NSLI-Y Semifinalist Interview
So I had my interview today, and I was going to make a video (and maybe I still will despite looking like crap...) but I'm going to put some information down here first (split into sections "Getting Contacted for the Interview," "What to Wear," "Types of Interviews," "My Experience," "What I Brought," "Others' Experiences," "Tips," and "Questions They Asked Me"...I would highly suggest using ctrl+f if you're looking for something specific-- this is long):
--PS SOMETIMES I JUST UPDATE THIS IF I GET NEW INFO SO YEAH JUST A HEAD'S UP--
GETTING CONTACTED FOR THE INTERVIEW:
The following is MY personal timeline:
Mid-October 2013: Application submitted
Early November: Teacher/parent rec electronically submitted
Dec 11: Semifinalist notification
Dec 31: Received interview information from scheduler
January 15: Date NSLI-Y said to contact them if no interview information was received for THIS YEAR
Do NOT freak out if you're getting notifications for the interview late! It has nothing to do with your chances of getting in or how much they liked you or anything, from what I've seen it just depends on where you live/how many other people around you are semifinalists/how many people around you can do interviews. A lot of places with fewer semifinalists and volunteers in the area have later interviews because they just couldn't find someone to do the interview! That's usually why people end up getting phone/skype interviews done, because there's no one in the area to conduct an interview in person. Just calm down and wait! The notification will come and don't be that obnoxious person that sends 4 emails and a call before January 15. Just as you're stressed out waiting for the news, volunteers and AFS (who's in charge of doing interviews) are stressed out trying to schedule interviews for over a THOUSAND kids all over the US!
Also, my lady emailed me in a group of kids and she was like "If you have any questions, or conflicts, please do not hesitate to contact me. And share this information with your parents and confirm to me that you will be at the interview!" And I responded, and asked a question, and she never responded =.= Which honestly was a little annoying to me because I didn't know if she had gotten my email saying I could go and I didn't end up calling her but someone who had the same interview date/lady ended up calling and the lady said she only contacted those who hadn't given her a yes or no yet. And I was like "...kay." But I'd say check just in case a few days before the interview! Can't be too safe! However, on the flip side, don't send a million emails to your emailer asking if he/she got it. They're most likely just volunteers and have other things to do, too! Some people I talked to said they're person emailed them back just a few days before the interview, so be patient!
Honestly I don't wanna say I'm like all fashionable or anything but I'm not a boring dresser, and I didn't want to be boring going in, but that's just me. The email says to dress "appropriately" but I don't think that necessarily means business casual (which is what I was going to dress like originally), and besides, we're high school kids that have to fit in in a different country, and if someone came wearing a skirtsuit to my high school...no.Â
Girls-- I saw girls wearing button-up blouses and slacks, girls in skirts that were actually cute without tights and with a regular shirt (not collared or buttoned up), girls in dresses and tights and...studded boots. Honestly I don't think it matters that much what you wear.
Guys-- Guys I saw were mainly in a collared shirt, tie, and dress pants/khakis, and I only saw one guy in the full suit (like, suit jacket, white dress shirt, tie, etc.)
ALSO. You'll be sitting the whole interview, and you'll most likely only stand to follow your interviewer to the room. So while I would advise against wearing shoes that you absolutely cannot walk in and wobble everywhere, I don't think shoes that are just a bit uncomfortable are a bad thing (especially if they go with your outfit or whatever). What I would advise being careful with is the tightness of waistbands and pants/skirts. For instance, the bottom hemline of my dress isn't stretchy, so when I sat I had to cross my legs so I wouldn't flash anyone (if you even get what I'm talking about..XD) and also it would ride up every so often.
There are a few types of interviews you could have-- one on one, partner, group, skype/phone call or one on one at either your house or the interviewer's house.Â
Mine was one on one at a church a few cities from mine.
My interview was on a Sunday, which I guess is sort of unique because most people's were on a Saturday. Mine was also in a church so...yeah.Â
I got to my interview spot at around 1:40, walked into the building, checked in with a lady (she offered me the snacks and water that were on the table) and then I hung up my coat and sat down (there were long tables set up in a sort of "U" shape, with two foreign exchanges students at the open end of the U answering questions). The other applicants there were mostly for China, I noticed (1 girl for Korea and 1 boy for the Arabic program). The foreign exchange students were actually students from China and Japan that were staying in the US through an AFS study abroad program. I sat and talked with them and the other applicants, until about 1:55 when my interviewer (my interview was scheduled for 2) came. She took me to a room, and we had our interview (I'll describe the questions she asked me later). At the end she asked me if I had any questions for her (I didn't), then I got my dad. My portion was probably about 40-45 minutes of talking. With my dad in the room she let him ask any questions he or I had, but she didn't have any planned out. After 10-15 minutes of that, my dad didn't have anything else to say, and we left.
In total my interview was just under an hour. My interviewer was an AFS volunteer, probably in her early 30's and she was very nice. She said she was given a copy of my application but I think she was given a copy of everyone's she would interview that day and she read over them all at once because she didn't seem to know anything that was on mine and mistakenly thought I had done something I hadn't. Not that I really minded or anything, but don't expect your interviewer to know everything on your application.
