<p>I feel like I didn't quite get to relate what I intended, but overall I think I seemed like a nice kid and I wasn't awkward or anything. The woman who interviewed me was wonderful, it was more of a casual chat than a question/answer type of thing. I said the same key term twice, which bothers me. In retrospect I feel like I could have said it so much better, maybe I am over thinking this?</p>
<p>What do you think defines a good interview. </p>
<p>Well, I’m really in no position to tell you this considering I didn’t get into a “top” boarding school. But, I did get into one, so this is what I can tell you.</p>
<p>People, often, overlook aspects of the interview. To be honest, the interview doesn’t do much other than show AO’s that you’re interested and give them a little background on you. In the end, it’s you’re application that is going to get you accepted, not how many “big” words you dropped during your 20 minutes. </p>
<p>My interview’s varied from alright to great, or so I thought. My interview at Middlesex, I thought was flawless. I had perfect eye contact, I was engaged, used great vocabulary and got my points across clearly. However, I was still rejected. My SSAT’s were awful, but I’m an overall A student, have great EC’s, and had great recommendations. I still did not get in. </p>
<p>Now, my interview at the school I am attending this fall was, again, what I thought was flawless. Basically, my interview at Saint James was how you described, a normal conversation. We talked about how guinea pigs never die and live forever.</p>
<p>With all this said, interviews are a great chance for you to show how passionate about a school you are. Which is good, but don’t make the mistakes I made, one of them being that interviews are a big deal. While they are a good place to show the AO’s that you’re serious, they do not read into them as much as many people expect. My dad was friends with an admissions director for a private school in New York, and when I asked how important the interviews were, she said, “they’re great to show how the student interacts, but don’t fall for the “you’d be a great fit” things they say. They say it to everyone. It’s to get more applications, cause remember, the application fee’s are not cheap. A great interview is an added bonus, but don’t expect it to change their overall decision.”</p>
<p>This is NOT meant to discourage you though! It seems like you had a great interview, and like I said, it is an added bonus!</p>
<p>Best of luck with the most awful application process of your life so far, because it will be a bittersweet journey, be prepared!</p>
<p>One thing to remember is that <em>most</em> of the people who do interviews realize that candidates can use terminology or say things or use words that are loaded with “meaning” or conjure certain images in most people’s minds. Good interviewers are forgiving of missteps or misconceptions. A diamond in the rough is just that: rough around the edges. Strive to be happy and take full advantage of whatever is put before you. Don’t worry about “what might have been” or the situations others have (it’s the road to insanity). Go easy on yourself. </p>
<p>My idea of a “good interview” is connecting with your interviewer. Be yourself and just have a conversation. My interview and Andover was the best by far. I connected with my AO and we kept in touch after.
However at Exeter my AO seemed somewhat uninterested in what I had to say and was overall very unenthusiastic. I believe he liked me, but we did not connect in any way.
I was interviewed by an alumni for Deerfield and I felt that went except that we wanted to hear that DF was my first choice, which it was not. I was not going to lie so I that I think hurt my chances.
My final interview was with NMH which was by far I thought my worst interview. It was over Skype and I got the idea that my interviewer did not find any of my answers helpful as she just kept asking questions about what I had said. I did get in to NMH, but I don’t think the interview help very much.
Looking back at all of these interviews I don’t believe I could have done any better because I was myself in all the interviews. I didn’t go into any of the interviews with things I wanted to say because I wanted all my answers to be natural. I thinks what really decked what was a good interview for me was my interviewer. Good luck with your applications and interviews!</p>
<p>My son went through this entire process last year. Honestly it is very difficult to tell after the interview whether or not you will be accepted.</p>
<p>There were several interviews after which we left, it was clear that my son would be accepted (for example Admissions Officer was trying to talk about advantages of his school over others). And after other interviews (Andover in particular) where we left thinking that the interview was a bomb. But he ended up getting accepted at Andover, despite a bad interview.</p>
<p>So just relax and have fun at the interviews. Be yourself. Most of the decision of whether or not you will be admitted is based upon your stats. In the interview they just want to make sure you (or your parents) are not a freak. Good luck</p>
<p>A good interview will tell AO who you are. So it should be truthful. It can show things that are not necessarily expressed in your application. Because an interview alone doesn’t guarantee your acceptance doesn’t mean it isn’t important. It is equally important. Especially when you have nothing impressive other than great GPAs and test scores, an interview can be a great chance to tell them who you are and what you can bring in as a person. So it should be authentic. Be natural and yourself. </p>
<p>What kinds of questions do they ask in the interview?</p>
<p>This topic has been covered on the board before, and was on the SECOND page of results on the main forum. Dig, use the search tool, etc.</p>
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