Surfdude

I live in Texas, and I do not think it is worthwhile to travel thousands of miles just for an interview. Will the admission office see this as a lack of dedication?

WorriedOne1000

Hi there! I had off-campus interviews when I applied to Andover and Exeter, and I was accepted to both. I'm sure they understand that it isn't always practical to go to the East Coast just for an interview.

DistantDreamer

Since you live farther away (Texas) from the northeastern prep school I'm sure it's perfectly understandable if you're not able to do an interview in person.

PieLover

Probably not, but if there isn't a representative of the school in your area available to interview you, you might have to do a Skype/Telephone interview, which doesn't feel as natural to some.

ExieMITAlum

No. It doesn't hurt you. In some cases, depending on the interviewer, it might help. Because you'll normally get more time to talk, then on campus when there are a lot of people waiting. Campus interviews are good mostly because you have time to actually tour the campus at the same time.

allnew

If you really really want to get in a school and you have no strong hook, go.

IndyMom4

No, but bad grammar does

ballerina22

I don't think it does. I just completed an off-campus interview for Deerfield, and it was SO great. My interviewer was amazing, and it was much more like an engaging conversation than an interview. Plus, my mom became friends with his wife and they're having drinks together, and I'm meeting with their daughter who attends Deerfield over Thanksgiving Break to learn about the Deerfield dance program. My parents said after that the whole experience made them much more willing to let me go to boarding school, since they had the chance to actually talk to parents whose children have attended. Overall a very positive experience.

Jersey386

As an international applicant from Asia who only applied to the top, top boarding schools (all household names on CC), my experience tells me that an on-campus interview is CRITICAL. The schools will NEVER admit it, but I have come to believe it is a requirement. ALL those that I know who were accepted to the top boarding schools did on-campus interviews. Since so many people are now flying from Asia to do the interviews, the playing field has simply been changed for the applicants from Asia. I expect the schools could easily fill their slots with the applicants that take the time (and expense) to interview on campus, so not doing so will all but eliminate you from consideration.

I also had an alumni interviewer tell me they interviewed 15 people locally last year and none of them were accepted.

From my own experience, I was denied by the three schools where I did a local interview with an alumnus, and accepted by both schools where I was interviewed by an officer from the Admissions Office. Frankly, there was a world of difference in how professionally the interviews were conducted too. For example in my alumni interviews, the interviewers:

1) Did not speak English very well (despite being an alumnus from an elite school)
2) Took over 5 minutes to decide what beverage to order in the cafe where we interviewed
3) Took a cellphone call and arranged a lunch appointment in the middle of our interview
4) Repeated questions verbatim a few minutes later. After the third time I had to start gently pointing this out
5) Interrupted our interview to introduce me to their new fiancee who just happened(?) to walk by our table
6) Used mild profanity during the interview with me (yet no profanity at all in front of my parents)

Naturally, I was very discouraged after these interviews and lost much of my passion to attend these schools after these incidents. And frankly, had a hard time believing the schools would take any opinion from my interviewers very seriously. On the other hand, the Admissions Officers I met with were very professional yet friendly, engaging, and charming and consequently these schools were bumped higher on my preference list.

I did not fully comprehend the importance of the interview until I completed this entire process. The interview is extremely, extremely important. That being said, if you are an international student and serious about attending one of the top boarding schools, you need to go to the trouble of doing an on-campus interview.

alooknac

Surfdude, it is worth traveling all that distance to see where you might be spending the next several years. If finances keep you from going on-campus, so be it, but going in person has a lot of value over and above the interview and interviewer.

I think if you are a full-pay student, meaning you could afford the cost of travel, and choose to not visit the campus, it may reflect poorly on you.

My two children who went to boarding school required substantial financial aid, but I bit the bullet and took them on campus for tours and interviews (we live in the West and we traveled to New England). I don't have personal experience with off-campus interviews but I do know of a local boy, really a prodigy, who was accepted at Exeter and had never set foot there before the first day of school.

MBVLoveless

I would say an on-campus interview greatly improves your chances of admission IF AND ONLY IF the interviewer really likes you after talking, and he is one of those AOs who actually decide whether one gets in or not.

Jersey386

@Surfdude. I worked my tail off applying last year, my one regret is not doing the on-campus interview... and I live in Asia.

If you are serious about attending one of the top boarding schools I strongly recommend you do an on-campus interview. It is very difficult to gain admission to these schools and much of the process is out of your control; therefore, take control of areas you can. Seeing that you even started this thread, I believe you already know that it's probably better to do an on-campus interview and this element is completely up to you (and your family).

beprepared

So, it is better to be on-site?

Jersey386

@beprepared. The interview is an EXTREMELY important component of your application. People may want to hear that it's "okay" to interview off-campus, but you won't hear that from me. If you are SERIOUS about attending one of the top schools do an on-campus interview, otherwise don't bother applying.

ChoatieMom

That is very irresponsible advice as is falsely leads applicants to believe that off-campus interviews hurt your chances of admission and that only on-campus interviews indicate serious intent. That is completely false as many testimonials on this board indicate. There any plenty of serious applicants who simply cannot get to campus for any number of legitimate reasons; the schools know this and gladly accommodate those students with off-campus options -- and admit many of them.

If the issue is that an applicant isn't interested enough to actually see a campus when they easily could, then that is a different story as applying to a school you are not enthusiastic about is a waste of everyone's time.

But, please kids, if you're reading this and worrying that not being able to interview on campus will somehow make you an inferior candidate, that is untrue, and you should stop worrying. Just set up your off-campus interview and present your best happy self. Best of luck to you!