The interview is the second, and most important part of the application process. Good thing I didn't know that when I went. Unfortunately, I can't remember many of the details, but I think I remember some, so I'll start with that :)
AFS breaks interview selection committees into sections, depending on location (if you are going through another organization, then I'm sorry--this might not be as big of a help to you). I was part of the Capitol Area one, and there were 8 people interviewed, including me. 4 in the morning, and 4 in the afternoon. I got there at the scheduled time, and waited in the living room area along with the others. Besides the applicants, there was also a girl who went on the CBYX program last year, as well as a German guy who came to the US this year through AFS. And of course, my parents (-cough- the only parents there -cough-).
Now before I go on, let me just say that my parents were not supportive of me going abroad at all. In fact, they didn't even know I applied for this program until I was invited to the interview. They were quite pissed off at me (mostly my mom), but I'll dedicate a whole post to them in the future. For now, let's get back on track.
Each person is to do a 30-minute interview with the selection committee, which for me, consisted of the following people:
-Chair
-Past CBYX finalist (not the previously mentioned girl)
-A guy from Germany (not the previously mentioned guy from Germany)
The Chair was in charge of facilitating the interview, while the other 2 people took notes on what I said and asked me questions. The interview was pretty laid back, and it felt more like a chat than anything else. They asked me the standard, run of the mill questions, like "Why do you want to go to Germany?" However, they also made questions based off what I said. We talked a lot about Chinese culture, as well as about my essays. I think most of what they asked me were similar to the essay questions. If you want more details or have any questions, feel free to ask.
Moving on.
The second part of the interview was a group activity. All the applicants sat around a dining table, and we were asked to work together to build a tower out of pipe cleaners, a brown bag, tape, and construction paper. The only rule was that we weren't allowed to use English (but any other language was acceptable). It was a really fun activity, and we did succeed! It took some time though, because me and another girl spoke Spanish, while the other two applicants spoke French. But unlike most other people, I never took Spanish in middle school, and am only in Spanish 3. Obviously, I couldn't say that much and depended mostly on hand gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions. I probably looked really weird, but oh well. During the entire activity, the selection committee was looking upon us to see how we interacted with the other applicants. When we were done, they asked us a few questions, like "Why do you think we had you do this activity?" And..that was pretty much it.
Leaving the Chair's home, I felt pretty happy about the whole experience. However, I was a bit scared that I wouldn't get the scholarship, because everyone else looked like really great people too. It was refreshing to meet people who were so passionate about studying abroad!
AFS breaks interview selection committees into sections, depending on location (if you are going through another organization, then I'm sorry--this might not be as big of a help to you). I was part of the Capitol Area one, and there were 8 people interviewed, including me. 4 in the morning, and 4 in the afternoon. I got there at the scheduled time, and waited in the living room area along with the others. Besides the applicants, there was also a girl who went on the CBYX program last year, as well as a German guy who came to the US this year through AFS. And of course, my parents (-cough- the only parents there -cough-).
Now before I go on, let me just say that my parents were not supportive of me going abroad at all. In fact, they didn't even know I applied for this program until I was invited to the interview. They were quite pissed off at me (mostly my mom), but I'll dedicate a whole post to them in the future. For now, let's get back on track.
Each person is to do a 30-minute interview with the selection committee, which for me, consisted of the following people:
-Chair
-Past CBYX finalist (not the previously mentioned girl)
-A guy from Germany (not the previously mentioned guy from Germany)
The Chair was in charge of facilitating the interview, while the other 2 people took notes on what I said and asked me questions. The interview was pretty laid back, and it felt more like a chat than anything else. They asked me the standard, run of the mill questions, like "Why do you want to go to Germany?" However, they also made questions based off what I said. We talked a lot about Chinese culture, as well as about my essays. I think most of what they asked me were similar to the essay questions. If you want more details or have any questions, feel free to ask.
Moving on.
The second part of the interview was a group activity. All the applicants sat around a dining table, and we were asked to work together to build a tower out of pipe cleaners, a brown bag, tape, and construction paper. The only rule was that we weren't allowed to use English (but any other language was acceptable). It was a really fun activity, and we did succeed! It took some time though, because me and another girl spoke Spanish, while the other two applicants spoke French. But unlike most other people, I never took Spanish in middle school, and am only in Spanish 3. Obviously, I couldn't say that much and depended mostly on hand gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions. I probably looked really weird, but oh well. During the entire activity, the selection committee was looking upon us to see how we interacted with the other applicants. When we were done, they asked us a few questions, like "Why do you think we had you do this activity?" And..that was pretty much it.
Leaving the Chair's home, I felt pretty happy about the whole experience. However, I was a bit scared that I wouldn't get the scholarship, because everyone else looked like really great people too. It was refreshing to meet people who were so passionate about studying abroad!
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