I am a high school senior up for the OSU’s eminence fellowship program. I know that the chances are very small, but if anyone on here has been interviewed for the program or is currently in it, could you please give me some advice about what questions they will ask/how I should come across/what to expect? I really want this scholarship and am being interviewed next week.
Hi, I’m sorry to see that no one posted a response in time for your interview! I’m sure you were fantastic though! Have you heard back from OSU about the scholarship?
I know it’s late to answer your question, but I figured I would still reply so that students that want advice can see this in the future.
At the Eminence dinner for finalists, many of the current Fellows told me to just “be myself,” which is cliche but entirely true. The panel that interviews you isn’t looking for any kind of “right answers.” They want to hear about your interests and passion and how you might go about achieving some of your goals. The experience will be a little different for each person because they base their questions off of your application essay, which is unique to each individual. Among other things, they asked me about my interests, career goals, and what I wanted to do at OSU that would qualify “exemplary citizenship,” which is a big emphasis of the Eminence Fellows.
Here are three general tips:
- Speak naturally. Don't try to use words that aren't part of your normal vocabulary. You'll be more personable and comfortable if you speak like you normally do.
- It's okay to pause and think for a moment before answering a question they ask. Don't feel like you have to answer immediately - you can contemplate your response before answering.
- Let your passion shine through! If you're passionate about something, be proud of it and sing its praises! They want to know about you beyond your statistics and your essay, and your excitement for a particular field or cause will show in your voice and facial expressions. If you don't know what your passion is, you can talk about things you enjoy doing and how they might lead to a career path or service project further down the road.
I know this is late for the 2015 interview, but I hope this helps future students. There isn’t much out there yet about this program because it’s only entering its 4th year in 2015-2016. Overall, don’t be afraid! The Eminence weekend was a very positive experience for me - I really enjoyed it!
One final tip: talk to the Honors and Scholars faculty and students at the Eminence dinner. Dr. Linn Van Woerkom and Leo Hoar are incredibly kind and they love talking to prospective students. The current Fellows are also really excited to talk to their future “family” of new Fellows.
I wish you all the best, and I really hope that your interview went well! Best of luck to all future applicants who interview for this opportunity.
I got Eminence and my interview apparently blew them away. Honestly the people you talk to are so interested in you and what you say, just be yourself, be passionate about OSU, and don’t say something because you think they “want” to hear it. Mine felt like a group discussion with me at the forefront rather than a formal panel interview. They’re looking for people that could be the “spokespeople” for the school. You want to articulate, and be extremely relaxed and confident and you’ll be fine.
Congratulations, kdiddy34! I got the Eminence offer also, so I might be seeing you in person next year at OSU!
congrats to you too @hardlyimaginary !!
Anyone hear anything about the 2016 Eminence Fellows Scholarship finalists yet? I was sure they said notifications would be going out in February. We still have our fingers crossed but only 2days left in the month. A little frightening.
@enigma4308 I can say they had a record number of applicants and I would expect it to come out Monday or Tuesday.
I received an email saying that I am an eminence fellows scholarship finalist yesterday! I think it’s possible that they might still be processing some of the applications I’m not sure though.
Anyone know how long after the interview the decisions come out?
@gregnba6 Should take about a week and a half to two. My interview was March 28 last year and was notified April 8th