When visitors and their families walk through the double doors and enter Admissions, they enter a corridor that could change the course of their life. Outside the interview room, there are questions that still remain. While the Admissions hallway is usually seen as quiet and empty- just a hallway with a few offices- so much more is actually held behind these doors.

For the visitors, the interview process is crucial to the Admission Department’s decisions as to who will become a Hackley student for the following year. Assistant Director of Admissions Aaron Washington understands the difficulty in perfecting the interview; he said, “I think it’s hard to say what it’s like for the kids. There’s a lot of kids who are anxious and nervous. Then there’s the other kids that are more outgoing, and really fired up for the interview, and they do a really good job.” Both Mr. Washington and Director of Admissions Christopher McColl agree that the majority of the kids applying start off reserved and hesitant, but most tend to open up at some point during the interview.

Many of Hackley’s recent Upper School additions remember their interviews vividly, as Freshman Ray Carofano said, “When I went into interview they just asked me a lot about myself, my hobbies, and what some of my favorite things were.” Similarly, freshman Lucia Yanuzzi agrees that the interview process was quite “calm and comforting.” Indeed, the interview room is a relaxing, calm environment which makes visiting students feel like they’re at home. Mr. Washington emphasized the importance of both the comfort the student and applying and their family, as he said “part of the Admissions process is to understand that it’s not just a child we’re accepting, we’re accepting an entire family.”

So what is an interview like? First, the visiting students reflect on their day, and tell either Mr. Washington or Mr. McColl what they thought of the Hackley community. Next follows a few personal questions involving hobbies and extracurriculars. The final step of the process is an essay. Hackley’s essay questions possess a creative twist, which allow applicants to express themselves as opposed to reciting a laundry list of awards.

However, what truly defines a Hackley student? According to Mr. Washington, there truly is no “X factor” when looking at potential students, as he said “I think the thing that makes Hackley what it is is that we’re not really looking for anything in particular.” Both Mr. Washington and Mr. McColl agree that Hackley has a strong sense of community, one that needs well-rounded students who will be able to contribute to it.

Tim Weir, the Associate Director of Admissions at The Masters School spoke about the school’s similar interview process. The interview for a student visiting Masters doesn’t last longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Mr. Weir described the ideal admissions candidate as, “somebody who is intellectually curious, somebody who has an open mind, and is ready to come to our harkness tables with some ideas and thoughts.”

Mr. Weir said, “We see so many strong candidates throughout the course of the fall and through the winter, that once you write up the notes and put them in a document where you can go back and look at them, you realize that there aren’t as many spots available as there are qualified students applying.”

Mr. McColl knows how important this process is to the kids who apply, as he said “they want to come here, which I find incredibly flattering, that we would be a good school to spend four years of their life at.”