@RST2020 That feels a little unethical, what about the students who go into the interview without the heads up about the questions? Also consider they may not be asking the same questions to each interviewee; how are you going to handle it when someone posts the questions asked and then your interviewer asks something completely different? Instead figure out a way to relax and do your best and not worry about the outcome.
@Jennibc Yeah, I guess that’s true. Thanks for the encouraging words. I guess I’m just really nervous.
It’s more than a little unethical. It’s unethical and is cheating. This is a scholarship competition and the fact that he is seeking an unfair advantage calls into question his fit for the scholarship. Shameful.
@chicagobears Ah, thanks for the clarification! I’m also thinking it could be because I have a later interview time interval (7 - 8) and perhaps they can only schedule the early ones specifically? I shouldn’t overthink it…
@itsgettingreal21 Let’s be a little more charitable with high school seniors. I understand the anxiety of students and if this student believed it was cheating do you really think he/she would put a request out over a very public message board? Intent matters. Better to educate than to shame.
@Rst2020 The best way to prepare for an interview like this is to review what you submitted, think about the mission of the program and imagine what the kind of questions they might ask to figure out whether you a good fit for it or not. Practice with an adult asking you questions. Don’t stress out if they ask you a question that you don’t have an answer for, take several seconds to think about it. You don’t practice so you can have canned answers, you practice so that you can become proficient in thinking on your feet quickly. One of the best ways to show fit for this particular program is to be your most confident self.
The reality is that most students making semifinalist will not move on to the next level. If you (or my son) don’t, it doesn’t mean anything other than you didn’t have the right mix of exactly what they were looking for. It doesn’t mean you are any less than. Sometimes realizing a lot of this is sheer chance can take the pressure off. Do you best and then let go. Be proud you made it this far.
@Jennibc because high school seniors don’t know what is and isn’t cheating. Come on now. He did it because it’s an anonymous forum. Adults need to call them out on this crap. These same students are the ones getting in trouble in college for honor code violations.
@itsgettingreal21 my best friend is a college professor teaching educational policy at a flagship school. You would be amazed at what a lot of her students do not understand regarding honor codes. And it’s not that she catches them, it’s the questions they ask her directly. If they thought they were cheating, they would not discuss it with their professor! Somehow families and secondary education are dropping the ball on this. What was obvious to our generation is not as universally obvious to the next. My son took many of his high school classes at a community college and we were both stunned by how many students on class chats would ask people to send them copies of what they put down for homework answers. And this was not anonymous! He would write to them outside of the group and suggest it might be a violation of the honor code so they might not want to do that going forward. In almost every case the student was oblivious.
There are 24 hours in a day. A lot of families don’t even have time to have meals together because everbody tries to squeeze every activity into a day to look productive, to be competitive. At school, there are standardized testing to cover, AP exams to ace to look competitive as a school and as individuals. Since no one could produce an extra set of 24 hours to put in a day, people start to cut corners. The first things to go are the things that don’t go on anyone’s resume or records. There went the teaching of citizenship and ethics. As time goes on, it becomes a habit to do shady things, not too much to get them expelled. A slap on the wrist for copying homework. They’ll do that again. When they do it enough times, they become oblivious to it. They’ll always be thinking of ways to beat the system, to push the boundaries of what they can get away with.
Thanks for all of the advice. My intentions were never to be unethical. I’ve never cheated on anything in my life, and being accused of this is a huge burden on my conscience. This feeling is worse than any sort of punishment. I was just trying to get more info about this program since there’s not much available on the internet. I feel really bad and apologize to those who believed I was cheating. I’m honestly surprised I made it this far as a semifinalist. And if this is as far as I get, then I guess that’s it. Hopefully, people who truly deserve and need this scholarship receive it. Good luck to all interviewees today!
@RST2020
The interview looks like alum-interview type. They really cannot ask a lot in 20-30 min. The email C got did state that the interviewers do not have your resumes or applications on hand. So, feel free to fill them in on what you’ve accomplished and your future plans. They look for a fit. It’s a cohort of scholars. They do a lot of things together. It would be best for the program and yourself if you fit each other. When you think of it that way, it helps take away the nervousness. There is no telling what any of the interviewers would ask. We practiced mock interviews with common scholasrhip interview questions before my C went to one event recently and none of the supposed-common questions came up. Good luck!
Interview done in less than half an hour. Good? Bad? I don’t know, but it was done:-) Now we’ll wait til Feb 5.
@junebug20 They are all scheduled for 20 minutes each. The alum each has a list of people he/she has been assigned and they rip through them because they immediately have to call the next person.
Since it’s only 20 minutes, it’s best to be concise in your answers, I’m guessing? And then elaborate if asked? Asking because I have a tendency to ramble so I might need to wrangle that in…
Definitely not rambling (I get off tangent to). I don’t know how C did. I figured it’d be better that I wasn’t in the room.
@RST2020 I do question how or why you would ask that. This is a very competitive scholarship. As you said in trying to clear your conscience, hopefully those who truly DESERVE this scholarship will receive it.
@txmom21 Like I said earlier, I apologize for asking that. I made a mistake and I’m owning it.
@RST2020 ignore the shamers. The best thing to do in life when you make mistakes is to learn from them and move on.
@txmom21 Hi. I’m sorry you’re upset. It’s a special scholarship and we all want the opportunity to receive it. But most of us will not. And it is what it is. It is not that any one of us deserves it more than any other. All of us as semi-finalists have excelled in some way. And we’ve aligned with what the 40 Acres evaluation panel(s) are seeking in some way. But who is assigned to us for the alumni call is luck of the draw. And who knows what questions they will ask. Or whether we as applicants will be having a good day or a bad day, or whether our answers will meet whatever they’re looking for. And that’s okay. Some of us will become Finalists and some won’t. And that’s okay. And of the Finalists, most won’t be Scholars. And that’s okay. And it doesn’t mean any one person truly deserved it more than the others. Rather, things just aligned well. I think we should look at having been selected as a semifinalist as a gift. And not expect much. And go on with our lives. And if we progress, well, that would be really neat. And if we don’t, we gave it a shot. But we need to be kind to each other in the process. So, for everyone on this list – I wish you calm and contentment. Good luck with all that you’re doing.
@Ihavequestions1 Very well written and very insightful. Best of luck!