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Introverts and Competitive Scholarship Weekends


Jazzy
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I found a couple of competitive scholarships that fit my son’s stats, but they require attending a competitive scholarship weekend.

 

Ds is friendly, likeable, personable, etc. We laugh about the fact that everyone wants him as a friend. But it is because he’s just a steady, faithful person who works hard and is a good listener. He’s also fun and funny, but not extroverted.

 

I would imagine extroverts and those who like to be in the forefront would do extremely well at competitive scholarship weekends. Does an introvert have a chance at those?

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I do not know but I am of the opinion that many,at least some, of these scholarship weekends are basically big recruitment events and an opportunity to get students on campus and sell them on the school. I imagine for the very top presitgious scholarships this is not true but for the ones that hundreds of kids are invited to, I think it is. I am positive some are legitimate competitions but the ones my kids (good students, not superstars) have attended don't seem to be true competitions. I say this because the interviews were not personal or in depth at all and came off more as info sessions.

 

So, of course, your mileage will vary based on the types of schools and the types of scholarships. I also think that just attending these events results in a certain minimum scholarship even if you don't win the big one(s). I'm not criticizing these events- my ds ended up at a school that he attended one at and it sold him on the school and he now participates in the event yearly with the prospective students. My second ds is attending one this coming weekend.

 

I know a bunch of people are going to follow up and say that I am wrong, so I want to repeat that I know some of these competitions are legitimate scholarship competitions, especially for the very prestigious schools and scholarships. I just don't think they all are. I say that to encourage you that your student very well may win a great scholarship even without being an extrovert that wins over a scholarship weekend. If your dc is interested in the school it can be a great experience and he might do well just being himself. :)

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Thank you, that is encouraging. This is not are not tippy top prestigious schools, but I think one of them might be a very good fit for him, and that one is a full ride (tuition, room and board, study abroad) scholarship.

Edited by Jazzy
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My college freshman is an introvert. We are paying extra for a private dorm room bc there is no way she could function without large amts of alone time. She received multiple scholarships from competitive weekends, so yes, introverts do get awarded scholarships.

 

Our 10th grader is an extreme introvert who is also extremely shy and really doesn't like socializing in unknown circumstances. She would really struggle at a scholarship weekend, but by the same token, it is doubtful she would ever have done anything in high school that would stand out enough to get invited to one. She does not possess a personality that is driven or desires to be involved. She would rather just mosey along in her own world vs pursuing outside engagement to high levels.

 

I don't see it as an introvert/extrovert issue as much as a being actively engaged issue.

Edited by 8FillTheHeart
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Our 10th grader is an extreme introvert who is also extremely shy and really doesn't like socializing in unknown circumstances. 

 

My dd is like this and it makes me nervous because she will probably be trying for some competitive scholarships that require interviews.  

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He IS stubborn and competitive. And he isn’t introverted to the point that having a roommate will be a problem.

 

In his co-op classes, his teachers often say he does great when called on, but is otherwise, “quiet†even though they know he’s prepared and paying attention. (This is just during class, not when hanging out with classmates.) When he first started riding with friends’ parents to activities and stuff, they would say to me in a surprised way, “I didn’t know he could talk so much.†Not meaning that he dominated the conversation, but that they had previously thought of him as being quiet.

 

He’s actually pretty talkative, but for some reason gives off the impression of being quiet. In a group setting, there will always be those who are natural talkers (I have a couple of kids like that), and I think he is content to let them do the talking. So I could see him NOT shining in a group interview even though he has a lot to offer.

 

Maybe it’s something we should aim to work on.

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He IS stubborn and competitive. And he isn’t introverted to the point that having a roommate will be a problem.

 

In his co-op classes, his teachers often say he does great when called on, but is otherwise, “quiet†even though they know he’s prepared and paying attention. (This is just during class, not when hanging out with classmates.) When he first started riding with friends’ parents to activities and stuff, they would say to me in a surprised way, “I didn’t know he could talk so much.†Not meaning that he dominated the conversation, but that they had previously thought of him as being quiet.

 

He’s actually pretty talkative, but for some reason gives off the impression of being quiet. In a group setting, there will always be those who are natural talkers (I have a couple of kids like that), and I think he is content to let them do the talking. So I could see him NOT shining in a group interview even though he has a lot to offer.

