SWW interview--what should I expect?

[Anonymous]

Any inside info? Please? I am getting nervous...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any inside info? Please? I am getting nervous...

Why do you want to attend SWW? Describe your current school workload and how do you handle pressure.

[Anonymous]

Expect to be interviewed by children.
My 11th grader went through the process (and got in so no sour grapes here).
I was shocked when my husband told me that he was interviewed by students only.
Odd and not appropriate for children to be interviewing adults and rendering opinions about a family's suitability.

[Anonymous]

The interview panel is comprised of at least one teacher or administrator, but there are at least 2-3 students on the panel as well. Having students present allows prospective students and parents to get in idea of what the school is like for students. The students do not pass judgment on parents or family situations beyond getting a sense of whether it is the student who wants to attend or the parents who want the kid to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The interview panel is comprised of at least one teacher or administrator, but there are at least 2-3 students on the panel as well. Having students present allows prospective students and parents to get in idea of what the school is like for students. The students do not pass judgment on parents or family situations beyond getting a sense of whether it is the student who wants to attend or the parents who want the kid to attend.

Are you a parent or staff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The interview panel is comprised of at least one teacher or administrator, but there are at least 2-3 students on the panel as well. Having students present allows prospective students and parents to get in idea of what the school is like for students. The students do not pass judgment on parents or family situations beyond getting a sense of whether it is the student who wants to attend or the parents who want the kid to attend.

Who cares who wants to attend? They went to the exam and passed, they have good grades. Students that age we not mature enough to be "interviewing" anyone with complete impartiality. Stinks to high heaven, imho. And yes, DC and I will be heading in for our "interview" this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The interview panel is comprised of at least one teacher or administrator, but there are at least 2-3 students on the panel as well. Having students present allows prospective students and parents to get in idea of what the school is like for students. The students do not pass judgment on parents or family situations beyond getting a sense of whether it is the student who wants to attend or the parents who want the kid to attend.

Who cares who wants to attend? They went to the exam and passed, they have good grades. Students that age we not mature enough to be "interviewing" anyone with complete impartiality. Stinks to high heaven, imho. And yes, DC and I will be heading in for our "interview" this year.

Honestly I suspect the purpose of the interview is to lay eyes on the kids and families and ensure that the students they accept are diverse (male, female, black, white, latino, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The interview panel is comprised of at least one teacher or administrator, but there are at least 2-3 students on the panel as well. Having students present allows prospective students and parents to get in idea of what the school is like for students. The students do not pass judgment on parents or family situations beyond getting a sense of whether it is the student who wants to attend or the parents who want the kid to attend.

Who cares who wants to attend? They went to the exam and passed, they have good grades. Students that age we not mature enough to be "interviewing" anyone with complete impartiality. Stinks to high heaven, imho. And yes, DC and I will be heading in for our "interview" this year.

Honestly I suspect the purpose of the interview is to lay eyes on the kids and families and ensure that the students they accept are diverse (male, female, black, white, latino, etc).

+1

[Anonymous]

But SWW is overwhelmingly girls. 60% or so.

[Anonymous]

Why don't they just take the top percentage of test takers, period? Would the school population look different? There needs to be transparency since it is a PUBLIC school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't they just take the top percentage of test takers, period? Would the school population look different? There needs to be transparency since it is a PUBLIC school.

NO one knows. And they won't tell you how much the test counts vs. the interview in the final analysis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't they just take the top percentage of test takers, period? Would the school population look different? There needs to be transparency since it is a PUBLIC school.

NO one knows. And they won't tell you how much the test counts vs. the interview in the final analysis.

You have got to be kidding! Sounds like a subjective way to control the demographics more than anything. Children on the panel interviewing parents for "family suitability" for Walls!?! Even the Ivies don't do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The interview panel is comprised of at least one teacher or administrator, but there are at least 2-3 students on the panel as well.

People say that, but a bunch of people have reported on DCUM that they were interviewed by students only.

Anonymous wrote:Having students present allows prospective students and parents to get in idea of what the school is like for students.

In a 10 minute interview that the prospective student spends answering questions? Not buying that at all. If the admin cared about this, they would allow visits and shadow days before acceptances go out.

Anonymous wrote:The students do not pass judgment on parents or family situations beyond getting a sense of whether it is the student who wants to attend or the parents who want the kid to attend.

This is what I've heard from current students.

[Anonymous]

The interviewers didn't seem to know why they were asking particular questions based on my little chat with them after the interview so I decided that it must be close to a formality. Maybe, they are just checking to make sure the applicant really wants to go to SWW.

[Anonymous]

What questions do they ask?

Questions about the student? The school?

Is it a back and forth between the student and the interviewers or just a Q&A from the panel to the student?

If the parent interview is just 5 minutes, what do they ask the parents?