Is Your Student Nervous About a School Interview? Try These Tips.
School interviews are likely the first interaction your student has with a school, so it’s important to make a good first impression. These interviews are an opportunity for students to learn about the school’s environment and other details they might not have known before visiting campus.
Besides helping the student decide if this school could be their perfect fit, these interviews are an ideal way for the school to get to know more about your student. If your student is particularly nervous about their first school interview, remind them that it’s not an interrogation but a conversation.
Let’s just take the anxiety out of the process and call them get-acquainted conversations instead of student interviews, as that’s really what they are!
After years of working with hundreds of students, we’re put together our best tips as students prepare for a school interview.
Rest is Necessary
Your student might think they will be better prepared for their interview if they stay up late thinking through all the questions they might be asked. But, the more rest they get the night before (actually it’s more like two nights before!), the better they will attend during their interview.
Space Out the Interviews
Once your student gets the hang of the interview process, they might be excited to pack in as many as they can. We don’t recommend trying to squeeze too many interviews or tours into a single day. Not only is this overwhelming, but it’s also exhausting.
In addition, having time between interviews can help your student reflect on their school visits and decide for themselves how they feel about the schools they learned more about.
Don’t Memorize Answers
It can be tempting for your student to want to walk (or Zoom) into the room and riddle off as many perfect answers as they possibly can.
To help your student not let their answers sound forced, we encourage them to try and memorize a few bullet points for each question they are reviewing. That way the interview will flow more like a conversation and your student can share their own thoughts.
Make Sure to Have Fun
Try and help your student approach their interview from the perspective that it’s a conversation about their life. Remind them that during this time they will get to learn about the school, and vice versa.
Help your student gather their thoughts on the things they enjoy, any personal or academic challenges or key moments they have worked through. These are highlights that the school admissions team wants to hear. Remember, there are no right answers! The school is interested in learning more about what makes your student unique.
Embrace Story Telling
Rather than giving yes or no answers, your student should do their best to elaborate on the question asked by using a personal example. We like to remind our clients to ‘paint a picture’ as they are describing their stories—what is the visual they want to leave their interviewer with? The more human your student can be through smiling, laughing, and making eye contact, the more the school can help identify them as a perfect fit.
Show your Interest
It’s unsurprising that your student is interested in the school they are interviewing with. But this doesn’t mean their interest is clear to the school!
To show off your student’s interest, do research beforehand about the school so that they can come prepared for the interview with two to three specific questions about what the school offers. Some examples include:
Do the English classes include creative writing?
I know you have a theater program. Can sixth-graders participate?
I’ve always wanted to learn lacrosse. Can I start from scratch?
Follow Up
After the interview, it’s important for your student to continue to express their interest. Always be sure to send a thank-you card filled with specifics from the interview and campus visit. This helps show the school your dedication to learning more about their community.
Now that your student is prepared to dive into more specifics about the interview process, let’s touch-on a few things to avoid. They may seem obvious yet repeatedly we hear from our admissions colleagues that these happen often….let’s work to change that!
Interview Don’ts
Don’t say negative things about their current school but rather encourage your student to share ways they wish their school were different or better with suggestions.
Avoid distracting habits like cracking knuckles, jiggling your pockets, gum chewing and foot-tapping.
Leave all technology in the car! Scrolling through a cell phone suggests a lack of interest and engagement. And there’s nothing worse than a phone buzzing in someone’s pocket during an interview!
There’s so much more to share! What else do you think students should add to their interview prep list?