Private School Interview Questions

Do you have an interview scheduled with an admission counselor? Congratulations! To help you prepare for the big day, we have gathered a few handy tools and common interview questions for you to review in advance.

While the interview typically happens face-to-face on campus, it is also possible to arrange a virtual interview with your admission counselor. Whether you are able to attend in person or end up chatting over a screen, it is important to pay attention to your communication skills. This ensures a positive two-way conversation where both you and your interviewer walk away having learned something new and interesting.

Practice Makes Perfect

Prior to your interview, practice with your family or friends. Provide them with the following questions and have them ask you in random order:

• How would you describe yourself to someone who didn’t know you? Detail your personality and interests.
• Who is a person from history you most admire? What is a question you would want to ask them?
• What protagonist from a novel do you most closely identify with and why?
• What is one challenge in your life you have had to overcome?
• Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
• What is a project or an event in your life where you have demonstrated leadership?
• What do you hope to get out of your Bancroft School experience?
• What are some of your academic strengths and weaknesses?
• What is the most important thing you have learned in school so far?
• If you could take one book with you to a desert island, what would it be and why?
• What has been your proudest accomplishment in life to date?

The "Curve Ball" Questions

These are common interview questions, but don’t rule out a few signature fun ones depending on your interviewer. Ask your practice buddy to throw out a few curve balls, like:

• If you were running out of your home due to a fire, what is the one thing you would grab on the way out?
• Who in your family are you most like?
• If you could start any club at school, what would it be?

Questions like these are often off-the-cuff, but they reveal a lot about your creativity and ability to think deeply about your personality. Try not to respond in only one or two words—your interviewer is hoping to get a better glimpse of your depth and thought process. Remember: the interview is NOT a quiz; it is designed to be a conversation.

Polishing Your Delivery

While you practice, be sure to keep your posture and language in check, too:

Be conscious of "filler" words. Notice how often you say “like” or “um.” These are placeholders for your thoughts when your brain needs a moment to catch up. This happens to everyone, but it can distract from your point. Even professional speakers occasionally stumble, but they often use a slight pause to work out their thoughts instead of a vocal filler.

Choose clarity over complexity. Communication should always top complexity. Unless a word truly adds to your sentence, keep it simple. The best speech writers and authors engage their audience by painting vivid images using clear words for complex ideas. Always err on the side of being concise.

Use your hands to express ideas. This may be more difficult on a screen, but it’s still effective! Gesticulation is the art of motioning with your hands to supplement your ideas. Using expression in your body language will captivate and engage your listener.

Let your posture speak for you. Chin up, shoulders back, and eye contact on point. Looking down or around the room during a conversation can unintentionally signal a lack of interest. Your body language is critical. Conveying interest and attentiveness to the person you are speaking with will always win your audience over.