tjc universities workshop.

schedule.

0830 Registration0845 Introduction0900 Interview Skills

0955 Break

1010 Resume & Essays1010 JC1 Session (concurrent)1140 Q&A1200 Lunch

introduction.

who we are.

University of Pennsylvania Durham University CaltechPeking University University of Ireland University ofMichigan University of Warwick University College LondonPrinceton University Deakin University Australian NationalUniversity Monash University London School of EconomicsYonsei University Adelaide University UC BerkeleyUniversity of New South Wales University of BristolUniversity of Virginia University of Amsterdam University ofToronto Sydney University University of Nottingham LisztFerenc Zenemővészeti Egyetem Macquarie UniversityAustralia Murdoch University University of SouthamptonUniversity of Leeds Brown University Harvard UniversityVassar College Imperial College London ManchesterUniversity Hong Kong University Cambridge UniversityEcole Hôtelière de Lausanne Wesleyan University Universityof Lancaster Oxford University University of BirminghamUniversity of Glasgow University of Melbourne DartmouthCollege University of Saint Andrews

Information Systems Engineering Law Mechanical Engineering & Technopreneurship Economics & East Asian Studies Natural Sciences (Biological) Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Engineering & Economics Podiatry Mathematics with Financial Mathematics International Relations and Economics ChemistryMathematics-Economics Medicine

Ministry of Education (EMS) Singapore Economic Development Board Ministry of Health Singapore Airlines Monetary Authority of Singapore National Environment and Water Agency Freeman Asian

stories.

interview skills.

interview skills.

#1 Prepare Smart

#2 Demonstrate Maturity

#3 Control the Question

#4 Smile

#1 Prepare Smart

Strategic preparation:

• Minimizes your chances of being caught off-guard.

• Gives you the freedom to refine your answers on the spot.

Be prepared with:

• Possible answers to possible questions

• Pre-digested arguments and justifications

#1 Prepare Smart

Possible questions:

• A few key words to describe yourself

• Strengths and weaknesses

• Reasons for wanting the scholarship

• How you feel about other scholarships you applied for

• Things you like to do in your free time

• Things you feel strongly about – i.e. current affairs

• Future career interests & plans

• Why you like a particular academic area

ILLUSTRATION

How you feel about the other scholarships you applied for

#2 Demonstrate Maturity

Interviewers want to see:

• Emotional maturity

• Intellectual maturity

Some key symptoms of maturity are:

• Intentional self-knowledge

• Thinking in terms of arguments and perspectives, not facts

#2 Demonstrate Maturity

Different types of perspective-based analysis:

• Social / Political / Economic

• Long Term / Short Term

• Government / Taxpayer / Interest Groups

• Private enterprise / Society

• Impact at Local / Regional / International Levels

So much more than just:

• Positive / Negative

ILLUSTRATION

Thinking in terms of perspectives and arguments

ILLUSTRATION

Thinking in terms of perspectives and arguments

#3 Control the Question

Possible scenarios:

• Asking about your lack of teaching experience

• Asking about what makes you ‘better’ than your peers also applying for the scholarship

Don’t answer questions you don’t want to answer.

• Acknowledge the accusation behind the question briefly

• Use the question as a springboard to show your better qualities

ILLUSTRATION

Using bad questions to create good answers

#4 Smile

“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.”

When…• They accuse you of having a poor CV• They challenge your argument• They say something sarcastic

…appreciate the humour and smile.

It will prevent you from having the deer-in-the-headlights look on your face.

interview tips.

break. (come talk to us!)

the essay.

usa & uk• Common

application

– 3 essays

• School supplement

– 3 to 7 essays per school

• UCAS personal statement

what are essays for?

Common Application Questions

In the space provided below, please elaborate on one of your activities (extracurricular, personal activities, or work experience) – 150 words

Personal Essay (min 250 words)1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.5. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated their importance of diversity to you.6. Topic of your choice

most of all…

1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.

3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

5. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated their importance of diversity to you.

6. Topic of your choice

it’s all about you.

what makes a good essay?

are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments that have helped define you as a person? - NYU

Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing. I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook 30-minute brownies in 20 minutes.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello. I was scouted by the Mets. I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I breed prize-winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But, I have not yet gone to college.

Your own voice.

Knowing thyself

• Character

– Strengths, weaknesses, motivations

• Goals in life

• Interests & passions

• Most meaningful experiences

• Greatest achievements & learning points

• Course of study

• What you’re looking for in college

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed or participated in? – Stanford

Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it. (This isn't a trick question. We want to see how you bring balance to your life.) – MIT

Please describe your interests and aspirations in engineering. What experiences have influenced you? – UMich

You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217. – Upenn

What would you do with a free afternoon? – Yale

and it gets better.

Don’t write about reverse psychology.

“What does Play-Doh have to do with Plato?”

Modern improvisational comedy had its start with the Compass Players, a group of University of Chicago students who later formed the Second City comedy troupe. Here is a chance to play along. Improvise a story, essay, or script that meets all of the following requirements:

It must include the line “And yes I said yes I will Yes” (Ulysses).

Its characters may not have superpowers.

Your work has to mention the University of Chicago, but please, no accounts of a high school student applying to the University—this is fiction, not autobiography.

Your work must include at least four of the following elements: a paper airplane, a transformation, a shoe, the invisible hand, two doors, pointillism, a fanciful explanation of the Pythagorean Theorem, a ventriloquist or ventriloquism, the periodic table of the elements, the concept of jeong, number two pencils.

means “mind that does not stick.”—Zen Master Shoitsu (1202–80) U Chicago

breakout.

1. identify responses to Knowing thyself questions

2. review SGC write-ups

3. draft a gameplan for applications

4. get contacts of alumni you want to stay in touch with (and go say hi)

breakout.

Knowing thyself• Character

– What do you stand for/believe in? What drives you?

• Interests & passions– What do you do for fun? Why do you enjoy it? What is your

most interesting experience?

• What sets you apart?– What have you done that’s unique to you? What unique skill do

you possess?

• Greatest achievements & learning points– What are your proudest moments? Your lowest moments? What

have you learnt from them? How have they changed you?

• Course of study– What course(s) are you interested in? Why? What schools are

strong in those courses (ask if you don’t know)?

• What you’re looking for in college– Class size, academic philosophy, city/rural, activities, special

programs, facilities, sports teams, ethnic composition, admission criteria

question & answer.

what you can ask…• If you should do engineering in the US or UK• What our most awesome experience was• If A-Levels is the hardest exam you’ll ever take• How many hours we sleep• The crazy things that happen in school• What interesting classes you can take• Where we have travelled to• How you can finance your education• Where you can get more information• How many schools you should apply to• If you should consider other countries• When you should apply• The downside of going overseas

thank you(lunchtime!)