5 interview tips to prepare you for your private high school interview.  

It’s 7:00 a.m. and your mother just turned on your light.  You pull the covers over your head and then you hear her voice: “Your interview at that private school you want to attend is in an hour.”  Panic and sweaty palms.  You remind yourself to calm down but your brain is swirling with thoughts.  What will the admission officer ask me?  What should I wear?  What if I forget my questions?  

Interviewing for an application process to a private high school as a 14 year old can be a daunting and downright scary endeavor.  Advice about how to approach a school interview are provided from multiple sources including your teacher, placement director, best friend, older brother, dentist, and your parents.  So what makes an admission interview truly great?  Here are 5 tips from a top independent school in Northern Virginia which will help prepare you for your private high school interview.  

Before being accepted to a private school, establish with your child how the choice will be made.

The role of the student in selecting a school is a complicated one because it generally reflects parenting styles, family values, and priorities.  The range goes from the parent making the decision to collaborative decision making between parents and student to the student choosing from among parent-approved options, to the student independently making the decision.  What’s most important among those options is deciding in advance which one to choose.  

The Value of Co-education

Boys and girls who only know of each as social creatures are lacking a key component of their education that will prepare them for college and beyond. 

In some ways, it seems odd to be explaining or defending coeducation.  Isn’t that the norm? Isn’t the burden on single-gender high schools to be explaining or defending themselves?  But in some places in the country, including Washington, D.C., there are almost as many single-sex schools as there are coed schools, particularly when you include Catholic high schools.  And many of those schools provide an excellent education. So, if you can get a strong college prep education from both single-gender and coed schools, how do you decide?

What You Need To Know About The SSAT

If you are reading this information, you are likely beginning to consider a private middle or high school education. Whether you have already registered your child to take the SSAT or are considering registering for the SSAT, this information will serve to answer some of your questions regarding the SSAT directly from an admission officer’s point of view. Read on and begin the decoding process!