Today is one of several student interview days to be held at my school. The government has limited enrollment on our campus to 60 new students each year. Students who are interested in attending must take math and science tests administered by the school, and those who pass the test are allowed to interview. There are three interview groups. One is for the Chinese faculty members, who evaluate a student’s level of science and math above the test. The 2^nd interview is with the administration and includes the parents to determine the student’s and parent’s ability to manage the school financial and time demands. The 3^rd interview is with the English-speaking faculty. Our job is to determine the level of each student’s English comprehension (how they speak and can they understand us).

There were three teams in the morning and four teams in the afternoon. I was part of the morning group that began at 8:00 am. We finished at 12:45. Each team was scheduled to interview 14 – 15 students. Each interview lasted 15 to 20 minutes, and we listened to each student talk about why they wanted to attend the school. We also asked questions about travel, their favorite activities, etc., to determine how well they could understand the questions we asked and then formulate a logical and well thought out answer.

Some of the students were really conversant and had no problems. A few struggled to understand the questions. They were all nervous, but some were visibly shaking. For many, selection to attend this school would be the beginning of a successful life. Failure to “make the cut” might doom them to meeting less than their goal of attending a university abroad. Out of our group, we heard 5-6 solid candidates. The rest fell into the “maybe” category.

The Chinese faculty interview and test scores are the most important and deciding factors. The national test for junior high students for HS admission is in May. Those test scores will be used to rank the possible attendees, and make the final cut. Testing is really important. A low test can keep a student from even attending HS. A high score opens up their world to endless possibilities. Students here must get serious about their lives and goals at a young age. There’s not much chance to “find yourself.”