Saturday, March 25, marked the first time the potential members of the Class of 2019 walked the grounds of their future school together.

A memorable event for applicants, parents, admissions officers, current juniors, and soon-to-be grand-seniors, Interview Day represents the final step of the MSMS application process for sophomores who dream of becoming a part of the Class of 2019.

Wade Leonard, the Coordinator for Alumni and Public Relations, described his favorite part of Interview Day.

“Today we are hosting Interview Day, and it is going pretty well. We have about 140 students who have come from all over the state of Mississippi in order to undergo the interview stage of the MSMS application process. My favorite part about interview day is that this is the first time these students are meeting one another. This is the first time this class will be on campus together. So you see a bunch of people who will be best friends for the rest of their lives who do not know each other yet,” Leonard said.

Despite the gloomy skies, the schedule for the day was successfully adapted in order to avoid any conflicts with the weather. After registration occurred in the morning, the applicants were required to write essays on campus and take placement exams in Hooper Auditorium while their parents attended informational sessions with MSMS faculty and administration. The highlight of the day for the students were their individual interviews conducted by alumni or parents of MSMS students.

An interviewer, Amy Harrod, exclaimed, “I have seen some great candidates today and I am excited to see what happens with them.”

The students and parents were later treated to guided tours of the campus grounds by the school Emissaries. They also received the opportunity to mingle with current juniors and seniors, who were more than happy to provide encouragement and advice.

Nayan Chawla, a current senior, described his excitement to meet all of his potential grand-juniors.

“It is interesting to see all of the pre-juniors. They are not going to know our names until probably senior tribute. In Senate, we say we are supposed to leave the school better for the juniors, so it is nice to see who we are trying to make the school better for.”

Applicants were supported by their families, some of whom had attended MSMS in previous years.

Rani Jaiswal, sibling of one of the candidates, expressed, “I am super excited to be back on campus. I graduated in 2014 and now my brother is here interviewing, which is super exciting and also very nostalgic.”

While the anticipation builds up this week, the final selections will be made on March 30 and acceptance letters will be sent to every corner of the state soon afterwards.