<p>The admissions interviewers are going to be very engaging, so there’s no need to get stressed out – especially since that will only be counterproductive. Most kids leave their interviews feeling very good about the school and their chances. So I would relax.</p>
<p>Still, it’s a good idea to know what you want to know more about. Why not have a conversation with your son about each school…and see what he knows and find out the things that are important to him. This will actually help you, too. But your conversation can help identify the kinds of things he might want to find out from the admission officer. Not necessarily in the form of scripted questions, but interest areas or mysteries that he might want to talk about or learn more about regarding that school or boarding school in general. And, remember, a question is really just one type of “conversation starter.” Sometimes, a statement or observation will suffice. For example, “I noticed that the chapel looks really small,” can be the starting point for conversations about school size, how the school runs its chapel services, the school’s history, etc. </p>
<p>There’s no need to break into a sweat when the admission counselor says, “So…do you have any questions for me?” If it’s too awkward or feels too contrived to come up with a question on the spot, consider making an observation. Since you’ll both have just completed a tour, that should be a cinch for both of you. And a change of inflection transforms most statements into a question, if ever you or your son feel compelled to deliver a question or two to your interviewer.</p>