I brought a small purse with my phone, wallet, earbuds (mostly for the car ride there and back), a pen (just in case they had me write anything), a water bottle (I'd recommend bringing this just in case, even though my place had water there) and a thank you card. Honestly, I would probably be like "omfg kiss up who do you think you are" if someone told me they brought a thank you card but it was honestly out of like...boredom that I did it. My mom had a bunch lying around and asked if I needed one and at that point I had already done sooo much research/preparation but I wanted to do SOMETHING for the interview. So yeah. Thank you card. Holla. And I mean, she looked pleasantly surprised when I gave it to her but she didn't look blown away or anything so it's definitely not a deal breaker or a huge thing or anything. Anyways. This is el cardo:
I've talked to a looot of other people about the interview-- some said they had a questionnaire to fill out before the actual interview. Some said they were in "cubicle" like areas to do their interview (and so they could hear other interviews being conducted at the same time). Some said they didn't have a volunteer but instead an actual worker who coordinated the interview. Some people's interviewers didn't have ANY information-- just a name. Overall experiences varied drastically, especially depending on what type of interview you had.
Also. My interview venue was only about 30minutes from where I live but I know people who had to drive 2-3 hours to get to their place. The venue depends on where the interview coordinator wants to have it/is able to book it.
Also. I had one volunteer interviewer but I've talked to people who had 2-3 interviews. Some people had a student and their foreign exchange student they were hosting as interviews some had a regional coordinator and 2 volunteers all interviewing her. idk man, it varies.
I mean these are just typical things. Like any interview, try to speak well and not use a TON of filler words. My interview was telling me that she writes down notes and sends it in to an AFS worker, so the interviewer doesn't evaluate you or anything, so unless you speak SO poorly that she makes a separate note about it, it won't matter a whole lot. (I feel like the same goes for dress-- it doesn't really matter just don't look like a prostitute.) And it goes the same with suuuper eloquent wording. My interview was writing like crazy and sometimes there would be pauses where she was just writing, so your interviewer isn't going to be writing down whole exact phrases, so while it sounds nice don't stress yourself out.Â
Also-- get there early. I didn't have a questionnaire, but I know a lot of others who did. I wanted to get there half an hour early just in case, but getting there took longer than planned for so I was only 20 minutes early. And on the drive there I was getting so antsy I wasn't getting nervous for the INTERVIEW, I was getting nervous we'd be late, and those nerves ended up staying with me, which sorta sucked.Â
Watch posture-- I had terrible posture.
Don't over-prepare. I feel like I prepared for a looot of questions she didn't ask, so I ended up being off-guard for the ones she did ask, and I'm not sure if I included everything I wanted to include because I was so set on answering X question.Â
On the opposite end-- I'd say have a few stories prepared. Hypothetical questions should be fine, I mean, it's just your personality, but I have a lot of trouble thinking of, say, a difficult time off the top of my head. So just know when you've been challenged, know about yourself.
Also to be prepared-- I would advise you figure out what you WANT to include in the interview (maybe achievements you earned after you submitted your application, or traits you didn't get a chance to describe in your application). Don't think of answers to specific questions, but know what you want to share in general about yourself.
DON'T HAVE TOO MANY EXPECTATION. I was personally expecting mine to go a lot differently, and I had been preparing for WEEKS, and then it happened and I was just like "...kay." I did that thing where I talked to EVERYONE I possibly could and heard EVERY story but that's honestly so unnecessary.
My interviewer asked me questions right off of a sheet (like she literally just read straight down the list and wrote down what I was saying XD), so I'm assuming most volunteer interviewers will be asking the same questions this year (they may change for other years, though).
It started with questions I didn't need to prepare for about my home life (who's at home, what type of a family would you say you have, do both your parents have college degrees, etc.), then went on to yes/no questions about myself (introvert/extrovert? Leader or follower? Are you impatient? Are you independent? Does your family value sports, music, religion? Again, you don't need to prepare.) Then she got into just...other questions, the ones I remember I will post here:
What will you do if kids make fun of your accent?
When was the last time someone told you something you didn't want to hear? How did you react?
When was a time you were disappointed? How did you react?
Describe a time you tried something new.
What if your host family, at the end of the day, doesn't really talk to you, they just go to their rooms and shut the door, how would you react?
How do you spend time with your family?
What do you do with your friends-- how would you react if you couldn't do some of those things in Korea?
How would you react if your family in Korea was making you follow rules that other exchange students didn't have to-- ie, they wouldn't let you go to an event everyone else was going to?
Can you describe if your family is more strict or relaxed-- how would you react if your host family was different?
Describe a typical week for you (what activites do you do)?
How do you feel about school? What are some of your least/most liked classes?
Do you spend a lot of time online/on social network?
Does your family watch TV a lot?
Are you into volunteering/service?
Why did you choose your countries?
What are two goals you have for the program other than learning the language?
What are both positives and negatives of this program?
What do you expect to learn about yourself from this program?
How do you expect to use your language in your future?
Now, my first choice is Korea year, and my second and third choices are both China. However, I know some candidates there were going to the Middle East or other less stable countries were asked things like "The country you go to might be slightly misogynistic, how would you deal with that?" or "What if you're not given all the rights that you have in America?" etc.
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