Parents: Need help preparing for an interview with a private school?

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” — Norman Vincent Peale

This quote really sets the stage for the question we posed to some of the private, preparatory and boarding schools that are attending our Virtual PrepConnect Event #onlineevent Sept 19. These schools meet with families and answer questions throughout the year, we thought we would provide some of the tips they shared with us to help you in not only choosing the best fit school for your child, but also to prepare for the upcoming Virtual PrepConnect event where you can meet/network with admission representatives directly.

At Prepskills parents often approach us for help when exploring their options for private schools, preparatory schools and boarding schools both in Canada and the US. We noticed that parents are very interested in learning the details about the process for interviews with private schools, how to prepare, how to act during the interview and what questions they should anticipate. In fact this is one of the reasons we’ll be diving deeper into this topic (and many others) on September 19 during the panel sessions which will involve some private schools, educational experts, students and parent ambassadors. The Sept 19 online panel is titled: Top 10 Interview Questions for Students & Parents ~ The Insider Scoop

Moderator Erin Silver Children’s Author and Freelance Writer	Top 10 Interview Questions for Students & Parents ~ The Insider Scoop Develop future-forward life skills. Admissions interviews are an important part of the private school application process and one that causes many families a significant amount of stress. How does storytelling, transparency, and self-awareness play a role in relieving anxieties and exploring right fit school options? In this panel, you will hear some of the top questions that private schools ask during the interviews, how character strengths and EQ skills support how students authentically stand out at the interview, and more!

David Fischer Director of Admissions St. Michael’s College	Fouli Tsimikalis Vice Principal/Director of Admissions Toronto Prep School	Evin Joseph #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Holy Trinity School & Western University Alumnus

Jaden Lo University of Toronto Schools Student	Max Sipos Upper Canada College Student

To get you started and help you prepare for the panel, here are some tips from some of the school participating in Virtual PrepConnect. You’ll be able to connect with them and the other schools at the event.

Blyth Academy, Director of Admissions Jenni Denniston made a short and powerful statement when asked “What’s the single most important thing you are looking for in a parent interview?” Jenni responded “Be honest!”

Blyth Academy is a private school in Ontario with ten physical campuses, and a new virtual campus, Orbit.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” Bobby Unser

Dr. David N. Rath is the Associate Head of School/Dean of Enrollment Management with Montverde Academy which is in Florida also stressed the importance to “answer questions honestly“.

Montverde Academy is a coeducational independent school that serves 1,300 students in grades Pre-K3–12, the boarding program serves grades 7-12 and post-graduate studies.

The Sterling Hall School is an independent day school for boys from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 in Toronto. Susie Heinrich the Director of Enrolment Management reminds parents that finding the right fit school is important, and to “Be honest and genuine; there needs to be a fit BOTH ways“.

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” Oprah Winfrey

Cristhina Starke is the Director of International Affairs New Mexico Military Institute and says when parents are preparing for the interview, it’s important to remember than NMMI has “challenging academics and that we are not a reform school“. New Mexico Military Institute is the nation’s only state-supported, co-educational college preparatory military boarding high school and junior college.

Roberta Battaglia, a ten year old Toronto Canada student who got the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent has a great message about the importance of having a vision/dreams and that practice, preparation and not letting negativity get in the way of your dreams is so important.

Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Randy Brenzen Enrolment Officer Athol Murray College of Notre Dame is a private co-educational grade 9-12 high school located in Wilcox, SK, Canada. Randy advices parents that in preparation for interviews, it is “important to understand the school.” He adds “for example, we’re interested in connecting with students who want to become leaders in whatever area they choose to succeed in”.

“There’s an idea I came across a few years ago that I love: My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance and in inverse proportion to my expectations. That’s the key for me. If I can accept the truth of ‘This is what I’m facing — not what can I expect but what I am experiencing now’ — then I have all this freedom to do other things.” – Michael J. Fox

St. Michael’s College School Director of Admissions, David Fischer, encourages parents to “be yourself and speak from the heart“. St. Michael’s College School is Ontario’s only independent Catholic school for young men. The school offers students in Grades 7-12 an enriched, Catholic, Liberal Arts education complemented by a number of diverse co-curricular programmes.

Northmount School Vice Principal, Admissions, Chris Ruch, suggests parents be prepared to demonstrate “a willingness to work in partnership with us to help their child succeed. There are many different schools catering to different learning styles and needs – we look to make sure we are all on the same page”.

Northmount School is a small (140 students) All Boys Catholic School (All, or no-faith, backgrounds welcome). Academics and character education are the main focus in North York Toronto.