To temper nerves around preparing for interviews, let me relay an opinion shared by an Admissions Officer to me and my daughter. This opinion was shared in a relaxed setting - as he and we were the only ones left in the waiting room, as we were the last family of the day. And while this is a singular opinion from a single Admissions Officer (albeit one of the most tenured ones we met), I fully subscribe to the sentiments he shared.
This Admissions Officer shared two cringe-worthy anecdotes about interviews gone awry. We (three) were definitely on the subject of interviews, but I cannot recall whether the stories were prompted by a question I had, or were offered up without solicitation. The context was about the extremely limited number of times that this Admissions Officer - as tenured as he was - was on the receiving end of student response(s) questionable enough to comment negatively about. He offered candid comments about the fact that these students' profiles were terrific and could have likely fit well at the school; but the reality is, so would at least 80% of the applicants they receive. My interpretation of his point is that with such a large pool of overly-qualified candidates, Admissions must assess applicants in their entirety and do not often have the luxury of carving out applicants based on singular attributes or events. To give credence to my interpretation, the Admissions Officer did expressly say that - in his opinion, 'interviews count for less than you may think ... we (Admissions) want to see certain things during our conversation: cogency, authenticity, interest; and it almost doesn't matter what you say, so long as we can see why you said it and how you came to saying it.'
With that context, this article aims to provide practical, tempered guidance about preparing for interviews. Topics covered include: focus on self-knowledge (not scripts), building a core narrative, using structure for story-format responses, practicing with real people, maintaining a healthy mindset, detailed guidance with examples for common question types, and 50 solid practice questions organized by category.
To be clear, while my daughter did document interview questions asked by each school, I will not post them. The question set in the final section should be understood as a generic, but informed question set.
Practical Guidance
Focus on Self-Knowledge, Not Scripts
People do best when they understand themselves - their interests, motivations, habits, values - and when they start from the truth. Preparation should be anchored around reflection, not memorization. Admissions Officers value sincerity and the ability to think aloud, which is hard to fake and easier to demonstrate when students have genuinely prepared and are starting from a position of the truth / are drawing from the life they've actually lived.
Sidebar: I love movies; so please excuse this tangent. In relation to this point, I'm reminded about a film I recently watched (while trying to tick through all of NYT's 2025 Top 100). 'The Lives of Others' (a 2006 German drama) opens with a compelling scene where a classroom instructor demonstrates how he - as a trained interrogator - knows when someone is lying. Part of his demonstration includes listening to audio of someone he recently interrogated (for hours, if not days); in the audio, a desperate and tired man continues to reiterate his story. In the classroom, a student questions why the instructor thinks the man is lying, commenting on the fact that the man continues to re-state his story word-for-word. The instructor corrects the student's assumptions (about the word-for-word pleas being an indication of truthfulness); rather, the instructor clarifies that someone whose story is based on truth will be flexible. Truth allows someone to add, ignore, forget details; and the complete absence of that variation was a key signal the desperate man's story was false. This sidebar is much too serious; but I thought the parallel was relevant.
Build a Core Narrative
This is what my daughter and I focused on. Her core narrative - effectively answering a 'tell me about yourself' question - included:
- Who are you - foundational / basic stats: home city, school, light family detail (e.g., number of siblings)
- Who are you, really - personality traits, strengths, curiosities
- What excites you: academic interests, hobbies / passions, projects
- What do you want: growth areas, goals, the kind of community / environment you want or need to thrive in
- Why boarding school: motivations beyond generalities or prestige
Once my daughter thought through these component pieces, we selected a few things to flesh out either in slightly more detail, or story format - with the intent for her to have a grab bag of practiced (but not memorized) bits about herself she could flexibly use to respond to her interviewer.
For Questions Requiring an Example / Response in Story Format, Use a Structure
As a professional, I've always been partial to the SCQA framework; but it's probably too rigid for this context. Nonetheless, frameworks help as a forcing mechanism to narrow nebulous and broad ideas into more shapely and precise statements.
For questions like: tell me about a time when ..., you may want to try these frameworks:
- SCQA: Situation, Complication, Question, Answer
- PAR: Problem, Action, Result
- STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result
Practice with Real People
My counsel here is for your child to start this process with someone they feel comfortable with, and who has the patience and time to coax reflective insights from your child. The process I went through with my daughter involved asking a lot of open-ended questions, and then asking 'why' / 'so what' questions about her responses, which usually prompted further introspection from my daughter. I wrote in our main interview preparation article that my daughter found it incredibly helpful to be mock-interviewed by my charming, warm, and friendly college mate. If this is not an option for you, then no worries at all; but I'd also recommend practicing with more than just one person - especially once your child has gotten to a point where they are comfortable enough with content to hold a solid conversation.
