@fencingmom My S18 asked one sophomore teacher and one junior teacher for recs
Any advice for an interview? S20 is interviewing at Wake Forest. None of the other schools on his list had anything like this, so heās looking for tips.
Thanks!
Have some good ideas for questions to ask - on topics that are NOT covered on the website (or at least not specifically). Project genuine interest in the conversation. 
Aim for answers that frame things honestly, but positively, particularly if the fairly predictable āgreatest challenge?ā sorts of questions are asked.
Take deep breaths and remember that even the only-halfway-decent interviewers understand that youāre nervous and that itās in their best interests to put you at ease. Understand that the only way you can truly bomb an interview is to project boredom/lack of interest.
Obviously Smith isnāt an option for your S, @NYC2018nyc, but almost all of this is very, very helpful (with the single exception of the notion that you canāt bomb an interview; see above 
): https://www.smith.edu/sites/default/files/media/Documents/Admission/interview.pdf
@MAandMEmom Oops! I read your post that the LORs HAD to come from frosh/soph teachers! Brain fart.
@NYC2018nyc Did you happen to look for relevant CC threads? Hereās a good one: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/wake-forest-university/2004621-wake-forest-interview.html
An excerpt:
To follow up and conclude my query from yesterday: D20 should/is going to ask a Junior year teacher for both her LORs. While the GC did not say there was a rule in place that states students can only ask Junior teachers, it is HIGHLY recommended that they do with a āproceed at your own riskā if they donāt. The reasoning being that, at daughterās school at least, the teachers should be writing about the student from an academic perspective while the GC will write one thatās more personal and speaks to the studentās character for a total of 3 LORs. The most recent teachers then for this task are Junior teachers who possess the most recent data. GCās have about 50 kids to write for, so they know them pretty well. D20 has an excellent relationship with her GC and trusts the advice, so sheās going with it.
For me, I think the transcripts and other quantitative data speak for themselves. Perhaps a teacher can pepper in few examples and flesh it out a bit, but As are As and unless the teacher thinks the student is the best thing since sliced bread, there is little to add. Iām not sure this 2nd LOR from the teacher is going to be all that (1st teacher LOR is), but weāre going with it.
Thanks for all the input on this.
āAsk questions that are NOT in the websiteā
Can someone elaborate and give examples? I am still to think of a question that it is not answered in the website. My understanding is that if the student is really super focused and very particular on some major and wants a very specific course load etc. But for my kids that are kind of straightforward major X, really all possible questions have a web answer.
Meanwhile, I have been in presentations that people asked questions that were not only answered in the web site but they were front and central and the AO said: I am so glad you ask this question and it is a great question. And they proceeded answering in detail while I was bored to tears as I already knew all about it from reading their website.
@am9799 if your interview includes anyone from an academic department (a prof, as opposed to an admissions person), a good question is always to ask them about their research. Profs LOVE to talk about their research 
@am9799, sure! Iām sorry if it was unclear.
What Iām saying is, it is not the best use of interview time to ask questions that a good look at the collegeās website could answer. It suggests being underprepared.
Thereās a big difference between asking something like, āwhat is your faculty-student ratio?ā or āwhat kinds of clubs do you have?ā or āwhat are the distribution requirements?ā - all of which can almost always be answered with a quick look at a schoolās site - and asking something that springs from the information that is available, like āHow many students actually join clubs?ā or āWhat does it take to start a new club?ā for example. Or āCan you tell me about what ______ that I read about on your website is actually like?ā
Good questions show that you have a good idea of what the school is about, but youāre looking for more detail or explanations of something youāve seen, or inside information, or personal experience (depending on who your interviewer may be). The interview is very much a two-way street, and a well prepared student should be hoping to learn things, as well as offering up a personal view of themselves.
Dropping in again with a question about the SAT. The class of 2019 had curves that were somewhat expected and very much like the eight CB practice tests that are available. Since June 2018, though, the test seems to have a super harsh curve and those would be the tests your kids took. Did you find that all of the sittings this last fall and winter had harsh curves? What did your kids think of the tests? How did they prepare since the available practice tests have such different curves? Any advice would be appreciated. Iām wondering if more kids jumped ship and took the ACT but I still think the SAT is a better test for D21 and Iām just wondering if prepping for it was particularly frustrating for the 2020ās since the curve seems be so much more difficult than the year prior when the test first changed.
D20 took in March and the curve seemed quite normal.
ACT with writing question: For those of you with children doing the ACT, did everyone do ACT with writing? Only 1 school on my sonās list requires ACT with writing. It looks like many schools have eliminated this requirement.
We started with writing by once we solidified her list only 1 considers it. Her retakes no longer include writing.
DD20 did ACT once with writing and once without. The writing is not required at most of her current list but that list could change.
My son did the writing both times he took the test, but Iām kind of wishing weād skipped it. Thereās only one school heās applying to that even mentions it and itās only recommended, not required. Plus, he did awful on that (6) so it probably just looks bad tacked on his 31 composite.
Thanks@MuggleMom @Cheeringsection @cshell2 An ACT rep just told me that if you donāt break the seal on the writing section, then the writing section will not be scored even if you signed up for it. Wishing all schools just got rid of it!
My D20 took the ACT without writing the first time last fall and scored a 35 and is DONE. I asked if she was worried about adding a school to the list that required it and she said sheād just cut the school. After the last month of IB and AP testing sheās even less inclined to retake it for the off chance a school might want it.
@Darcy123 Congrats on your D20 being done with testing! Yes my understanding is that once ACT scores are at a 34/especially 35 - colleges no longer eliminate based on test scores and look to other parts of the application. Hooray for AP testing being over - son is finally in a good mood and smiling broadly again!
My D20 took it once with and once without and will use the one with writing from last December. My S19 took it twice and did not take the writing either time - heās going to college for engineering and his English was a 36 and writing was a 34 or 35 so it didnāt seem to matter.
D17 took the ACT with writing, and then didnāt apply to any schools that required itā¦ but, the school she ultimately attended placed her out of their equivalent of āEnglish Comp 101ā due to her ACT writing score, so there was some minimal value for her.
For D20, we had her skip the writing completely.
D20 took the ACT once so far, with writing. One of her big reaches requires it but thatās the only one on her list. However writing is a strength for her so she doesnāt mind taking it. She will take ACT again and will do writing as well.