Hi - Our daughter attended her first private school interview and we are more on the lines of day boarding currently . Wewere also invited separately to the dean s office ( the dean of admissions took my daughter s interview too)
So he just asked our daughter
- Tell em about yourself and why our school and she was allowed to ask him any questions she had
When we went in , he was all praises for our saying she is an overachiever - polite - kind - rounded with her activities and mentioned that the school is a perfect fit for her and they can help her to get to the next level of being a leader (mentioned this 2-3times)- asked su to help her read and know more about the school and completed the next steps of teh applications and take a decision cos you dont want to wait until the end when the decisions are out and you dont want to start your research then
So since thsi si our first one - are all the interviewers this way - kind and making you feel proud or can we read in between lines too ? We still have otehr interviews to start , but as a first time mom attending daughters first interview I am just ANXIOUS - so parenst who have gone through this please pour in yout thoughts
So anecdotally, not all interview experiences are that positive, although interestingly, sometimes people have interview experiences they reportedly didn’t think went well, and then they get offers anyway.
But I suspect your question is more the other way around, like does this guarantee an offer? I would say no, not always, and part of the problem is they may not know themselves at this point what the applicant class may look like. And so they may want to create a positive impression just in case they do give you an offer, without knowing for sure themselves if they will.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel good about it, and she in particular can take some confidence from this experience that she can do well in this sort of context. I’d just try to contain my good feelings to that sort of thing, and avoid reading too much into what it might mean for admissions, again either way really.
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A couple of things:
Ime, if a kid is not going to be a good fit for the school, you may get this feedback during the interview if the interviewer has the info on whatever is “disqualifying”. For example, I have known kids with more profound learning differences ( in the categories of dyslexia, auditory processing issues, etc.) be counseled to consider other schools as well as kids who were much younger than normal for the grade. Clearly not your case, but here for information purposes.
Interviewers tend to actually like young people - it’s pretty much a prerequisite for the job. They are trying to see the best in the kids they talk to. It’s not unusual for both sides to feel like it went well - because it did. They are likely to be enthusiastic as a result. This, however, does not mean your kid will get an offer. The interview is only one part of the process.
The admissions office are both gatekeepers and a sales team. It is their goal to engage you - get the application and then get you to say yes if admitted. They know that every interaction matters, so they are likely to be positive.
Interviewers are people, so some will gush, and some will be more matter of fact if they are positive. As noted, applicants get offers from schools where they didn’t feel the interview was good and they get rejected where they thought it had gone swimmingly well.
Your D should take some confidence away from her first interview. Beyond that, it’s hard to know anything more from it.
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