 

Maybe it’s something we should aim to work on.

All of the weekends my Dd went on had group interviews and individual interviews with a group of people form the university. She said others definitely dominated the group interviews bc they would simply interject themselves whenever they wanted and that is just not who she is. She just tried to be true to who she is and made she was was confident and articulate during the individual interviews.

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My college freshman is an introvert. We are paying extra for a private dorm room bc there is no way she could function without large amts of alone time. She received multiple scholarships from competitive weekends, so yes, introverts do get awarded scholarships.

 

Did you have any issues with overlapping scholarship weekends? For two of the scholarships I think he’s eligible for, the competition weekends are on the same dates.

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My son is a seriously extreme introvert. He is solidly in one corner in the Myers-Briggs personality profile.

 

He attended multiple scholarship weekends and got showered with money. The solo interviews went very well. The group interviews were much more of a challenge, but he went into them knowing that he had to speak up.

 

His leadership positions in the Civil Air Patrol helped him to survive the interviews.

 

Good luck -- most of the college process seems more geared to extraverts (especially fall orientation!).  Oh well!

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Did you have any issues with overlapping scholarship weekends? For two of the scholarships I think he’s eligible for, the competition weekends are on the same dates.

She had to turn down weekends. All of the ones she was looking at had required attendance. She eliminated the schools she was the least interested in. She had also decided against certain schools before she even got her offers.

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It depends. How much does he want it?

 

I found both with myself and my niece (both hardcore introverts) that if we want something bad enough, we will work through it somehow. We will figure it out. It also helps to be stubborn and competitive too.

 

 

An Ex-BF, that I mentioned in another thread, who is known to me now as Mistake and is a major Eeyore was once on a game show, one of the big ones where you are picked ahead of time and it wasn't trivia.   It might have been Wheel of Fortune.  He said he figured out that it was the bubbly personalities that were picked.  So he bubbled.   I think he said he won 30K.  

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I found a couple of competitive scholarships that fit my son’s stats, but they require attending a competitive scholarship weekend.

 

Ds is friendly, likeable, personable, etc. We laugh about the fact that everyone wants him as a friend. But it is because he’s just a steady, faithful person who works hard and is a good listener. He’s also fun and funny, but not extroverted.

 

I would imagine extroverts and those who like to be in the forefront would do extremely well at competitive scholarship weekends. Does an introvert have a chance at those?

 

My introvert daughter did just fine. It was actually an excellent educational opportunity as far as learning to function at these sort of networking functions.

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I'm an introvert, but I think my sister is an mild extrovert. We both tried out for Wheel of Fortune at the same time. I knew I had to be bubbly (as you called it), so I was. She was calm & cheerful, but not exuberant. She probably did better on the written quiz. They picked me, not her. So, I agree with you.

An Ex-BF, that I mentioned in another thread, who is known to me now as Mistake and is a major Eeyore was once on a game show, one of the big ones where you are picked ahead of time and it wasn't trivia.   It might have been Wheel of Fortune.  He said he figured out that it was the bubbly personalities that were picked.  So he bubbled.   I think he said he won 30K.  

That said, I hope you don't have to turn it on too much at scholarship weekends because I have three introvert daughters before the extroverted son. I'd like to think that they have a chance without having to pretend to be something they aren't.

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I'm an introvert, but I think my sister is an mild extrovert. We both tried out for Wheel of Fortune at the same time. I knew I had to be bubbly (as you called it), so I was. She was calm & cheerful, but not exuberant. She probably did better on the written quiz. They picked me, not her. So, I agree with you.

That said, I hope you don't have to turn it on too much at scholarship weekends because I have three introvert daughters before the extroverted son. I'd like to think that they have a chance without having to pretend to be something they aren't.

 

The candidates do have to turn it on a bit, generally. Bubbly is not necessary, but they need to be able to communicate sufficiently so that those choosing recipients get a sense of who they are and what they care about. Often potential leadership is one consideration, so they often need to show that they can converse with those that they don't know well.

 

As I said in an earlier post, doing those weekends really was educational for my introvert daughter as far as developing interview and networking skills. The whole college application process was a time of tremendous growth in many areas.

