My daughter had been “wait listed” for the CBHP back in the initial round, but has just today received notification that she is on the “shortlist” for consideration to fill their remaining slots, and they want to interview her at her 1st day of her BB, which is this Tuesday! Holy batman! It is a huge honor to be considered, and she really wants this, so I want to help her do her best.
We leave Sunday to drive down! Her huge (homeschool – so family-hosted) graduation and party are tomorrow! ACK! I just had her try on her Youth in Government clothes from a couple years ago, and she has outgrown them, so we’ll be at the mall when it opens tomorrow (out of town family coming in the early afternoon) to get an interview worthy outfit. I’m assuming that business skirt or slacks & button down shirt are the way to go. (She has good shoes.) Is that right? Any tips?!
What else can she do to prepare? Any guidance on questions to prepare for? Or what the interview will be like? We haven’t thought of this seriously in many months, and with all the other chaos of graduation, I have no time to research/etc right now.
Most critically, anything else we should buy or Bring? Since we leave in 36 hours and we’re hosting a monster “bash” all evening and night tomorrow, along with out-of-town inlaws visiting!
ps. Does anyone have any idea of when my daughter will learn if she is selected for CBHP? We’ll have to totally re-jigger her schedule builder ideas if she makes it to CBHP. (I know she can rearrange it all summer!) The course selection is the 2nd day of BB, and they were specific in telling her they’d like to interview her the first day of BB. Does that mean they’d possibly let her know by the next day?! Is that why they want to interview her early in her visit (they mentioned doing it the day before she began BB if she was arriving early enough), but they didn’t mention doing it later (which would be easier to schedule, since BB ends mid-day the 2nd day). I would like a crystal ball, please, if anyone has one handy, lol.
Dr. Sharpe and Mrs. Batson can personally remove most registration holds, so switching classes around shouldn’t be an issue.
Don’t sweat this. They don’t expect students to be perfect, only smart, respectful, and interested in this program. The main reasons students don’t get selected after the interviews is that they were rude to others and didn’t seem interested in the program. Have her keep her phone on silent and to refrain from constantly checking it.
My advice for CBHP interviews is to dress relatively nice, but not too formal, and treat everyone with respect. The most important things are to be friendly and to smile.
DS was selected this Spring for CBHP and I agree with all that Sea_tide suggests. Our Son mentioned that most at the selection weekend were well prepped by their parents to be engaging, interested, polite and respectful. You are in the South and Yer Sir, no Mam and a firm handshake are always in style. Best of luck to your daughter in the interview. Roll Tide!
Most importantly, tell her to be herself and to be honest with herself.
Is the CBH Program something that your daughter is still extremely interested in? Or perhaps, has she rethought her college schedule and direction, and sees herself pursuing other opportunities? I mention this only because, there have been parents who have reported back after the fact, that their students were happy that they were not selected for the program in the long run. Other opportunities opened up for their students, or the students realized they did not want to dedicate that many credits to this particular program.
If the answer is that she no longer has an interest in CBH, please let Mrs Batson know early, so they can interview another candidate on the short list.
If however, she is still intensly interested in the CBH Program, is intent on doing research, and definitely wants to pursue this option, then my best advice is to tell her to simply be herself. They will realize if she is a good fit for the program and if the program is a good fit for her and her college plans. They have been interviewing candidates for a long time and they really know what they are doing.
Just remember that your daughter will need to register for 4 credits for the CBH Program for each of the semesters 1 & 2, and then 3 credits for each of the semesters 3 through 6.
As expected when pursuing any opportunity or doing any interview, dress nicely, be polite to everyone, be interested, and be honest. Relax and enjoy the process and the people.
Best of Luck to your daughter in her future pursuits!
CBH Weekend Interview Tips (some of the tips may not apply because your D’s interview will be at BB)…
Remind your child of the tips for a successful interview weekend…
greet people with a friendly expression.
when meeting the profs, greet them with a smile, good eye contact, a firm handshake, and introduce yourself (practice this ahead of time). This is the South, this is expected.
do not be seen looking at or playing with cell phones. If you need to text or read a text, then excuse yourself, go to a private area (bathroom maybe?) and use the phone there. Same with phone calls.
