#nsliy interview

[sik-911]

NSLI-Y Interview

i just had my interview a few days ago and i’m making this post to hopefully help fellow NSLI-Y semi-finalist and future hopefuls! 

I received my semi-finalist notification on December 1 around 4:00 pm, a week later an email listing 3 interview events that were being held in my area, and January 6 (a week before the interview) the exact time and location of the event.

i wore a black sweater, a dark plaid skirt, sheer tights, and heeled booties. i never saw any other girls at my event, but i did notice most of the guys were wearing a button up, tie, blazer/jacket, khakis, and dress shoes. 

so! the actual event happened in the lobby of a hotel and there were only about 10 people being interviewed the entire day so it was only me and one other person during my scheduled time. a super sweet volunteer who was helping conduct the event explained to me that my interviewer was stuck in her home due to icy roads and my backup came down with the flu SO i was assigned the one interviewer already at the event lol. i wasn’t given a questionnaire or had my mom speak to the interview like i had read on other blogs, i just began the interview immediately. 

first, my interviewer introduced herself and told me a bit about her experience abroad with AFS. the interview began with some pretty basic questions like “Tell me a bit about yourself”, “What country and duration are you applying for?” and “What are your college and career goals?”. then, they got a bit deeper like: 

What are the advantages and disadvantages you foresee of this program?

What qualities do you possess that will help you while abroad?

Describe your ideal host family. How would you react if your host family was the opposite of your ideal?

What do you spend your free time doing? While living abroad, you might not be able to do everything you’re used to at home. How would you react?

What do you expect to learn about yourself during this program?

Describe a time that you disagreed with someone. How did you react?

How do you plan to use the experience you gain?

What kind of role do you play in your friend group?

Why do you want to participate?

Describe a time you were in a group that you completely felt out of place. How did you react?

most of the questions had multiple parts within them. also, none of these were based off of my application, she was reading from a sheet and choosing questions to ask. my interviewer was very patient with me and would try to give me some examples if i was having a hard time with one. with every question i would try to cover multiple topics in order to strengthen my overall point - telling stories and pulling from experience is a great way to do this!! i have a good bit of experience with working in tough environments abroad (mission work) so i believe this helped make my statements more concrete. the actual interview probably only lasted 25 minutes tops, but i had a lottt of questions for her. we talked for about another 30-40 minutes about her experience living in Thailand for a year, what she was studying in college, how gap years work, and a whole bunch more! i highly recommend talking to your interviewer after the interview portion because, for me, i really became more comfortable with her as we talked and my genuine personality began to shine - and she actually wrote down a lot of what i was saying!! i definitely believe this tremendously helped my overall interview since i was able to cover a lot more than just the basics. she even gave me some advice that i would have never even thought of!! i’m so thankful to have had her as my interviewer ❤️ 

overall, it was a pleasant, laid-back experience. i would say that my biggest tips would be: 

make sure to have a few stories up your sleeve 

be as nice and pleasant as possible - first impressions are important (i.e. shake their hand, smile, be/sound optimistic)

try to talk to others and your interviewer as much as possible (when else are you going to be surrounded by people who share the same passion or goals as you?)

try to have fun with it and don’t stress too much! being comfortable will come across in how you hold yourself and overall makes things more pleasant 

also, i applied for the summer program in South Korea! if you have any further questions feel free to DM me!! good luck to everyone! ~~ 

[nsliykorean2017-blog]

Your Pal Al™ (Interview tips and more?!)

OK! Hello all this is gonna be one mess of a post but I think if you read it it will be worth it! 

First off I’m Alaina and I have an awful “texting style” because I think it help conveys my over excited tone! I really like dogs, am a senior and planning to be an artist! I applied for the South Korea Summer program and reccently completed my interview! My dad lived in South Korea for a few years in his 20′s and so Korea has always played a role in my life between the art, recipes and stories. 

So its my first time applying (as in finishing and submitting the application....) and I’ve made it to the point of semi-finalist! I wrote a lot about art in my essays and as much as I feared this may make my file stand out in a bad way, it doesn't seem to have yet! As a senior I’ve grown into myself pretty well, and being ready for college makes this whole process both more and less stressful. There were a number of times I considered dropping my NSLI-Y application because added together, I was working on nine that were due within a span of two months. HOWEVER! I did complete them, and have already been accepted to a few school so stay strong and power through!!!

I’ve actually never had a formal interview but I was not very fearful. I do well speaking to people, especially making polite conversation to strangers, so if this is a hard thing for you I have a three step plan to help you out! 

1. Try to start some conversations with people in public, wether it be your cashier, or just someone you happen to be walking next too. (Feel free to ask a question, give a compliment, or even comment! I’ve had some incredible conversations develop with people just from asking about where they saw the oranges!)

