The Interview
You have made the appointment for The Interview! The moment has arrived. You approach the campus and find the parking place for the Admissions Office. Hopefully you have arrived five to ten minutes early both for your sake and also that of your child's composure. While you are murmuring quiet reassurances, cast a careful eye around the surrounding area.
Be observant
Does the campus appear tidy and well cared for, or has the grounds crew taken a permanent vacation due to lack of funds? Even the most distinguished campuses can look worn and tatty without proper maintenance. The care of grounds and buildings indicates an appreciation of the past and a concern for the future.
Are there any students about? What's their behavior like? You don't expect them to be angels, but a high standard of decorum speaks volumes about the expectations of faculty and staff with regard to their charges. Is the dress code enforced?
Ask questions
During the interview, take the opportunity to corroborate the several important facts about the school.
- How many applicants were there for how many open places? If the ratio is 4:1 or higher, the school is very competitive. If 1:1, much less so.
- To which colleges were last year's graduates accepted? Most schools are very proud, and rightly so, of their college acceptances, and will gladly give you a list for you to examine at your leisure.
- What about faculty turnover? Obviously 10-20% turnover will occur in most schools due to retirements and folks moving on. But telltale signs of potential problems would be a high rate of turnover (40% or higher). A school which treats its faculty well is going to have a relatively low turnover rate.
- Ask questions about AP courses and the IB if offered. How have their students fared in these and other standardized tests? Again, most schools are very proud of their students' academic accomplishments and will gladly offer you answers.
- How long has the current Head been at the school? If not obvious from the school catalog, it is a perfectly legitimate question to ask. If there have been several Heads in recent years make it your business to find out why.
- What sort of endowment presently exists and what development plans does the Board of Governors have for the future? A small endowment means the tuition hikes are going to be needed to offset budget shortfalls.
Record the answers.
Keep track of the answers and compare them with the other schools on your list when you get home. Evaluating schools is like picking stocks. The financials may look fine at first glance, but you must insist on knowing what is really behind the figures. Make it your business to get the raw data you need so that you can draw your own conclusions about the school. Asking the right questions will go a long way to flushing out the information you need.
Don't be intimidated!
Finally, remember that you are a consumer. Don't ever be intimidated by a school or the process! Your child is a valuable commodity. The school needs him or her just as much as you need the school.
