<p>I wish I could get an early notification! Lol</p>
<p>Hi everyone!</p>
<p>My interview is tomorrow, I am so nervous!!!</p>
<p>About the lesson samples, do you guys think it’s ok to go with a very simple subject? I am going to present basic colors in spanish (first grade). I have visual aid and I think a good method but I wonder if it will look to simplistic…thoughts?</p>
<p>Simple is good! In fact, trying to teach a very complex topic in 5 minutes just isn’t possible.</p>
<p>@educatedbrotha12: I’m not requesting early notification - too bad, because I’d love to know early!</p>
<p>@PotCM123: Thanks for the support! Congrats on your acceptance!</p>
<p>@bubblerj: I’d DEFINITELY go for a simple subject. In my interview group, there was a correlation between the grade level they were teaching for and how well their lesson went, in my opinion. It’s not that you can’t pull off a high school subject, it’s more that things for elementary kids are easier to organize your thoughts around and more likely to have an interactive/colorful element. Basic colors in Spanish sounds excellent!</p>
<p>You will do FINE! Everyone says that the final round is kind of fun, and I didn’t believe them, but I swear it’s true. Get there early and chat with the people in your group so it’s not as intimidating to “teach” them, and I’d recommend practicing. A lot. Something not obvious is to practice the prep time, like the time it takes to hang up/tape up everything!</p>
<p>Thanks guys!!!</p>
<p>Joining the discussion after quite a bit of lurking. I am applying to 5DL & had my interview on Friday 3.23.12. I advanced directly to the final interview (skipped the phone step) and feel like it went okay, but it’s definitely hard to know for sure.</p>
<p>I have noticed a lot of talk about transitional funding changes being an early indicator of acceptance. I applied for TF but I did so after the recommended 3.20.12 deadline :/</p>
<p>Good luck everyone! April 12 is just seventeen days away …</p>
<p>Hey guys, I applied during the 4DL and received acceptance. I’m extremely excited for this next journey in my life.</p>
<p>In regards to TF, I applied late but my status changed to “Complete” a week later. Bear in mind, we did have one person this time who did have a change in TF but didn’t get in, but usually majority of the other posters on this board got in. </p>
<p>I was speaking with my recruiter during the “Congrats” dinner we had at my school. She informed me that the regional office makes the decision on whether you are accepted within a week of your interview. Then they send that list to TFA admissions and they place you into your regions. Your regional offices don’t have any idea where you are placed.</p>
<p>Also, I had a TFA alum who mentored me throughout my process. He told me not all the weight is placed on the final interview. The other stages in the interview are just as important, especially your written statement in part 1.</p>
<p>Ooo interesting Cali, thanks for the information. I guess I will keep an eye on my TF status over the next several days, and if it changes, try not to get TOO hopeful!</p>
<p>Cali,</p>
<p>Thank you for the helpful information. So when you say the regional office decides on your acceptance do you mean the location/region where you had your final interview? </p>
<p>This is very helpful ;).</p>
<p>educatedbrotha12 -Yes, the regional office closest to where you are currently located/had your interview. </p>
<p>wonderstruck08- Here is my theory on TF ( and this could be totally wrong). I think once you have been placed, then they decide your TF amount and change your status. Again, I could be totally wrong, but this now makes the most sense to me after speaking with my recruiter about the process. Some people are easier to place than others, so some people see their status change earlier.</p>
<p>I submitted the supporting documents a couple of days late, and right now they haven’t even been updated as “verified” in the table under “TF > Status.” Ah, should I be freaking out?</p>
<p>I would not freak out. Interviews are still going on so final admittance and placements won’t be decided yet</p>
<p>Calijunkie…where were you placed?</p>
<p>how long does it generally take if you email admissions a question? i sent them something sunday evening & am just curious</p>
<p>@wonderstruck08: it sometimes takes a few days. You’ll get a faster answer if you email someone from TFA in your region. It’s also usually a more thorough answer.</p>
<p>Hello thread 
I’ve been lurking for the past few days, so I decided I’d create an account and make myself useful around here. I applied 5DL and just completed my final interview. Waiting on pins and needles until the 12th :(</p>
<p>Hi ya’ll, I’ve been a lurker till now. I just had my final interview yesterday and I feel that it went alright. I wasn’t sure how much weight they put on the teaching practice so I decided to do something different and teach a 1st grade lesson on how to name the parts of your body…in Japanese (my B.A. is in Japanese but I want to teach ESL). We sang “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” in Japanese and I think every one enjoyed it but I worry if I should have stuck to something more traditional…and my personal interview just asked me the same things I answered to already on the phone interview and she did have access to my answers but wanted more leadership examples but…well…I don’t have many. I did military service and volunteer teach ESL…what more do you want?! <em>sigh</em> The waiting is killing me!</p>
<p>@ KnickyG, I don’t think mine was very traditional in that my examples used the harsh reality of oppression. In terms of leadership, I think people have the misconception that leadership means management or some part of a hierarchical structured. Leadership can be creating a good example for others to follow. In the military that might have been to treat everyone equally, pick up the workload for the sake of your team, etc. I’m sure you have demonstrated leadership, just not in the antiquated versions of high positions of power and authority.</p>
<p>Thanks! That makes me feel a little better…I just hope I was able to word my experiences right. It was kind of hard to explain the job of a military missile meteorologist! Plus, there are only 4 people per team so its really a group effort versus a who leads who in that particular position.</p>
<p>I am so nervous!!! I truly feel my lesson plan was great and so was the group activity. But my personal interview … I just did not “click” with the interviewer…he was trying to stumble me a lot… for example: " Which was your hardest class in school?"- My answer-then he would say: “Well…that’s not what you said on your phone interview”</p>
<p>Like seriously??!!</p>
<p>And he made a weird face because one of my extra curricular activities was an internship with a social rights movement (gays rights). </p>
<p>It just felt weird overall…</p>
<p>Although everything else is in my favor (3.5 GPA, 5 years of ESL teaching experience, coordinated ESL program for 2 years, strong letters of recommendation…)</p>
<p>Anyways, I really felt I was a good candidate for the job…until the personal interview :(</p>
<p>I feel like the personal interview is a little hard to interpret too because they are required to be typing your responses, so body language and such isn’t as obvious. That’s how I felt at least.</p>