Keep the Mindset Healthy
Despite my sidebar tangent about 'The Lives of Others,' interviews are not interrogations. Admissions Officers are trying to help students show their best selves; and students who treat interviews as a conversation rather than a test will perform more naturally.
Slightly More In-Depth Guidance (with Examples)
I cannot emphasize enough that the contents of and reasonings for your response should be true to yourself. Nonetheless, please see example applications of the above guidance:
'Tell Me About Yourself'
What the question is actually asking: This is an invitation to shape your narrative. It's not a biography. It's a chance to give the interviewer a roadmap of what matters to you. It's also an opportunity to seed the interviewer with topics / attributes that you feel most excited about / comfortable talking about in more depth as follow-ups.
How to answer:
- Start with 3-5 identity markers - including basics about where you live / attend school, as well as some interests and traits
- Give a couple of examples or short stories (emphasis on short and tight, as this is often a lead-in question, and should take 30% of the entire conversation)
- Tie your examples to what you care about in your home life, school, or community / extracurricular life
Structure: Snapshot >> Short Examples >> Why They Matter
'Why Boarding School'
What the question is actually asking: Does the student understand what boarding school truly is? Are they self-directed? Are they clear about what they want? Are they honest about what they need to learn more about?
How to answer: Focus on things like growth, desire for a challenge, interest in structured support, love for community learning, passion for experiences or activities not available locally.
Structure: Your Goals >> What Boarding Schools Uniquely Offer (relative to your current academic environment / home life / home city / extracurriculars) >> How That Matches Your Needs / Goals
'Describe a Challenge You've Faced'
What the question is actually asking: Can the student reflect, adapt, grow? It does not matter about the nature or magnitude of the challenge; the answer should demonstrate self-awareness, maturity, and a growth mindset.
How to answer:
- Choose something real and age-appropriate
- Use the PAR or STAR framework
- End with what you learned and how you've applied it since
Structure: Context >> Actions >> Specific Learning >> Application
'What Will You Contribute to Our Community'
What the question is actually asking: Does the student understand that boarding school is communal? Do they inherently have traits that lean toward sharing responsibilities and working together to achieve both individual as well as common goals? Does the student understand our school's specific values / mottos / culture?
How to answer:
- Identify 2-3 traits or skills
- Give examples of how you've demonstrated them
- Link those traits to opportunities at the school - whether in the classroom, clubs, community events, dorms, etc.
Structure: Strengths >> Examples >> How It Will Show Up On Campus
50 Solid Questions To Contemplate / Practice With
A. Self-Awareness and Personality
- Tell me about yourself
- How would your [friends] describe you (feel free to replace 'friends' with: one's self, family, or teachers)
- What are your greatest strengths
- What is an area you're working on to improve
- What is something people may misunderstand about you
B. Academic Interests and Habits
- What is your favorite subject(s) and why
- Describe a memorable project / assignment
- What academic challenge have you faced recently
- What are you excited to study in high school
- How do you manage your time with school work
- Describe a time / moment when you felt really engaged in learning; what made it work
C. Extracurricular Engagement
- What activity means the most to you
- What have you learned from your favorite hobby
- How do you spend your free time
- Describe an accomplishment you're proud of
- Describe a leadership role you've taken
D. Community, Character, and Values
- What kind of community do you thrive in
- Describe a situation in which you've handled conflict
- Tell me about a time you helped someone / advocated for someone
- How do you work in / contribute to a group
- What is a value that matters to you
E. Boarding School Fit
- Why boarding school / why do you want to attend this school
- What do you hope to gain from boarding school
- What can you add to our community
- What do you want your high school experience to look like
- How do you feel about living away from home
F. Global Awareness and Curiosity
- What is a recent book or article you enjoyed
- Tell me about something happening in the world that interests you
- What is a topic you could talk about for an hour
- What is something you've learned outside of school
- What is a question you've been thinking about lately
G. Character-Building Experiences
- Describe a difficult decision you've made
- Tell me about a challenge, and what you learned
- Tell me about an experience that may have changed how you see something
- Tell me about a recent mistake, and how you fixed it
- Tell me about a time you felt proud about how you handled a situation
- Tell me about a time you noticed something unfair
- Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a big change; what helped you adapt
H. Social and Residential Life
- What qualities do you look for in a roommate
- How do you adapt to new social settings
- What does responsibility mean to you
- How do you balance independence with asking for help
- Describe your ideal weekend at school
I. Creativity and Problem-Solving
- Describe a creative project you've done
- How do you approach problems you don't know how to solve
- Describe something you've built / created / designed
- How do you handle unexpected challenges
J. Reflection and Closing
- What should I have asked you
- What do you want me to remember about our conversation
- Do you have questions for me