 

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If they are scheduled on the same weekend, you will have to figure out who to turn down. One big reason schools require in-person visits to campus is that they are gauging your actual interest and level of commitment to attending. They do not want to offer their most prestigious scholarship and have it turned down. If a student has a high interest in a specific school, and a decent chance at winning, they should do their very best to visit before scholarship weekend - heck, before scholarship invites. Yes, even if it's far away - if you can spend the money on an additional overnight trip, I would do so. Convincing a school that you would attend if offered that scholarship is very much in your favor.  

 

Some scholarship weekends are just an interview along with the usual tour of departments and so on. Some have multiple interviews. One school that invited dd to compete for a full ride has students attend a mock class, which acts as an audition. Students list 5 classes from about 20 offered, and are randomly assigned to one of those classes for the competition.  

 

It is very much like the job interview process for a corporation. You have to be able to speak up in the actual interview, you have to be able to promote yourself, preferably you will be somewhat memorable. Just like a job, they are also trying to see if you will fit into the culture. And again, you want to convince them that you will take the job/attend the university if you get this scholarship. He will want to have a ready answer for questions about which colleges he is considering. 

 

Going on departmental visits to various colleges, and becoming accustomed to speaking to professors, can help prepare. 

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Sounds like this could be really good for ds. If he doesn’t get the scholarships, he will at least see the ways in which he needs to up his game! He is looking considering a business degree, and the business world is competitive.

 

I was just thinking that one advantage ds has is that he is 6’ 4†and very athletically built. He gets SO much attention everywhere we go. We joined a new church and he was instantly popular in youth group. Because tall. He is instantly memorable even to adults - everyone notices and speaks to him. I never knew the many advantages of height until having ds, lol!

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I remember when my elder son was visiting colleges. At one of the colleges, we sat in on a panel of students who were giving information and answering questions. There was a student there who talked about how shy and introverted she was and how she bombed her scholarship (full ride) interview...but was still awarded the scholarship. The president of the university then took the mic and said that he remembered her interview and that it didn't go so smoothly. So, yes, there is hope.

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My introvert has done fine.  We did talk about how he needed to try to talk in the group discussions/activities b/c this is how the board was going to get to know him. One honors program did mention that they know all kids won't be the leaders in the discussion and that they should relax and just be who they were within the discussion and not worry if they didn't have the most answers.  Of course, they needed to participate!

 

He is anxious before the weekends and tired after, but he's done just fine.   He has gotten into all the honors programs and gotten scholarship money.  No full rides yet--but, as he puts it, he's not a "5 instrument homeschooler."  He's a generic bright kid with high stats and a couple of extra curricular activities with regular achievement in them (well, he's an Eagle Scout--but not Senior Patrol leader, or anything above and beyond).

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Sounds like this could be really good for ds. If he doesn’t get the scholarships, he will at least see the ways in which he needs to up his game! He is looking considering a business degree, and the business world is competitive.

 

I was just thinking that one advantage ds has is that he is 6’ 4†and very athletically built. He gets SO much attention everywhere we go. We joined a new church and he was instantly popular in youth group. Because tall. He is instantly memorable even to adults - everyone notices and speaks to him. I never knew the many advantages of height until having ds, lol!

 

I think it's absolutely true that his build could make him memorable.

 

My current college student (and introvert) has been intensely working on summer internship applications. She mentioned today that this has been another educational experience, as she learns to search out opportunities, polish her resume and write cover letters...and, of course, go through more interviews. She mentioned how the original college application experience had been so good for her. Sometimes the process is as valuable, or even moreso, than the "prize" they seek.

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My middle daughter is introvert.  and probably a little clueless too. (more than a little, but I digress).  She did one of those interview scholarship days (smaller 4 year place. not a fancy name place).  She went into it knowing that it was very unlikely she'd be selected, but it could be a fun half day on campus and everyone who showed up got nominal scholarship for being there. 1 person got full ride.   She went and did as expected and got free lunch and the  thanks for showing up participation scholarship. she's not interested in a competitive major and ended up decided to take a year off and then plans to not go to the 4 year place, but do community college.

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