<p>Hi, I'm a semi finalist for the Ingram Scholarship. I have an interview with an alumni over Skype. Can anyone tell me what kind of questions they ask? Are there any Ingram Scholars here?</p>
<p>@Goldiblox I’m dubious of your claim as today is MLK day. It’s hard to believe any university, public or private, would send out email notifications about one of their most prestigious scholarships today.</p>
<p>@jlee4001 I don’t see how that’s relevant. I got the notification on 15th January but my interview is scheduled for 23rd Jan. Please don’t reply if you believe that my post is a lie. Thank you.</p>
<p>Congratulations. If so, Vanderbilt releases an interview request just 1~2 weeks earlier than I expect. Was the notification through email ?</p>
<p>Historically speaking, that timing is impossible. Furthermore, why haven’t there been posts by other alleged “semi-finalists?” Lastly, the Vanderbilt site clearly states that notifications come out in LATE January, not early or even mid. I called Vanderbilt and the lady I spoke with told me “I don’t believe the notifications have been sent out yet. They’ll be coming soon.” So @Goldiblox I’m pretty sure you’re full of ****.</p>
<p>@Dad2013 Thank you! Yes it was through email. </p>
<p>@jlee4001 Semi finalist notifications are sent in mid Jan and finalists are sent in late Jan.</p>
<p>I would expect it to focus on the criteria of the Ingram scholarship-- make sure you’ve read through the Ingram website and think about the goals, mission, etc. if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>My daughter is also a semi-finalist. Got the email 1/15. jlee4001, you owe goldiblox an apology. Semi-finalists have interviews between now and the 25th. Finalists to be notified by 2/1. Finalists than will be flown to Vanderbilt for final interviews 2/16-2/18.</p>
<p>Good luck to both semi finalist on your interviews. I am sorry that you came here looking for info and were treated so critically. Wow to the others, CC is supposed to be a place where folks come looking for info not to be immediately assumed to be trolls.</p>
<p>Be prepared to step up your game for this process. It’s a compliment to just be considered. A young woman who was a few years behind D in high school was a finalist for the Ingram and was all set to attend Vanderbilt until she didn’t get the award. She ended up at Harvard and did some impressive work in world health while there. </p>
<p>This young woman was a suitemate to D one year and my S knew her as well. Always heard awesome things about her from both kids. Notice that she was able to work with a Nobel Prize winner as part of her Ingram experience. [Stacy</a> Tolos<em>|</em>Reflections<em>|</em>Why Peabody<em>|</em>About<em>|</em>Peabody College of Education and Human Development<em>|</em>Vanderbilt University](<a href=“http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/about/whypeabody/reflections/stacy_tolos.php]Stacy”>Stacy Tolos | Reflections | Why Peabody | About | Peabody College of Education and Human Development | Vanderbilt University)</p>
<p>I’m not an insider, but I’ve always thought that receiving the Ingram award is more impressive than being a CV scholar.</p>
<p>•Ingram Scholars — students who plan to combine a professional or business career with an exceptional commitment to community service. The program supports students who are committed to developing their personal roles in the solution to societal problems and who have the maturity and initiative to lead positive social change.</p>
<p>With this prestigious scholarship, Harvard is just one of the back-up colleges as I read 2VU0609’s post.</p>
<p>jlee was unnecessarily accusatory and needs to lighten up and open up.</p>
<p>jlee…the process of how merit interviews and offers get made is not a linear process. Just to open you up to how things roll, altho we have a son who miraculously won a Chancellor’s tuition scholarship five years ago, he got later invites (room and board free as well) as a finalist to attend 2 Scholars’ weekends (they are competitive interview weekends) from a top LAC (full ride) and later…from a state university that has only a handful of full rides. </p>
<p>First weekend of April, he declined both weekends and took his tuition only offer from Vandy because we allowed him the choice and we could afford to pay room and board at Vandy. </p>
<p>The reason I bring up the above is because we believe our son was not even the first draft pick the two Scholar Weekend finalist invitations. Students were posting they were invited in early March to state college honors weekends…and a highly deserving kid at his HS was approached two weeks earlier than our son was contacted.
