Interview timing
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Anonymous
| New to the private school arena - but seemed odd to me that interviews are scheduled independently of when application is submitted. Don’t the schools want to have some background on kid before the interview? |
Anonymous
| The interviews aren't that deep. It's not like they're doing a lot of individualized preparation. |
Anonymous
Not sure about that. We went through this process last year and some schools almost had 1 hour plus interviews where DC was asked about many things. Other schools already had background material bc we had to fill out information beforehand. One interview was a 2 hour tour and interview and admissions officer toured school with child and asked questions at same time. Yet another interview was only 20 or 30 minutes. So it really varies. But some tend to go deep and the interview we think is where our DC stood out. |
Anonymous
Yikes! What grade was this? I'm not sure my kid could talk for two hours. |
Anonymous
This was for 9th grade. But that particular interview was very casual. More like chatting as as they walked through school. Overall, in all the cases, best thing is to just let the kid be himself. It actually comes across more in longer interviews because child has more time to relax and talk about different things than in a very quick 20 minutes where questions are just fired back and forth across a desk. Each school seems to have a different approach. Some schools also have a group interview, with several students. But I found that least effective because the shy kids don't say very much and thus are not noticed, Even though initially it seems as though it would be easier than the others. |
pbraverman
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My experience matches that of a few PPs: Interviews vary quite a bit from school to school, and from grade to grade. Most one-on-ones are conversational, just trying to get an idea of what students are like on a personal level and, for older grades, whether they can think on their feet a little. About 80-90 percent of schools' interview questions are similar, drawn from a list of about a dozen questions. It's not a collusion; they're just obvious, age-appropriate questions, like "Tell me about one of your favorite books." Most parents could probably predict many of them.
It is entirely reasonable to ask admission offices about their interview settings — one-on-one, individually or with parents present, coincident with a casual tour, etc. — when scheduling one. Nobody should take offense at such an inquiry. On a specific note, the PP's statement that group interviews favor extroverts is a perceptive one. If your child (older than grade 3 or so) has such an interview and is an introvert, it may be worth discussing how he or she feels about it, and ways it might help to interact, a few times beginning a few weeks before the interview date. In case it's not clear, I am not suggesting trying to turn your introverted kid into an extrovert — merely talking about and practicing specific strategies that could be used. Such an approach with very young children is as likely to backfire as not; it's almost always obvious who's been coached. Just let them have as much fun as they can. For what it's worth, my experience is that almost all families who are new to the process, and many who are not, underestimate the value of the student interview relative to the quantitative aspects of an application. Peter _____________________ Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's too easy to write uninformed, personal, or mean-spirited posts if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools. I have read hundreds of admission files, and I have counseled hundreds of students in finding their next schools in the DC area. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students and parents ahead of you.  If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> peterbraverman <dotcom>
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Anonymous
Agree, with PP and others. Also he's correct in saying that the interview is a very valuable tool in admissions. I think the interview is what helped my DC get into a top school. It's the best way to get to know kids. Test scores, grades are pretty much going to be similar among most of the kids applying. |
Anonymous
Agree with this too. Interviews are very important for a relatively small private school to get a feel for whether someone is or isn't a good fit. Can tell from an interview info well beyond a kid's interests -- can ask questions/get answers that help identify empathy, sense of humor, independence, and maturity, among other characteristics. Some schools ask parents to sit in on the interview, at least for middle school applicants. Spouse and I sat in on two such interviews that our DC did for his middle school application and we were just so impressed with how DC acted and responded. Though his grades were superb, his test scores weren't bad but weren't exactly great either. We're convinced his showing of maturity, empathy, and "fun"/humor helped a lot in being memorable and getting him accepted to the schools he applied to. He's now at a big three. |
Anonymous
| At my child’s school, they use the group interview to gauge how your child gets along with others. Yes, they want extroverts but they also score on whether you listen and interact with the other kids or just try to impress the interviewer. My introvert got in. |
Anonymous
group interviews expose the truth |
Anonymous
[b] What truth, exactly? |
Anonymous
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I agree with the prior posters. The main purpose of the interview seems to be to get a feel for the child, not the child's CV or potential aspirations to cure cancer by the age of 17.
The interviews we observed and then heard about from our oldest 4 were more opportunities for our children to talk about themselves, their hobbies and activities, life at home, life at school, those types of things. At a few of the interviews the children even discussed some current events and their take on reactions. The interviewers did invariably ask about favorite classes or teachers but not from a grade perspective, mostly a 'what do you think about...' perspective. It is surprising to many people that a 13-14 year old interviewing for a high school, or a 9-10 year old interviewing for middle school, can have a lot of depth and insight. That's what the interviews are about. Not what schools they've attended, the field of study and academic rigmarole. |
Anonymous
| Interviews are important. Definitely a good idea to prepare your child and even approach it like you would a job interview -- brainstorm what likely questions will be, type them up, then type up bullets for response suggestions (parents would do this for their child, at least lower/middle schoolers). For example, you don't want to get the #1 or #2 most likely question to go to your child -- tell me about you favorite book [or a book you've been reading recently] -- and have your child to be stumped and not have any answer. Same with ... what's your favorite class and why, what do you like to do on weekends and after school for fun, what sports do you enjoy, do you enjoy any musical instruments, tell me about a good friend of yours, etc. Some, perhaps many, will say this is ridiculous to do for a child, but, IMO I think it's best to "prep your witness" than to let him or her wing it (and perhaps not answer as well as could have). |
Anonymous
| Does anyone recommend any educational consultants or other professionals that just do interview prep? We'd like to do this for DC, who is only applying to one school where sibling attends. Don't need all of the other parts, but would like to work on the interviewing skills. |
Anonymous
| I expect an educational consultant would provide this service, for a fee, if asked. This is a task though -- prep for the interview -- that I think most parents could do themselves with their kids. |