<p>OK, so my D is a National Scholars finalist at Clemson University. She is thrilled, but very nervous about the interviews that she will have to do during the Scholars’ Weekend in Feb. </p>
<p>My question is: does anyone have a son/daughter that has gone through a similar process? What kind of questions were they asked? Any suggestions on how she can stand out? Thanks in advance for your replies!</p>
<p>I haven’t had a child go thru the process…but…</p>
<p>It always helps to be polite (good manners), pleasant, and interested. Have good eye contact with a pleasant expression on your face. Don’t be twitchy. (I’m a big believer that a happy person has the best chance during an interview.).</p>
<p>They probably want to detect your level of interest in Clemson. They probably don’t want to award these scholarships to kids who really want to go to Duke or some ivy.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>It might be valuable to “reverse engineer” the process. Look back at the previous recipients. Look at what the college chooses to highlight about the scholars on their website. Look at the stated purpose for the award. Delve into the “philosophy”. Then highlight those items that the student possesses in conversation. If it’s fake it won’t help but …if it’s genuine and just highlighted in conversation a little to make it sparkle, well…that may be a good thing. <a href=“National Scholars Program”>National Scholars Program;
<p>WARNING: In the wrong hands the advice above is deadly. Do not make crap up. Do not feign interest in something you have no interest in. Do not pretend to be someone you are not. You will fall like a two-egg pudding.</p>
<p>Curmy!! how did you use color?</p>
<p>Color? What color? ;)</p>
<p>**Testing color **</p>
<p>m2c, remove blank space after opening bracket. Here is for color and size.</p>
<p>[ b][ size=+2][ color=green]Testing color [ /color][ /size] [ /b]</p>
<p>Ah, come on!!! Jeebus. Pffft. Spoilsport. </p>
<p>(Psssst. We do this every couple of years. And get in trouble with the mods soon thereafter. Use it sparingly and you won’t get slapped down. Use it a lot and …Something Wicked This Way Comes )</p>
<p>Have your daughter read over anything that she submitted as part of her application. She should reacquaint herself with her essays. She should know who wrote her recommendations for that particular application, and the reasons she chose those recommenders.</p>
<p>Basic first impressions - extend hand and introduce herself. Wear something appropriate, yet comfortable; your daughter does not want to have to be tugging her skirt down a bit or worrying about whether she’s exposing anything that shouldn’t be exposed when sits. (Both my girls wore dark opaque tights that blended with their skirts.) Thank the interviewer at the end.</p>
<p>Standard questions can be asked, such as “what book are you currently reading for pleasure?” (My oldest d - an avid reader - drew a total blank when asked this question and now laughs about it - but at the time, she worried about her fumble to think of the name of a book she was reading or had just read - or maybe had ever read. :))</p>
<p>Wow…color…yes, use sparingly!</p>
<p>Ignatius…great advice!!!</p>
<p>Thanks! This advice will be very helpful!</p>
<p>My daughter did several of the big scholarship weekends quite successfully and they were all very different in feel, format and types of questions asked so I guess the best advice might be to go in well rested, be friendly to everyone she meets, eye contact, try to relax and just try to be herself and answer the questions honestly. Be true to yourself. Go in expecting the unexpected with the attitude that no matter what they throw at you, you’ll do your best and that will be good enough.</p>
<p>In the interviews DD participated in, she had one-on-one interviews, panel interviews, group teamwork type activities which were observed, off the cuff writing samples from a prompt done in a computer lab, social gatherings or tours with current students. She got questions from routine interview questions to questions like most recent book read, if you were a sushi roll what type would you be, favorite book/movie and how it affected your life.</p>
<p>One tidbit to let her know is that anyone she talks to can be part of the interview process and give input on the decisions. When DD interviewed for a big out of state scholarship, students asked her lots of questions about if she got the scholarship would she definitely attend there, what her top choice schools were, how she had them ranked in her mind…all of this in “casual” conversation with students only in a social setting.</p>
<p>My personal pet peeve with young people interviewing is handshake. I can’t stand a limp fish handshake, even for women. I believe in a firm handshake with eye contact - not crushing, mind you, but gently firm that says I am a confident young woman. DD’s middle school guidance counselor actually taught the kids how to appropriately shake hands in preparation for high school interviews.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter!!! My own DD was having a case of nerves last night as she goes into a month and a half of grad school interviews across the country. It can be overwhelming at times.</p>
<p>*One tidbit to let her know is that anyone she talks to can be part of the interview process and give input on the decisions. *</p>
<p>Very good tip! The office people, other students, etc, are sometimes asked for input! </p>
<p>*My personal pet peeve with young people interviewing is handshake. I can’t stand a limp fish handshake, even for women. I believe in a firm handshake with eye contact - not crushing, mind you, but gently firm that says I am a confident young woman. *</p>
<p>More good advice!!!</p>
<p>My S was a finalist for Clemson National Scholars. He did not receive the scholarship but chose Clemson anyway. He was selected to attend finalist weekends for big scholarships at several schools but after his National Scholars weekend at Clemson he was sold! Clemson does an amazing job “selling” their university that weekend.
The weekend is very stressful for the kids, but the people at Clemson do a wonderful job with and try to put them at ease.</p>
<p>All good advice here</p>