University interview - how to portray homeschooling

[lewelma]

DS has a university interview on Monday here in NZ. Homeschooling in NZ is just not done in high school as there is no way to earn qualifications without out the national exams.  DS has taken the national exams through the national correspondence school, and to do so he had to enroll full time.  However, that work only represents 1/3rd of his coursework, the rest is homeschooled.  How should he discuss homeschooling?  What should he do if the interviewer is anti-homeschool?  The interviewer is more likely to be clueless about it as this is New Zealand, and if so, what does ds do then?  We are going to go over some questions to expect, and practice a few answers.  Open to suggestions as to how to prep ds.

 

Ruth in NZ  

[klmama]

He could present it as having wanted more challenge and/or you wanting him to reach a typical age before enrolling in college full time. Didn't he complete the national exams early?

 

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[GoodGrief]

I think he just has to be honest and factual about what homeschooling looked like for him. As we know, there are multiple paths one can take as a homeschooler! He should avoid being negative about traditional building-based school options though, as that rarely goes over well. He should focus on the positive aspects for him, emphasize the challenges, and try to lead the conversation into a discussion of his passions.

 

The interview is not of huge importance to the process, and the interviewer has little influence on the decision, positive or negative, so hopefully he is not stressing too much about that. Have him go with well informed questions about the school. This is the place to make his interest in the college clear, and my advice to my daughter was to avoid any appearance of playing one school against another.

[lewelma]

This is really helpful. Thanks.

 

Yes, he finished exams at end of our tenth grade. And yes, we did not want him leaving that young. Interesting take, I'll give that idea some thought. I'm just looking for a way he can avoid a big conversation about homeschooling, but just make a statement that satisfies the interviewer so he can move on.

 

 

I did not realize that he should have questions for the interviewer. What kind of questions?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

This is really helpful. Thanks.

 

Yes, he finished exams at end of our tenth grade. And yes, we did not want him leaving that young. Interesting take, I'll give that idea some thought. I'm just looking for a way he can avoid a big conversation about homeschooling, but just make a statement that satisfies the interviewer so he can move on.

 

 

I did not realize that he should have questions for the interviewer. What kind of questions?

 

I like questions that ask the interviewer about their personal experience and insights.  What question do you wish people would ask about your school?  What course had the most impact on you?  What course would you recommend students try to fit into their schedule?  Are there any little known groups or opportunities that you think I should look into?

 

One of my sons liked to ask why alumni or interviewers picked that school over others they could have attended.  He also liked to ask about something they didn't like at the school (usually this last one was reserved for the end of a longer conversation).

 

I would help him prepare a positive statement about homeschooling.  Something along the lines of:

 

My family started homeschooling when I was pretty young.  They were drawn to the idea of a model that would build on my strengths while also developing areas where I needed work.  When I got older, I had more of a hybrid education with some courses done mostly at home and while at the same time completing the coursework required to sit for university exams.  This has helped me (develop skill xyz) and I'm looking forward to being able to (do thing abc) when I go to university.

 

Definitely don't be negative about other education models.  

 

My high school documentation makes a point of noting the different education settings my kids are experienced in (self-study, small groups, online courses, and traditional classroom).  

 

You might talk about the interview skill of providing the information you want to get across.  Sometimes an interview question doesn't quite fit the situation.  So you nudge the answer in the direction that is more relevant.

 

You can't really do anything about someone who is anti-homeschool other than stay positive about your own experience and preparation.  He could mention something about how his math olympiad experience has been with teammates from a variety of educational backgrounds and he enjoyed working with them and comparing problem solving techniques and approaches.

[lewelma]

Thanks Sebastian.  I'll get him thinking about this over the weekend.  I like the questions for the interviewer; the open ended nature is good.  I think ds's interviewer is not a recent grad given his high level position, and I don't know the implication of that to the types of questions he could answer.  

 

Should ds bring a brief resume?  

[Hilltopmom]

I’d say yes to the resume. The private schools ds had interviews with suggested bringing his resume or portfolio