2. Work on eye contact, standing tall and feeling present (full? within?) yourself while speaking, do not be afraid to hold yourself back. 

3. People are concerned with mostly themselves but if you practice authentically reaching out in less stressful situations than an interview, it will make the interview less scary! 

Ok back to the interview itself though. 

So silly, silly, silly me read through the email about my interview a liiitle too quickly, and because of that, I had my interview date wrong. So I was prepared to drive to my interview place and wait anywhere from 0-6 hours for my interview, because only a time range had been given. Thankfully, the morning of I re-read the email and realized the RESPOND BY date was that day. So, crisis narrowly adverted, I apologized for my 2-3 frantic emails the day before asking about my interview time. I probably exchanged 14 emails with the coordinator because my silly spot kept moving around, but I cannot be more glad than I did about how it all turned out. 

Thanks to the freak out I had over the wrong date, by the time the actual interview date rolled around, I felt pretty nonchalant. 

There were NSLI-Y alumni there to talk too but my interviewer was ready so once we sat in a conference room and it began! 

My interviewer was pretty incredible, we actually started off talking about college before she went through explaining that she would go through the series of questions they advise and then re-touch on more specific points because the NSLI-Y judges really want concrete examples of why semi-finialists are prepared! 

So NSLI-Y no longer allows interviewers to see your application, so you will have to respond to a few things from there, and you may have to re-explain the basis of your reasons before delving deeper into them!

A lot of stream of consciousness talking occurred about things that I cannot remember the slightest bit about, but the main MAIN points and advice I want to give are below. I probably spoke to my interviewer for an hour and a half, and the biggest thing that helped me was remembering that she was just another person. Someone who understands this crazy travel bug we all share and wants to help us have the chance to follow it!

OK!!!!!! INTERVIW TIPS !!!

Dress nicely! I wore a sweater with a built in dress shirt combo that I have lovingly dubbed my “young republican sweater,” tall boots, slacks and my overcoat! Also! Big one is pick clothes you feel COMFORTABLE and PROUD in! If you feel confident in your appearance it goes a long way to make yourself more comfortable during the interview. 

Leave early! I left probably 30 min early, and arrived at the prescribed 20 min early. Seriously, you feel silly sitting in your car sometimes if you are too early but its worth it because you will not feel rushed on the drive! I arrived alone (my parent’s agreed “if you’re going to Korea alone, you better well be able to make it to an interview alone” (also though, I’m 18 and go on occasional 2-4 car trips alone so everyone is different!))

When asked a question, try to give a concrete example! This helps the interviewer have something to write about rather than just “seemed mature” “had a nice air” “used the force on me to give a good review” So tell stories, even if they are not your own per say! (which leads me to the next....)

Try to show you have a REALISTIC understanding of this experience. I’m gonna be honest here, I have had five friends go on gap years, and three have come back early. Being immersed in a culture and language that you may not speak is incredibly hard, so showing that you recognize that and still want to go through with this exchange because you feel that it is really worthwhile is huge.

Feel free to be candid with your interviewer! (but not too much!) I made a number of jokes during mine and laughed when I messed up with word order, and just started over. I also asked her some questions about how much she wanted me to talk, and other small things. I got off topic a few times during my long rambling and tried to ask after if I covered her question, or sometimes, gave a few examples! 

Listening to your interviewer and making eye contact is important. If your interviewer talks about themself or an experience or comment, BE ENGAGED! Its suuuper important to give that respect to someone who is listening to you talk for an hour and a half, and further ! Grading you on it! 

So overall my  BIG  THREE  THINGS  to highlight in your interview is below. But the sad truth is this is not going to be something you can completely prepare for, and because of that, these will be evident in how you deal with the stress of the interview! 

Maturity! 

Flexibility!

Communication! 

(so to explain, if you don’t talk much in your interview, you will probably have an even harder time putting yourself out there to talk in a foreign language and place!)

(and I like big three not four so Determination is one but I’m throwing it in at the end because it would be kinda surprising to making it to being a semi-finalist if you are not driven ) (Further, Further, showing a long term interest is good, my interviewer commented on the fact that Korea has been important to me since youth, but I know thats not the same for everyone!)

So with these try to remember that being flexible, talking a lot, and just showing maturity (even when recounting old stories, you can comment on things you more maturely realize) helps convey to your interview that you could excel in a really tough environment. 

