College Prep and Athletic Recruiting Blog - LEONARD ANDREW CONSULTING

Are You Ready for an Admissions Interview?

5/30/2017

Admissions interviews of any sort (be it for prep school or for college) are the school's chance to get to know you better as a candidate. Keep in mind that these are two-way conversations - this is also your chance to get to know the school better as well!

For starters, a few pre-interview items to note:

(A) Dress appropriately. Nice pants, nice dress, nice shirt.
(B) Don't chew gum and no cell phone use. Often, we ask that students leave their phones in the car (so that there is no temptation).
(C) When greeting, shake hands and look the admissions representative or officer right in the eye.
(D) Try your very best not to be nervous. The more you practice, the more you understand about the school, and the more you'll realize just how much this next step means for you. With that, your nerves will slowly wash away and confidence will work to take over. A good ice-breaker? They'll without a doubt ask you something similar to "How are you feeling?" And, since you're working to be completely honest and show a reflection of yourself, there is no harm in stating, "I'm a little nervous, but I'm really excited too to speak with you."
(E) After the interview (and/or tour) be sure to send a thank you note to the interviewer.

Questions You'll Be Asked:
(1) Why are you applying to prep school/college?
(2) Why are you applying to OUR school in particular?
(3) Why do you feel OUR school is a good fit for you?
(4) Talk to me about your educational experience. How is this year going?
(5) What are your academic goals?
(6) What are you athletic goals?
(7) Do you like learning?
(8) What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?
(9) What are you most passionate about?
(10) Tell me about a personal achievement you are proud of?
(11) What was a challenge you have faced? Did you learn anything from that?
(12) What are your strengths as a student and as a person?
(13) What are some things that you'd like to develop and work on?
(14) What is the most important thing you want me to know about you?
(15) What makes you unique?
(16) What is your favorite book? Why?
(17) Tell me about your family.
(18) Have you ever been away from your family for a long period of time? (As you will encounter at school.)
(19) Is there something else you'd like to tell me that we haven't talked about already?
(20) Do you have any questions? (and the answer here is ALWAYS 'Yes', come prepared!)

Those are core questions that each and every school will draw from. Let us know if there are questions by emailing info@leonardandrew.com and good luck!

Considering Law School? Take These Courses in College to Prep Yourself

5/23/2017

To all those reading this who are thinking about going to law school - congratulations. The law school experience is a terrific opportunity to push yourself and strive to achieve a high level of education.

Will it be challenging? Yes.

Worth it? Absolutely.

There is nothing like setting a goal and achieving it. And if your goal is to attend law school, we suggest taking college classes in the following categories:

1. Political Science, Government, Pre-Law

This category might seem obvious. Many (if not most) law students have undergraduate degrees from this category. However, degrees from this group are not necessarily a prerequisite. We have known many successful law students (now successful lawyers) who majored in a variety of other fields like music and accounting.

What we feel is important, if you are considering law school, is to take at least one class in this category for two primary reasons. One, taking some classes in this line of academia will serve as a baseline introduction to the legal field. It is a good idea to know if you like the material and have a genuine interest in the field before making the time and financial commitment to law school. Two, even if you choose a major in something not related to the legal field, taking classes in this category will show on your transcript and tell law school admissions offices that you have some background knowledge and interest.

2. Writing...with a Research Component

This category is very important to would-be law students. Law school, like the legal profession, has a major writing component. Briefs for law school classes and law school exam answers will be that much better if the student has strong writing ability.

Law schools have legal skills classes that help new law students learn the ropes of legal research and writing. It would be a great benefit if you can hone some of your research and writing ability while in college. To be clear, the legal research in law school will be different than the research you will do for an undergraduate class. But the process will be similar - thinking about terms to search, organizing information, and applying the research to the position taken in your paper.

3. Public Speaking

There are classes in college that teach public speaking. There are classes in college that will grade your class participation.

Take these classes. We cannot say this any clearer.

Having attended law school, I still wish I had taken more classes in undergrad that forced me to speak up. Law school professors are known to use the Socratic method - a way of teaching where the professor will cold-call a student and ask them a series of questions, pushing the student to utilize critical thinking. There is no way to hide in the back of the classroom. It is inevitable that you will be called on. These exchanges can test the nerves, but they can also be fun and engaging. The first step to have fun with these interactions is to have a level of comfort with public speaking. Second, and equally important, is to always be prepared for class. Practicing these two steps in college will provide you with more confidence and will lead to thinking faster on your feet.

Congratulations again on thinking about going to law school. The above are just a few suggests to consider in preparing yourself. If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to garner more information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@leonardandrew.com.