Our son logically assumed he was passed over, and wished his highly qualified friend his congrats. </p>
<p>In March many schools make multiple early offers particularly to the top URM students in the USA, some of whom will have multiple offers for finalist weekends. Also many wonderful URM students will be sad they didn’t get these calls, but perhaps they can afford Vandy in the RD round anyway. You have to embrace your financial match college to make it through senior spring with a good outlook.</p>
<p>I assume our son was invited to Scholars weekend at both of his other colleges only because URMs or other attractive students accepted other offers and declined to attend College X and Y interview weekends. </p>
<p>fyi our son is a WASP who was selected for a Chancellor’s and was likely second round pick for his other merit options. He declined to attend Scholars weekends after much much thought because he felt another senior should have the opportunities…and Vanderbilt became his heart’s desire…most unexpectedly. Another school LOST his merit application in a year that saw many of those adcoms resigning for other reasons. That was a depressing experience. Once son called an LAC and cancelled his trip there in April, another student we know was invited to that LAC’s scholars weekend.</p>
<p>Merit rounds are flawed, human and unpredictable. They overlook superb candidates and reward surprise dark horses now and then. Other times it seems the same kid gets all the opportunities. </p>
<p>For those lucky enough to have been flagged as possible Ingrams, may I offer one word of advice? If you LOVE Vandy and would attend even not as an Ingram…say so. I know this is hard to do if you have many irons in the fire as most students must. </p>
<p>But think it over in the context of your own family. Will an admit to Vandy in RD round give you enough loan free financial aid with or without the Ingram? Don’t tie your interest in Vandy entirely on the Ingram is what I am saying. If you are a full financial aid student, of course you can decline the Ingram and go to an Ivy or a school with great financial aid. For private pay students, merit money can be decisive.</p>
<p>Without the Ingram, would you feel fulfilled at Vandy re your goals? Could you afford Vandy if your application was sent on to be reviewed to the committee that selects CVs or Chancellors Scholars? Can your family afford to pay for room and board if you were considered for merit tuition? </p>
<p>The ingram is a fabulous and desirable group of students to join whether or not you need financial aid. The program has so much to offer in summer programming for starters. But the CV and Chancellor’s Scholars have a summer stipend as well. CV students have honors seminars as options. </p>
<p>But don’t lose sight of the fact that every Vanderbilt student is an honor student. There are paths to getting honors diplomas in every major. There are many ways to distinguish yourself at Vanderbilt as a student of merit once you are there.</p>
<p>Gee, nobody has answered the OP’s question.</p>
<p>Just for the record, my daughter received her rejection from Ingrams today at 4:30 pm, so they are definitely sending stuff out on MLK day. Congratulations to the OP and everyone else who will be interviewing. :)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! </p>
<p>@go2mom Congratulations to your daughter. Did she have her interview yet?</p>
<p>Goldiblox and go2mom, could you share brief stat of you or your daughter ? Thanks.</p>
<p>Dad2013, my daughter is pretty private about her stats, etc. but I can tell you that she’s in the top 1% on test scores and has been seriously committed to many social justice issues as well as serving on one of our city’s commissions helping the vulnerable for her entire high school career. She found her “passion” early on and has not wavered. The Ingram Scholarship would afford the opportunity for her to attend. We know that there are SO many deserving students and that it is indeed an honor to be considered. However, I feel that she is just the kind of student that they would embrace the program. Her commitment is genuine and she would take advantage of every opportunity and would contibute in many significant ways. </p>
<p>Goldiblox, she did have her interviews yesterday. Fingers crossed! hopefully the two of you will be meeting one another in mid-February! Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>My daughter is also a semi finalist and actually had her interview at 7am in the morning PST via Skype on MLK day! I am sure it depends on the interviewer but her interviewer asked her questions about why service was important to her. Her answers led to more specific questions about the type of service she is currently engaged in and what she hopes to do in the future at Vanderbilt. I do not think these interview questions will be difficult for any of these semi finalists because the topic is service- something I imagine all of the semi finalists are very passionate about. If I remember these numbers correctly my daughter said the interviewer mentioned that over 800 applied, they have 30+ semi-finalists and after this round they will be inviting 10-15 to the campus to interview. One thing the interviewer stressed is that being selected as a semi finalist does NOT mean you have been admitted to the university. Good luck to everyone! You should all be very very proud!</p>
<p>Congrats, GeorgeBailey! It’s a very exciting time! And you are correct. There are 37 semi-finalists of an original pool of 835 or so. DD had a similar interview experience. The alum interview was more conversational and both interviews allowed the students to ask questions. Since it does not guarantee admission, it makes the whole process even more daunting! The good news is that the process is short and they should find out by the end of the month if they move on to the next round. Best of luck, everyone!</p>
<p>Can you imagine being selected as a semi-finalist, and NOT being admitted? I wonder if that ever happens.</p>