Do not talk about other schools that you also like or would like to attend.
Be friendly to EVERYONE…do not be impatient or rude to anyone…especially to current CBH students or to the secretaries. Be nice to EVERYONE!!! Each CBH applicant will have a file with their name on it. EVERYONE will have access your YOUR FILE and they will be encouraged to write comments about what they’ve observed…so if you’re impatient or rude to a current CBH student or to a secretary, they will write a notation in YOUR file.
they are looking for mature students who have poise. The CBH students need to be able to make presentations, speak clearly, etc.
be well groomed. This is the South. There is an expectation that CBH students not look disheveled. lol
do not appear bored.
avoid slang expressions, no cursing, and no jokes, etc, that could be considered sexist, racist, or anything disparaging of another group. Avoid politics.
no gossiping about others especially others in attendance.
Thanks everyone for your advice, encouragement, and information! My daughter is very interested in CBH. I actually think the program would be a perfect fit for her. Fortunately, she’s a super sweet and amiable girl, and so it sounds like she has a good shot at it. Fingers crossed!!
ps. My daughter just heard back and confirmed an interview Monday evening. So exciting! Mrs. Batson told her to “please do not dress up” for the interview. Ugh. So, the grey slacks and turquoise oxford type blouse she just bought this morning are too much? Would nice jeans and a plaid button down be better? Argh. If she asked her NOT to dress up, would it be BAD to dress up? She said please! Not “please don’t bother” . … I’m inclined to advise her towards the jeans and plaid shirt instead . . . of the outfit we just bought this morning, lol. She’ll have plenty of uses for it in the future. Good to have anyway. What do you think?
My advice for the interview: don’t sweat it too much. It’s supposed to be impromptu and unprepared. After mine I was sure that I wouldn’t be selected - it was the first time I’ve ever been put in an interview situation and I froze up a number of times. If she is herself and she is interested in the program it should go well.
Oh, we’re still sweating bullets. My daughter was very excited about the program after her interview. It was a very positive experience. If she gets in, I am sure it will be fantastic. If she doesn’t get in, she’ll be very disappointed, but still honored to have been seriously considered. Dr. Sharpe was/is out of town for the holiday, so Mrs. Batson told her that she might not be able to let her know before registration (Wed morning), but that she’d try her best to let her know before then. But, she told her to go ahead and register for the CBHP class if she hadn’t heard back, and then just to drop it if she doesn’t get in! That sent us into a tizzy of if-then planning tonight in preparation for registration tomorrow. . . But, we finally got a great flow chart worked up, lol. So, anyway, fingers still crossed! Here’s hoping that we’ll get good news soon, but we’ll all be fine even if she doesn’t. I have to say that Katie was incredibly impressed by the people, program itself, and the resources of the program. Definitely seems like a worthwhile experience for an interested student.
@mmom99 Your daughter sounds well grounded and resilient, which is a very good thing. There will be many opportunities to try out for and many talented young people trying out for those spots. Not every student gets every opportunity, so it is important to be able to bounce back from rejection.
However, it does sound like the interview went well and I am hoping to hear good news from you. Again, I am wishing her the best of luck. She has done all she can do…now she just has to wait. I do hope she hears before Wednesday’s registration, just so it is easier.
Wishing your daughter the best of luck! I am sorry the process has had to be so last-minute and stressful. I agree with everyone else that Mrs. Batson giving the go-ahead to register seems very promising. I doubt she would get your hopes up like that without good reason.
This selection/non-selection by Ms. Batson sounds a bit odd to me. It is not the usual UA way. If they told you to register for a class, then that means you’re in. Full stop. There is no way UA would say something like that and have to renege on the deal - if they had any doubts about your student, they would not have told you to go ahead. To do otherwise is to give false hopes, and UA just doesn’t do that.
