Preparing Your Child for a Successful School Interview

World Schools

Driving to a child’s first secondary school interview can be filled with expectations, especially if the child is verbal and accustomed to speaking with adults. It might seem that such a student would perform well in an interview. However, when asked a simple practice question—such as “What is your favorite class?”—a one-word answer like “English” can reveal the need for better preparation.

Few aspects of the admissions process cause as much concern for parents and students as the interview. With decades of experience helping students prepare—and having supported many families through the process—it’s clear that while the interview can be anxiety-inducing, it also offers a unique opportunity.

Interviews can play a significant role in admissions decisions, both positively and negatively. An underprepared student may find the conversation to be one-sided, awkward, and uncomfortable. On the other hand, a student who is overly rehearsed may appear scripted and inauthentic. Fortunately, with thoughtful preparation and a balanced approach, the interview can become one of the strongest parts of a student’s application. The following tips can help ensure that students are well-prepared to leave a positive impression.

Tips for Preparing Students for a Successful Interview

1. Practice Thoughtful Responses

Encourage students to reflect on common interview questions ahead of time. Questions like “What is your favorite subject and why?”, “Tell me about a challenge you’ve overcome,” or “How do you spend your time outside of class?” require more than one-word answers. The goal is not to memorize responses, but to help students organize their thoughts and speak comfortably about their experiences.

2. Emphasize Authenticity

Admissions officers are looking for genuine insight into who a student is—not rehearsed monologues. It’s important for students to speak from the heart, share personal interests, and be themselves during the conversation. Encouraging honesty and natural enthusiasm can go a long way toward making a positive impression.

3. Encourage Two-Way Dialogue

A successful interview should feel like a conversation, not an interrogation. Students should prepare a few questions to ask the interviewer, ideally ones that reflect their interest in the school. Asking about student life, campus activities, or classroom environments shows initiative and curiosity.

4. Work on Non-Verbal Communication

Body language speaks volumes. A confident posture, eye contact, and a friendly smile help set the tone for a strong interview. Practicing interviews in person or on video can help students become more aware of their non-verbal communication.

5. Prepare for Virtual Interviews

Many schools now offer virtual interviews. In this format, students should be mindful of their surroundings, ensure proper lighting, and maintain eye contact with the camera. A quiet, distraction-free environment is essential, and doing a tech check beforehand can help avoid interruptions.

6. Debrief and Reflect

After a practice or actual interview, it’s helpful to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Constructive feedback can boost confidence and help students become more comfortable in future interviews.

Conclusion

With the right balance of preparation and self-awareness, interviews can become a powerful opportunity for students to present themselves in the best light. Rather than being a source of stress, the interview can highlight a student’s personality, values, and readiness for the next stage of their academic journey.

Practice, Practice, Practice

I suggest that students do at least one practice interview with an adult who is not their parent. The goal is to give rich and informative answers to each question and to keep the conversation going. Interviewers aren’t trying to stump your child. They want to draw them out and learn what makes them interesting and unique. At Fay, our eighth and ninth grade students do at least one practice interview with a member of the secondary school counseling team, and sometimes more. In the fall, our ninth graders watch our counselors role-play the interview to learn the do’s and don’t’s of interviewing well, and they also have the opportunity to meet in small groups with admission representatives from over 45 different secondary schools. By the time the get to their own admission interviews, they are confident in the process and understand what they need to do.

Presentation is Key

For the 20-35 minutes that the interview lasts, the spotlight is on your child, and he or she needs to dress and behave accordingly. In general, it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. I suggest to our Fay students that they wear their usual school dress code, including blazers, to secondary school interviews. Students need to consciously avoid distracting habits like cracking knuckles, jiggling pocket change, and foot tapping. Instead, students need to focus on making an appropriate amount of eye contact and projecting a positive and energetic outlook. Finally, when you go to visit a school, parents and students should leave the technology in the car. Scrolling through a cell phone in the waiting room suggests a lack of interest and engagement.

Give Your Child an Agenda

Before the interview, brainstorm 3-5 discussion topics that your child will try to address during the interview. These should be points that highlight your child’s strengths and interests, and it’s a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on something that might be overlooked or left out of the written application. If your child is a heavily-recruited soccer star, there’s no need to bring that up. At this point, the school already knows. The interview is a chance to showcase other strengths and round out his or her profile as an applicant. While discussion topics should be tailored to your child’s interests, make sure that he or she is not discussing sports and activities that the school does not offer.

Things Not to Say

Like at the Thanksgiving table, there are topics to avoid during a secondary school interview. Students should not criticize their current school. Suggesting that the food could be better is fine, but complaining about the quality of the teachers makes the student look like a negative person. It may seem like common sense, but indicating to a school that they are a “back-up” school or that the child is only there because the parents have required the visit is also a very bad idea.

Ask Questions

At the end, interviewers will always ask if the applicant has any questions. Having some questions prepared will make your child seem interested and interesting. Not having questions gives the opposite impression. This is a great opportunity to circle back to a prepared discussion topic that didn’t come up in the interview. For example, one of our students at Fay writes and illustrates children’s books and presents them to our Primary School students. What a fantastic thing to talk about in an interview! If the topic hadn’t come up, she could mention it, in the form of a question, by noting that she started this club at her current school and ask whether students have the opportunity to do something similar at the prospective school.

Don’t Forget to Prepare for the Parent Interview

Parents are often so focused on their child’s interview performance that they neglect to prepare for their own. Admission officers will usually meet with parents for 10-25 minutes, where they try to get a sense of the child from your perspective. What is the applicant like as a son or daughter? What is he or she like as a sibling? What are his or her strengths and weaknesses? Parents should approach these questions with honesty, optimism, and authenticity. For example, if your child has had issues with organization, you can mention it, but put a positive spin on it by talking about how much progress has been made.

The interview is your child’s chance to show the school what an asset he or she would be to their community. With a little preparation, there’s nothing to fear.

By Stuart Rosenwald, Associate Head of School and Director of Secondary School Counseling at Fay School