Urgent!!

Mackie45 · 01-27-2006, 10:37 AM

I have an interview tomorrow mornig for a summer theater program. I have my monologue down, but i'm a little worried about the interview questions. How would you guys respond to the following questions:
1) Why should we pick you over the other nominees?
2) What can you bring to the program? or, why would this program be better if you were there?
and most importantly,3) Who is your role model?
These are all very generic questions and i'm afraid that any answer i give will be overdone. Like....my role model is Martin Luther King JR. or Einstein. LOL. Help me out here!!! PLEASE!

CollegeMom · 01-27-2006, 10:49 AM

Mackie45:

I moved this thread as you posted in the NYU/Tisch forum and it is not necessarily about that school.

When you attend a college interview, you should go into it with your own agenda of what you are hoping to get across. You can plug those things into whatever questions you are asked. In fact, the questions you gave as examples are open ended and will allow you to take the opportunity to "sell" whatever your strengths and attributes are. Think about what makes you, "you". By bringing up your strengths, traits, attributes, experiences, you are showing what makes you who you are and how you may differ from the next person. You must sell yourself and let them get to know whatever it is about you that you are hoping they'll find out. Rather than take each question literally, just take whatever the question is and fit in what it is that you are hoping to get across to colleges.

Try to also talk about why you want to attend and how you SPECIFICALLY think you are a good fit for the program. As far as a role model, there is no correct answer. While King and Einstein are OK, the issue is more the "why", not the "who". I think it might be easier or more "real" to pick someone less far removed from your experience but that is not as critical. You need to tie into whomever you pick to something about YOU. The opportunity in that question and in all the questions, is to sell YOU. Let them learn about you. Go into the interview with points you want to make about yourself and what you are hoping they learn about you and plug these points into WHATEVER question you are asked.

Best of luck. Use the chance to let them get to know you a bit. The questions are not meant to be trick ones but are open ended and give you a chance to sell yourself.

CollegeMom

chrisnoo · 01-27-2006, 10:53 AM

i also think that if you can at least possibly make your role model someone in the theater, and explain why or what not. like the nyu essay was on an artistic work that has touched you. i talked about how rent was what got me into musicals, so do something that has touched you personally as a role model. and if you can make it about theater. even better.

chris

soozievt · 01-27-2006, 11:02 AM

I agree with Chris that a role model need not even be someone who is famous but simply someone who has touched you in some way, and even related to your interest area. While not asked about a role model per se, I recall one of my kids in an essay that had to do with an area of passion, ski racing, it came up that she admired Picabo Street when younger, though her essay talked about HERSELF. I recall something my other kid wrote, again not about role models but it came up how when she was younger in a summer theater program, how she admired certain older kids who's talent and accomplishments stood out and how years later in the same program, she relates experiences of how she was accomplishing similar things she once admired in them and how now younger kids were seeing her as the role model (all of this is through vignettes) but I am giving the essence that you can look up to someone who is not necessarily famous, though could be, but is related to your own aspirations. Like Chris says....

Susan

jasmom · 01-27-2006, 01:12 PM

Ask some folks who know you well (parents, friends, etc) to describe how they see you (strengths, weaknesses, and the impact you have on them). Their answers may give you some ideas, e.g. perhaps you provide the spark that keeps folks going when they get discouraged, perhaps your meticulous planning saved the day for a school project, perhaps your spontaneity inspires creativity for group projects. If concrete examples are given, your application will have more life.

Mackie45 · 01-27-2006, 04:00 PM

Thanks everyone for responding soo quickly. And sorry for posting in the wrong forum. I had no idea where to put it. Thanks again!! And wish me luck!!