Students: Here’s What Admission Teams Want to Know
The private school interview process is an integral part of the application calendar for students. It's at this stage that admissions officers have the opportunity to truly get to know your student.
We always encourage our students to prepare so they can be confident and comfortable once it’s time for their conversation with the admission team.
If your student is particularly nervous about their interview, review these questions with them so that they can get a sense of what to expect that day.
All About You
During these interviews, the admissions team wants to learn as much as they can about your student. To help your student prepare, the most important thing is that they start to feel comfortable talking about themselves:
What are three words your friends (or teachers) would use to describe you?
What is your favorite thing to do outside of school? How do you like to spend your free time?
What are you passionate about?
What extracurricular activities are you interested in?
Who do you admire? Why?
Describe a challenging experience you have had. How do you resolve it?
What have you learned about yourself because of your experience at your school?
Your Academic Self
Your student can’t escape a school interview without talking about their academic experience! Review these questions with your student so they feel confident summarizing their academic profile thus far:
What subject do you enjoy the most and why?
What is your least favorite subject? What’s challenging about it?
Tell me about your favorite teacher. Why was this person your favorite? What made this teacher unique or important to you?
Tell me about your learning profile or how you learn best.
What do you do when you’re having a hard time in a subject?
What is something you want to learn more about in school?
The School Setting
One of the biggest reasons your student might want to visit a school is to get a feel of what the on-campus life is like. It’s one thing to learn about a school from its website, but it’s another to feel it in person! The school’s admission team will ask your student questions about their current school setting as well as what they’re looking for in a school setting to help them understand if their school will be the best fit for them.
To help your student express what they are looking for in a school, review these questions with them:
What is your current school like? What do you like about it and what would you change?
Why do you want to come to this school?
What would you like to accomplish during your high school years?
In what ways might you make an impact on your next school? What programs are most important (or the ones you are keeping an eye on) when visiting schools?
What has your middle school or high school experience meant to you?
What aspects of our school appeals to you?
These questions might feel overwhelming at first, but once your student starts to reflect on these three categories, their answers will come easily.
To show off your student’s genuine interest in a school, always make sure your student comes prepared with questions for the admissions team. If you’re not sure what to ask, check out our last edition of Hall Pass to learn about our ACE model for school interviews.
What’s another category of questions you would include on this list?