[nsliykorean2017-blog]

Nguenar - Interview

Hi everyone! So yesterday I had my interview (January 21st). It was held at a community center about three towns from mine, so it was close by. My interview was at 1:45, so I arrived there at about 1:20. When my Dad and I got out of the car, we saw a candidate and her Dad. We greeted them and I wished the candidate luck. When I went to open the door, it was locked. We were all so confused but then I saw a sign that said AFS pointing to another entrance, so we all climbed down a big hill to get there. When we got in, we saw a poster that said NSLI-Y with a dry erase board next to it. It told us where to go. Turns out that we had to go a room where a NSLI-Y alumni was answering questions. They were really helpful and made me feel more confident.

30 minutes passed, and it was 2:15. I was freaking out a bit because it was way pass 1:45. I thought I missed my interview, but then five interviewers came into the small room we were in. They briefly introduced themselves and gave us warm smiles. There were seven NSLI-Y and YES candidates in the room, and there were only five interviewers (which was a problem). Luckily, they said that they would interview the first five people that came in. I was the 3rd to come in along with the candidate I met. We all followed the interviewers to a big room, which had six tables. Each interviewer and interviewee were assigned to a table. I was with an older woman, who was really nice (also, her eyes were so beautiful). She asked me various questions and I answered them to the best of my ability. She also shared some stories she had with me and I told her some of mine. They were all so interesting. I actually found out that there were some exchange students at my high school through her. She also told me that the candidate I met before the interview went to my school, which made me really surprised! When she was done asking me questions, she ended by saying that she really enjoyed being my interviewer and that I was adorable (when she said that I pretty much cried on the inside because it was so sweet). I shook her hand and thanked her for interviewing me. I proceeded to walk out of the big room and went to join my Dad. I spoke to a Chinese summer applicant and we talked about our interviews. I said bye to her and said bye to the alumni who was answering questions.

–

Honestly, the interview was really fun! I love speaking to other people a lot, which helped me a lot. A tip I have for the interview is to showcase your personality and passion as much as possible. I kept the interview serious yet lighthearted. Also, be sure to take your experiences and use them as a piece between you and your passion for the language you are doing. I used the questions she asked me to tell stories about me and how they connect back to my answer.

Also, don’t stress too much about the interview! I wasn’t really nervous at all because I still couldn’t believe that I was a semi-finalist (I kept pinching myself, but it didn’t work). Just be confident in yourself and in your answers! :)

-Nguenar

[art-coffee-and-seoul]

The Road to NSLI-Y Part 2: The interview I practiced interviewing with my Uncle, Humanities Teacher, and my Mom. I was worried about getting to say everything I waned to say during interview, but it all turned out good^^ My mom was out of town the day of my interview, so I debated either going along or going with my dad (who was a little less on board about me going to a foreign country than my mom). I ended up going with him, and I'm glad I did because I think it opened his mind and he got to talk to alumni there, as well as be friendly and sociable to my interviewers. The interview itself was around 45 mins. It was very informal- mostly you just get to talk about why you want to study abroad and why you would be a good candidate with prompted questions. ((If you're looking for a list of possible questions, just poke around the net and you will find some)). Some general suggestions for the interview would be:: •Dress like you're going to a job interview. I wore a dress with tights, boots, and a blazer over it. I kept my hair down and my makeup natural. •talk politely, but try to be friendly and comfortable with your interviewer(s) while maintaining professionalism and maturity •if you have two, make sure to make eye contact with both of them- don't just stare at one of them and leave the other feeling left out •I recommend making Thank You cards for your interviewers. I made some cards the night before to give to them (Ayye art lmao)--- if you make cards be sure to make two just in case you have two! I almost forgot to bring both the cards I made and I'm very glad I brought them both because I had two. •come early to your interview. Be there at least 15 minutes early (I was there 25 minutes before) meet with the other candidates at the interviewing event :) •it's a given that you should not be on your phone during the interview-- keep it out of sight! Don't even have it in your pocket where it can be seen. Also, I personally did not have it out the entire time I was in the interviewing area with the other candidates- I didn't want my interviewers to come in and have their first impression of me as someone on their phone instead of being social with others. •it's good to practice interviewing beforehand but realize that you can't prepare for every question. Don't worry though! My interviewers asked questions that brought out skills I had not thought about while practicing- for example I didn't even think beforehand to mention my experience with mass transit-- I mentioned that to them during a question and I think that helped show I was prepared to navigate Seoul (since they have an intricate transit system). I also remember how nervous I was to answer everything in a way they would like (don't lie! But don't say anything that could harm you). My interviewer asked me if I drank coffee a lot, (which I sort of do hence the blog title) I didn't know if that was good or not so I was like "sometimes"-- but he ended up saying that there are a billion coffee shops in Seoul and that I would drink a lot of coffee when I was there. (Which I was very excited about) The pictures I included are of the cards I made and what I wore. Also yes I am standing on a bathtub I don't have a full body mirror let me improvise