High School Interview - Advice Needed

[MerMom60_94]

My daughter has an upcoming interview for an agricultural high school. I really want to help her to prepare but I have never interviewed for a college, much less a high school. Does anyone have any thoughts on what types of questions she may be asked? Any advice / thoughts are welcome. I'd really love to see her get in. She has talked about becoming a veterinarian since she was about three (before she could even say the word - she used to just say a "doggy doctor"). This school has several programs that are up her alley - veterinary sciences, horticulture, small animal sciences, natural resources, etc.

TIA!!

 

[friendofgusgus]

Hi!

They will likely ask her about her study habits - how she budgets her time, what her activities are outside of school and even a little bit about current events or her current studies.

Vocational and Agricultural programs are often assumed to be easier than a traditional high school, but they are actually tougher. Students need to be able to keep on top of an academic load plus their specialty classes, so they need to be able to manage their time well.

My niece's ag program also requires them to work an ag-related job both during the school year and over the summer with a minimum number of hours. They need to make sure that the kids they accept can handle any requirements like that in addition to their schoolwork.

They often ask a few current events questions - name of the president, the president-elect, governor of your state, etc. - to make certain that the kids they accept know that they will have life/school/citizen responsibilities outside of their specialty. Many kids apply to a voc or ag program thinking that they will be exempt from tough academic standards, but that is not the case. The interview often sets the tone to let them know that.

A friend of mine who was a principal at a voc school for many years before she retired was so proud of her kids - they had to excel in two areas of life and here in MA they still had to pass the MCAS.

My brother went to an ag program back in the 80s and now runs a landscaping crew. My niece is in a fabulous one now in CT and is looking into equine management - she had originally planned to be a vet but found large animals more compelling. I will say, though, that ag programs are not for the squeamish! My niece came home one day from school with blood on her shirt and jeans because they had been castrating and ear-marking pigs that day.
For your daughter's sake, just make sure sh'e okay with the real-life, non-glamourous work of the ag world!

Good luck to your DD!

 

[MerMom60_94]

Thank you so much for responding. It sounds like you are very familiar with the type of school we are looking at. In fact, since you are in MA you may have experience with that actual school (Norfolk County Aggie). We went to the open house in October and toured the facility. My daughter has really good grades and I must say she is much more disciplined than I was at her age. On a typical day, she gets off the bus and does her homework before moving on to anything else. I have heard a lot of my peers complain about having to help their kids with projects. I rarely know when she has a project because she and I worked on chunking out the project into milestones and the time management aspect a long time ago. I notice a lot of kids say they want to be vets, but my daughter really is good at science and, while I wouldn't say math is her strong suit, the reality is that she is in 9th grade level algebra this year and got a B- on her report card in that subject. One of the reasons I think this school would be good is that it will open her eyes to many career options of this vein. I would rather she find out in high school if this is going to be more than she bargained for and the aggie school will present other similar fields if that is the case. I am working with a contact who works at a veterinary clinic to have her observe and assist during February vacation. I want her eyes to be open that this field isn't always fun or a piece of cake. I think she knows already though. I think she is realistic.

 

[daisax]

Veterinary schools are really competitive -- moreso than medical schools.

I have a friend who went to an aggie school, and I thought of her when I read the OP... and five minutes later she called, and she herself went to Norfolk.

She said if Veterinary School is her goal, she needs Advanced Placement Science courses. It might be worth talking to some vets (or better yet, the vet school websites themselves may have application statistics on how many apply vs how many are admitted, standard acceptance level grades/test scores, etc.)

So while my friend (and her husband) have done very well for themselves and are among the few from their classes who stayed in the fields they studied, she thinks if your daughter truly has her eyes set on vet school she needs straight As in a highly competitive scientific environment.

If she's interested in other animal related fields, Norfolk might be just the place for her.

 

[MerMom60_94]

Thank you for the advice. My friend's niece works as a veterinary assistant and she was going to setup for my daughter to come and observe for a week. I am hoping that might give her the chance to talk to some of the vets and get their thoughts. I realize this field is extremely competitive and I guess that is one of the reasons I like the idea of her getting exposed to alternative careers in case it doesn't pan out for her. She is a good student and is capable, but I know this will take a lot of work and commitment on her part. On the other hand, I see her interest in not only animals but gardening and so forth and her love of science and I have to support her as she gives this her best shot.