<p>I got my interview date, FINALLY!!</p>
<p>^Neon, a lot of questions you have may be answered on this website!</p>
<p>[Discussion</a> Forum - ExchangesConnect](<a href=“http://connect.state.gov/group/nsliy/forum]Discussion”>http://connect.state.gov/group/nsliy/forum)</p>
<p>@llikewoahx07</p>
<p>I applied for all summer programs in this order: Farsi (Tajikistan), Russian, and Chinese. What about you?</p>
<p>Hey, everyone! I also applied for NSLI-Y, but I am a current senior, so I don’t know how that will influence the selection process. My two choices were Russia summer and Tajikistan summer, but I’d go anywhere.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what would be considered “appropriate dress” for the interviews?</p>
<p>Ugh, I’m not sure if I like the idea of a phone interview >.<</p>
<p>Hi everyone! My name is Dan Parker. I’m right now spending a year in Egypt studying Arabic through NSLI-Y. My blog is at danielfactorial.■■■■■■■■■■■■■ check it out! I would be really happy to answer anyone’s questions about daily life or little details and wonderings, especially those that relate to Egypt. You can send me a PM if you want too.</p>
<p>(As a side note, I’m doing this year in Cairo as a gap year before starting at MIT; another person in my NSLI group is spending a semester here, soon ending, as part of a gap year before Middlebury. Three other people in the group have graduated from high school and are/have been applying to college this season.)</p>
<p>Very nice writing and photos. I hope you enjoy the rest of your year. My 9th grader is hoping to go to Egypt with NSLI-Y this summer. We’ll see…</p>
<p>Emorylegacy-
Thanks so much for the website! It helps! Good luck on your interview!</p>
<p>Just wrapped up my phone interview! Hope interviews are going well for all posters</p>
<p>Hey what kind of questions did they ask you?</p>
<p>First they were pretty basic and yes/no about your personality and family, then it leads into harder questions like “how did your sense of humor come in handy in a stressful situation” “what are your goals” etc</p>
<p>Oh okay, thanks! How do you think it went?</p>
<p>i think it went well she was really re-assuring and told me she liked talking with me</p>
<p>My interview went REALLY well! The lady who was conducting them has about 50 applicants, so we had to go to her home. She said she usually comes to the applicants, but she had people who would have to come so far that they would need to stay the night. </p>
<p>She asked questions about how my family interacts and what about my job, personality, school life and sense of humor. She said I come off as very outgoing and that I am a good candidate for the scholarship, so… :)</p>
<p>Hey neon, i’m from Utah! I hope you got the email. You need to call her and set up the time. (I think she is doing all of the Utah ones). </p>
<p>She’s really easy to talk to.</p>
<p>interviewer told me they hoped to have decisions made by mid-march</p>
<p>So I scheduled the interview for this friday (the 21st). I am really nervous! What type of questions are asked? How are we supposed to dress? I hope when I do the interview, I am not too nervous, because when I get nervous I start to studder and get a shakiness in my voice, and that would be bad!</p>
<p>Ack, sorry for replying a month late. I ended up rejecting the scholarship at the last minute because I didn’t want to miss a semester of school…T_T I can’t believe this thread has lasted 2 years and it’s still alive…I’m going to apply for it again during the 2011-2012 season.</p>
<p>They mainly ask about your family, your lifestyle, and your personality. For example, how do you solve a problem in the family? They also ask one or two questions about situations and how you’d solve them if the events occurred while you were in another country (ex: You and a few fellow exchange students are lost in the city, and you don’t have a cell phone on you. What would you do?). However, a giant chunk of the questions are one or two word answers (ex: Would you mind going with your host family to their church/temple/mosque/etc?).</p>
<p>Dress-wise, I recommend wearing something neat. I don’t mean neon green pants and sparkly shirt, in case that is what you interpret “neat” as (no offense to your username intended). I wore a sweater, khakis, and flats to mine and they seemed pretty happy with that. Other girls wore nice skirts, blouses, and that sort of stuff. Definitely do not attempt to go to an interview wearing a sweatshirt (with your favorite band on it), jeans (right from the store or not), and tennis shoes (…yeah…). However, don’t go all out and blow $250 on a new dress, it’ll work against you if anything. Basically, just dress as you would to a nice family dinner. </p>
<p>If you feel yourself getting nervous, take a few breaths, crack a joke or two (if the interviewer doesn’t first) and try to connect with the interviewer like he/she is a friend (don’t get too comfy with them though, remember that they have a large part in the decision). Show them that you were made for this scholarship, be amiable, knowledgable (at least acceptable towards other cultures), and definitely show them that you are capable of handling yourself when mummy and daddy aren’t around to pick up after you. </p>
<p>I know I sound a bit sarcastic if not cranky, but I do mean it in a good way. Be strong and do a few cha-cha dances before you go in if you have to. Seriously, do your best and forget your worries (don’t worry, be happy~~~). Hope this helps you, and I’ll shuddup now.</p>
<p>That’s sounds about the same as what they had said last year -__- by the way sore, did you get to go last year?</p>
<p>^Good tips, I’ll keep them in mind for my interview coming up in a couple weeks. Is anyone else’s interview scheduled to be in your home? Mine is, and I’m wondering how it will differ from all the stories on here that seem to be from group-ish interviews</p>