hometown, and other question to get to know me better. If you have a special interest like a sport or art they will ask you about that. It isn’t scary at all, it’s basically just a conversation that you happen to be the topic of.</p>
<p>Mine were generally conversations about my hobbies, things I like about school, friends, the weather, my interviewers’ experience at their schools, etc.</p>