Parent Prep: Private School Admissions Interviews
For students, school interviews and campus tours never seem to get less intimidating. But for parents, these events are just as highly anticipated.
Before arriving on campus, here are questions parents can prepare to ask while determining if this school will be the best fit for their student.
Get to Know Their Mission and Practice
To get an overall sense of the school’s goals, values, and what makes it stand out, it’s important to ask a few questions about their mission and community. Select a few of these questions that you are most interested in and you believe will help you gain a clearer understanding of this school’s environment:
What makes this school different from the others?
What is the teaching philosophy here? How does this affect the classroom experience?
How are “right” and “wrong” defined at your school?
How does this school embrace curiosity and discovery?
At this school, are the teachers coaches to the students or simply givers of information?
How does your school teach every child’s strengths? How does it help each child develop strengths in new areas?
Tell us about the type of student (and family) that thrives at your school. Who struggles?
How does this school honor diversity?
Where Families Fit In
Finding your student’s perfect fit isn’t just about what works best for them but also what feels right for your family too. We always encourage our parents to understand how and when they can partner with the school.
For example, ask:
How will we learn how our child is progressing at this school? What does that look like?
What opportunities exist for parental involvement? How do you communicate with parents?
Get to Know the Faculty
One of the most important things you can learn about a potential school is who will be teaching your student. Questions about the school’s faculty can help you get a sense of what the classroom environment is like.
We encourage families to ask:
How do you ensure faculty are well trained?
How long have your teachers been teaching here?
How does this school mentor faculty?
What do you do to ensure your faculty and staff feel appreciated, valued, happy, and energized?
Learn About Academic Life
Outside of understanding the type of faculty at the school, it’s important to get an idea of what students’ academic lives entail. Understanding the type of students and what they are involved in can help you determine if you can visualize your student at this school.
You should ask:
How many students take Honors, AP, or IB courses?
How much homework is there on a typical night?
Are there any academic Saturdays?
What is the school dress code?
By asking these simple questions, you’ll most likely be able to walk away from campus with an idea if this school could be the best fit for your student.
We love to learn at Hall Educational! What’s a question you would add to this list?