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Update: Scholarship weekend tips?


Ann.without.an.e
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Update to post #11

 

DD has been invited to compete for a full tuition scholarship (plus study abroad and research stipends).  They only invite 20 to compete and 8 will get the full tuition scholarship.  She doesn't feel like interviews are her strength so she is super nervous about the interviews, etc.  It is a two day event with a dinner the night before the interviews. :)  If anyone has tips or thoughts, please share  :001_smile:

Edited by Attolia
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That sounds very exciting! Hoping for good things for her. Sounds like it is quite the honor to even be invited for this event.

 

My daughter did a few of those last year. If nothing else, these things are certainly a wonderful learning opportunity, and we tried to approach it that way. Learning to interview is a useful life skill.

 

I do suggest making sure your daughter has read up on the school, and the specific program that interests her, and goes into this with solid knowledge. She should be able to talk about herself as well, her goals and interests. If this is a scholarship in which leadership is emphasized (and most of these things tend to be), she should have ideas in her head about how she will explain how she has demonstrated that attribute. If community service is important, have those sorts of answers prepared as well.

 

Obviously plan to dress appropriately for the event, at least a step above casual, unless casual is specified. My jock daughter did have to shop for a couple of outfits and create a basic grooming plan for the scholarship interviews! But it was educational, for sure.

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That sounds very exciting! Hoping for good things for her. Sounds like it is quite the honor to even be invited for this event.

 

My daughter did a few of those last year. If nothing else, these things are certainly a wonderful learning opportunity, and we tried to approach it that way. Learning to interview is a useful life skill.

 

I do suggest making sure your daughter has read up on the school, and the specific program that interests her, and goes into this with solid knowledge. She should be able to talk about herself as well, her goals and interests. If this is a scholarship in which leadership is emphasized (and most of these things tend to be), she should have ideas in her head about how she will explain how she has demonstrated that attribute. If community service is important, have those sorts of answers prepared as well.

 

Obviously plan to dress appropriately for the event, at least a step above casual, unless casual is specified. My jock daughter did have to shop for a couple of outfits and create a basic grooming plan for the scholarship interviews! But it was educational, for sure.

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts.  Good idea about approaching it to learn.  She knows the school quite well but she will read up on it some more for sure.  I think it is neat that they will send her a piece of literature a week before to read and they will discuss this with her.  I think this will go well for her unless it is super controversial or involves something for which she simply doesn't have a passion.  

 

I think we might need to shop as well.  She has several nice dresses but they might not be dressy enough?  I am not sure.  We need to think on this.

Edited by Attolia
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Can you find some people to give her mock interviews with feedback. My cotillion company offers this to our oldest students; it has been very helpful. She needs to practice feeling comfortable, no fidgeting; she should not worry about her posture (because it is good) or anything else; she wants her intellect and personality to shine. Does she have a nice handshake? Does she maintain eye contact with ease? Can she talk eloquently about things she cares about?  

 

Best of luck!

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Can you find some people to give her mock interviews with feedback. My cotillion company offers this to our oldest students; it has been very helpful. She needs to practice feeling comfortable, no fidgeting; she should not worry about her posture (because it is good) or anything else; she wants her intellect and personality to shine. Does she have a nice handshake? Does she maintain eye contact with ease? Can she talk eloquently about things she cares about?  

 

Best of luck!

 

 

Good thoughts.  I am working on setting up some mock interviews.

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Dd says at the dinner to mingle and be social. They want to see how you interact and socialize. She said she focused on thinking of them as just ordinary people so she didn't get overwhelmed. (She is going to take over.)

 

This is 8's daughter. For the actual interview there are a couple of very common questions she should just start thinking about so she will be prepared if they ask (but I would not suggest memorizing any responses). First, what is one thing she would like to emphasize/expand upon from her application or what is something about her that her application does not reflect. Another is what drew her to that school/program (they might also ask what she hopes to get out of it and what she will contribute to it). Another big thing is to have questions to ask the interviewers in case they leave any extra time at the end. These are just some of the things I have picked up from my interviews. Tell her to be calm and be herself. They want to get an idea of who she is. Hope it goes well!! Good luck!!

 

ETA: she might want to review her application materials in case they ask something specific from her essays or other info. One thing that caught Dd off-guard was when at one of these weekends she was asked specifically about her 10th grade literature class. She said she was hoping the whole time she was answering that she was remembering 10th grade and not mixing it up with one of her other lit classes! (For a kid who reads non-stop, that seemed like an odd way to phrase a question to me! 10th grade lit was a lot of books ago!)

Edited by 8FillTheHeart
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That is a good tip about mingling at the dinner! She should not be shy about approaching professors and other college reps they may have there, and introducing herself. And talk to the other students as well. It is hard to advise, not knowing what the focus of this scholarship is, but for one of my daughter's events, they were definitely looking at social skills. Having a question or two as ice breakers for new people would be helpful. Learning to ask, perhaps, where someone is from, what they want to study, etc.

 

Oh, and keep the phone put away, out of sight!

 

If you have time for mock interviews, that would be good too.

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Is the scholarship for a particular area of interest? 

 

I would encourage her to relax about the interview and not think of it as questions that she has to have the right answer for or questions that she has to "pass".  They will probably be looking at things from a much broader context.  I have known of situations like this where students are eliminated because they simply do not show up or they are late to the interview.  I find homeschoolers are often afraid that they will immediately be viewed as socially awkward, but in reality these are often the students who are much more comfortable talking to adults.  They will want to know that she is interested in learning, engaged in conversations, able to ask questions, and able to contribute to conversations.  

 

If it is a leadership scholarship that includes study abroad, often they are looking at reasons to eliminate:  a student who appears to be a whiner/complainer, one who does not seem like they could easily adjust to different food or a different routine, who who will be a demanding princess, one who will be on their phone all of the time.  Often they are looking for a group that will work well together.  While a student who does not see themselves as an outgoing, center of attention leader may think that an interview isn't their strong point, they could be just the balance the interviewers are looking to bring to the group.  The important thing is to be herself.

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These can be anxiety-inducing, but honestly we have found that most of these days/weekends are more about wooing the student than anything else, so they aren't terrible. Brush up on small talk skills, dinner manners, and protocol when making introductions, etc. Make sure she has something to wear that she feels very confident in. 

 

For the interview specifically, work with her on the story she wants to tell. Then if a questions throws her, she can lead it back to the things she wants the committee to know about her. If you can practice the logistics of a large interview, that would help (looking around during answers, etc.)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just wanted to thank y'all.  DD had her event this last weekend.  It went well.  It was a great group of students and parents.  An admissions counselor told me that she has never seen such a collaborative group of competitors.  DD said that there were three of them in her group interview and they had a few minutes before it started and they made a pact "let's just do this together and help each other".  I thought that was super cool.  She has a few more events like this coming up and it was a good start.  Thank you again for the thoughts and tips.   :thumbup1:

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