Application Preparation
Prepare for the pieces Deerfield reads
The interview comes first because it cannot be booked until the Candidate Profile is in. The essays and the graded paper take the longest to get right.
Checked against Deerfield's published admissions pages on November 4, 2026.
Interview
The interview.
An interview is a required part of the application, so plan it early.
- Requirement
- Interviews are a required part of the application.
- Format
- Interviews are offered in person or virtually. The in-person visit pairs a campus tour with a one-on-one interview with an admission officer. The virtual interview is a one-on-one Zoom conversation, with time for parents to speak with an admission officer.
- Length
- The on-campus tour and interview takes about two hours. The virtual interview takes about one hour.
- Scheduling
- The Candidate Profile has to be finished before an interview can be scheduled. Interview space gets tight in December and January, so Deerfield recommends booking early.
- Summer visits
- Deerfield offered summer campus tours and information sessions by appointment, Monday through Thursday from June 29 to August 20. Those dates have passed. Academic year appointments are for application eligible students only.
- 01
Prepare two or three stories, not scripted answers.
- 02
Practice explaining an interest out loud, including what your student still wants to learn.
- 03
Bring one or two real questions about daily life at the school.
Essays
The essays and the graded paper.
Part II of the application is where your student speaks in their own voice.
- The three pieces
- Part II of the application has three essay requirements: a short-answer essay, a personal essay and a graded essay. Applicants choose prompts from the list Deerfield provides for the short-answer and personal essays.
- The graded essay
- The graded essay should come from a current academic course and include teacher comments. Deerfield says it wants to see how a student responds to feedback and revises, and that a paper with thoughtful comments and visible effort to improve is worth more than one that simply got a high grade.
- Performing arts
- Students with a developed talent in dance, music or theater can upload samples of their work through SlideRoom, which opened September 15, 2026.
- 01
Pick the graded paper with the most useful teacher comments, not the highest grade.
- 02
Let your student write alone. Read the finished essays for clarity, not to change the voice.
- 03
Open the prompt list in Gateway before you start drafting, since Deerfield lets applicants choose.
Preparation plan
A plan that works backward from January 15.
Adjust the pace to your student's schedule. The order matters more than the exact days.
First
Pick the grade and the test
The grade your student applies to decides which test counts.
Summer
Plan the visit and interview
Tours and interviews are by appointment, and the interview needs the Candidate Profile first.
Fall
Book a test for October to December
Deerfield suggests testing before the January exams so scores arrive in time.
Next
Write the essays
Choose the graded paper with real teacher comments.
Fall
Ask teachers and the counselor
Deerfield suggests sending the recommendation links through Gateway in the fall.
By January 15
Submit and apply for aid
Send all three parts of the application, and the aid application if you need it.