Sometimes an interviewer is responding to you. He may have (horribly) been trying to say “you have an idealized idea of what this place is, and it’s not that.” Or “given who you are coming across as, you’ll be miserable here”.
I agree that he sounded like a dud and that you should keep Deerfield on your list, but if you get in, go to the revisit with your eyes wide open.
I agree with above. AO could have had an off day; could have been trying to temper something you said/expectation, or recognizing just might not be the right place for you. Take everything you see and hear and then evaluate. One person does not make or break a school, but the encounter should not be dismissed.
After M10 everything shifts based on where you get accepted and revisit days (which I cannot recommend enough, if possible). Remember just bc everyone you and your family ever knew love a school or its name does not mean it is the right place for you. Few quick AO experiences: All my DD interviews ran one hour+( She is an interesting kid to talk to/interviews v. well) except one. Everyone gushed except one. The one that did not, did not accept her. We did not gel with the AO or tour guide so we laughed when she got rejected as the feeling was mutual. Another AO warned us that the kids at their school were not that nice. (Turns out after more digging a lot of people think that). Another AO encouraged us to look at their previous school and direct competitor as well. While still others gave us a hard sell re: what a great fit their school was for my DD. In the end, she was extremely fortunate to have her choice and loves where she is. We used everything we heard, read, felt to weigh the difficult decision which changed quite a bit after revisits. Listen to that voice inside, keep everything on the table. There will be time to process.
Sounds you like dodged a bullet. Maybe listen to the interviewer and look elsewhere. Like the other students who had similar interviews will be doing.
Our interviewer at Choate said, “Choate needs to stop spending money on vanity buildings and more money on teachers and support for students.” It was not a senior AO.
We ignored the comment. Kid was admitted. We did our own research, spoke to families, students, graduates, and went to revisit.
Relying on one comment or opinion is not a wise approach.
The interviewer’s comments about Deerfield are way off base. Clearly, this person has an axe to grind or is a very bad interviewer. It’s as academically rigorous as its peer schools. It does not inflate grades, strictly so. Don’t put much value on the one poster’s comments about standardized tests scores. There are too many variables these days, which is why several peer schools are not posting them anymore. If there is a drug problem, it is no greater than its peer schools. The thing to remember about Deerfield it is small and very rural. Kids don’t often leave campus except for athletics or school organized activities. For better or worse, you really get to know your class.
Take the interviewer’s comments with a huge grain of salt. And like what others have said, if accepted go to the revisit day before making a final decision. Good luck.
Revisit days can yield a lot of important information from prospective students and parents about boarding schools.
Don’t read into it. I interview as part of my day job and 5 minutes in I have gotten out of the interview what I need. In this case, since the interviewer began the interview by saying that it would be your easiest yet, I tend to think they went into the interview with their mind already made up about you (in a positive way).
@TomitVomit The fact that you and your friend had a similar experience makes me think that there is a bit more than one disgruntled employee at Deerfield. Whether it is just in the Admissions office or it is across the campus, we don’t know.
I will share that my daughter also had a strange interview experience that made her ultimately not continue the interview process at one boarding school. The head Admissions Officer told her (and me because I was in the room) that the school was not a place for students who don’t get along with adults and are disruptive, which would be a fine message to share once but she went on and on for a good 5-10 minutes about this. It felt like a lecture. We left the campus concerned that the school has a misfit bunch of students who don’t take their education seriously, which was of course a turn-off to my daughter who is a serious student. I will also add that this school had been her first choice.
Bottom line, the interview is not just to see if the student is a good fit for the school- it is also for the student to see if the school is a good fit for them.
Are you comfortable naming the school ? TIA
Exact Same experience. Think we had the same guy?
They do get over 2K applicants, so time is a limited resource. My interview got interrupted by my guy’s boss, telling him he was talking too long and had someone waiting
Sorry for the weird experience. You are getting some great input here, but I want to highlight @gardenstategal take and say YES to this for sure. And ultimately: I agree with others – it’s one person, one data point to explore if/when you end up doing revisits.
(And you didn’t ask this specifically, but in case others are wondering: “weird” interviews do NOT indicate chances of acceptance. It doesn’t sound like OP is questioning the impact on their admission chances, but just adding that over the years, and with my own 3 BS kids’ experience, “weird” interviews did NOT mean rejection at all.) (And actually my one kid who applied to Deerfield had a “weird” interview there and was accepted.)
Maybe he got interrupted before the “good cop” part of his routine.
My kiddo is a 2023 grad of Deerfield. She absolutely loved it and would some day like to do a teaching fellowship there. She did not dislike a single teacher that she had. Your interviewer was not typical. That said, it is a high school. There are kids who drink and do drugs. Kids get kicked out, or never caught like any other school. The academics are truly top notch. They do care about athletics and the arts, and a well rounded child. I believe any test score dip could be Covid related. The class of 2023 matriculation results were unbelievable. Take the interviewer with a grain of salt.
Thank you for saying this. All I could read on CC was negative about Deerfield. How there is huge grade deflation and poor college matriculation results.
That was from one disgruntled parent.
I currently know lots of kids (over 10) currently at Deerfield and every single one loves it and are glad they go there for what it’s worth. The kids I know who graduated from there recently also went to top 20 schools, Ivy+. Deerfield is just as good as the other GLEDCHEMMs.
It sounds like OP just got a dud interviewer.
You can go to their website and see the matriculation results.
While it is true that legacies and athletes seem to skew the Ivy numbers, there are plenty of non-hooked students getting into top 20 schools. From class of 23, 7 into williams, 4 or 5 into Princeton, all of the Ivy’s…. For a small graduating class the numbers are unreal.
The website only provides info regarding the last five years, nothing recent. I am not sure if I am looking in the right place?
Probably because the classes are small and they don’t want to identify anyone. We saw a class matriculation list.
@CTMommy “The fact that you and your friend had a similar experience makes me think that there is a bit more than one disgruntled employee at Deerfield“
That’s quite the assumption based on second hand internet comments from people who don’t go to the school.
If you get in, I would advise a revisit, hopefully you will get the information you need to make your decision. Good luck!