Five Fundamentals of the Student Interview

In our recent post Top Ten Interview No-Nos, we covered things that parents should NOT do during their admission interview at a private school. For this post, we cover FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE STUDENT INTERVIEW to share with your child before the big day.

Depending upon the school’s admission protocol, most private schools interview students alone – that is, without their parents present – beginning around sixth grade. Knowing what to expect and the types of questions that might be asked can help put your child more at ease and make for a better experience for all involved.

1. Take a deep breath. Before entering the school for your interview, take a few seconds to stop, take a deep calming breath, and put a smile on your face. These simple actions will help put you at ease. While it’s only natural to have a few nervous butterflies, you don’t want to let your nerves get the better of you.
2. Start off on the right foot. When the scheduled interview time arrives, greet the admission officer by looking her directly in the eye with a smile on your face as you extend your hand for a firm handshake. This friendly yet no-nonsense greeting will help you come across as being mature and confident. And those are definitely two attributes that you want to be associated with your interview!
3. Be prepared for the questions. While you won’t know what the questions are until the actual interview, you can practice answering questions that will probably be similar. For example, you might be asked:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why do you want to attend our school?
• What do you notice about our school that interests you?
• What is your current school like?
• What is your greatest strength? What is your biggest weakness?
• What are your favorite subjects? What are your least favorite subjects?
• What is the most important thing that we should know about you?
• What would you contribute to our school community?

Before you actually give your answer, take a second or two to think about what is being asked and what your answer will be. Above all, answer honestly and just be yourself.

4. Come prepared with your own questions. The admission officer might ask if you have any questions about the school. Take some time before the interview to think about some questions and jot a few down on an index card or put them into your smart phone so that you have them handy when the time comes.What kind of questions could you ask? Perhaps you want to know more about homework policies, the athletic programs, or class trips. Maybe you would like to know what current students are doing to make a difference in their community and the world. You might even want to ask where students continue their education after graduation. This is the time to ask the questions that will help you decide if the school is a good fit for you and if you will be happy there.
5. Show off your exemplary manners with a follow-up thank you note. Even when the interview is over you can do one more thing to make yourself stand out from the crowd. As soon as possible, write a handwritten thank you note to the admission officer for taking the time to meet with you and giving you the opportunity to learn more about the school. How many other students will do this? Not many, and maybe even none of them. This polite – and perhaps even old-fashioned – act will definitely help you stand out in a crowd of applicants.

What can parents do to help their child prepare? First and foremost, try not to pressure and make him even more nervous or tense than he might already be. Make sure to arrive at the interview in plenty of time so that your child doesn’t have to worry about being late. Also help your child think about appropriate attire so that he presents himself in the best light possible. While the event does not necessitate renting a tuxedo, this is definitely not the time for a faded t-shirt, board shorts and flip-flops.

There is always the question of whether or not a child should practice for an interview. While we don’t at all advocate rehearsing a child to death, practicing and becoming familiar with what an interview feels like can help put him at ease for the real interview. In addition, most children do not often interact with adults in such a formal setting, so there is something to be said for practicing this conversational style.

Remember that the interview allows the school to find out more about your child, but also allows your child to find out more about the school. Ideally, both your child and the school will come away from the interview process with a better idea of whether or not they are a good fit for each other, and a better idea of how successful and happy your child would be at the school.

One Response to “Five Fundamentals of the Student Interview”

1. Five Fundamentals of the Student Interview | aneducatedchoice.com School’s Rate says:

   December 6, 2009 at 12:40 pm

   [...] the original post:  Five Fundamentals of the Student Interview | aneducatedchoice.com By admin | category: private schools | tags: admission, admission-interview, [...]