<p>Uw20106, congrats! See page 4 of this thread (I’m on my iPod, and it’s page 4 for me). It has some tips. I’m dressing somewhat formally, but no suits for me!</p>
<p>my interview is on Feb. 4…i’m from NJ…does anyone remember questions from their own interviews? i’m trying to prepare as best i can. btw, i’m applying for russia</p>
<p>me too! but… is it group interviews? because thats what it seems like. I’m going to the one in Orlando, but thats like a 7 hour drive for me.</p>
<p>No I am pretty sure it is one on one!</p>
<p>watchmesoar, I live in Montgomery County - close to the DC border. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll hear soon!</p>
<p>Hey. I was already chosen as a semifinalist! PLEASE! Whoever went on their interview already, let us know how it went!!! What questions did they ask!? How did you feel?! Thanks. As soon as I go on mine, I’ll post the ENTIRE experience!</p>
<p>93dmelo, that would be extremely helpful, thank you!</p>
<p>Ahh! Just got the email w. all the interview details:</p>
<p>What will happen at the NSLI-Y Interview</p>
<p>When you arrive at AFS-USA, you will be met by a volunteer or staff member. They will escort you to a waiting room. Here you will be asked to fill in a pre-interview questionnaire. There will be AFS returnees to talk to you about their experience when they were an exchange student on an AFS program. If your parent comes with you, this is a good opportunity for them to ask lots of questions of a student who has experience with international exchange.</p>
<p>You will be given a private one-on-one interview with an AFS volunteer. S/he will spend about 30 minutes asking you questions about who you are, your family, your interests and why you want to go on your exchange program. Remember, this is a competitive, merit based process of selection. You want to present yourself at your very best. Please dress appropriately for your interview.</p>
<p>It is not compulsory for your parent to come with you. to AFS-USA. However, if your parent/s do come with you, they will be invited into the interview for the last 10 minutes. </p>
<p>**GOOD LUCK EVERYONEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!</p>
<p>congrats to all semi finalist. my d has not heard yet and we are in CA. Anyone from CA?</p>
<p>There are some on connect.state.gov who have not heard yet</p>
<p>Hello all applicants, </p>
<p>I’m from Texas, and went with NSLI-Y last summer on the Russian program. I truely fell in love with Russia during my time there and have applied this year for the year long program (hopefully!).</p>
<p>I must say, all NSLI-Y programs are well run. My program in Russia was well organized and structured, and there was constant contact between American councils and our Russian administrators. One of the perks of NSLI-Y is that they don’t leave you in the cold after the program - they create an alumni network, providing resources to continue language study and cultural studies. The pre-departure orientations are well run, and the resident directors in the NSLI-Y cities with groups of students are knowledgeable not only about NSLI-Y goals, but also to serve as mediators between students and new cultures. </p>
<p>Though I don’t know if it will be the same this year, we received a small stipend for our time in Russia, in addition to a cell phone. We were able to use the stipend to buy extra minutes for the phone and pay for transportation.</p>
<p>By the way, just wondering, why is Russia so many of your top choices?</p>
<p>Wow thank you so much for that post! Can you tell me what a typical day was like for you, and what the school you attended was like? What did you do in your free time? Did many Russians speak English? What was their attitude towards Americans who wanted to learn their language? </p>
<p>I honestly have always thought of the Russian culture and language to be mysterious. Just the whole rise of the USSR and Communism and the secrecy is alluring. I think it would be remarkable to be able to speak the language spoken at the launch of Sputnik, or walk among locals in the Kremlin and be able to feel like you are a part of something. I think this would be a great opportunity for me because Russian is not taught or commonly spoken here.</p>
<p>Forest2000, I live in Southern California and I was contacted a little more than a week ago. I think they’re doing it by counties maybe, and you still have plenty of time to receive an email. Don’t worry and good luck!</p>
<p>SoreSubject - no problem. </p>
<p>Well, just like with the United States, it is extremely difficult and incorrect to generalize - and especially so with Russia. Last summer there were NSLI-Y students in 3 Russian cities (2 cities had beginner students and 1 had Russian speaking American students). I was in the smallest city by far (80,000) near St. Petersburg. The other cities had 500,000 people and over a million people. For instance, because my town was so small, I walked everywhere, but students in the other cities had to take transportation everywhere.</p>
<p>American Councils and NSLI-Y do an excellent job of finding the perfect host families. No one in my host family spoke English, and I entered Russia only knowing a few words of Russian. But I survived!</p>
<p>Typical day: woke up at 7:30, school started at 9:00 and lasted until 1:30 (with two 15 minute breaks). After school we went to the same cafe everyday. After that we did various activities: art class, dance class, theater class, tours of local palaces, churches, factories, parks, etc. We did community service projects, and completed research projects and presentations with the help of our Russian friends. On the weekends, we would usually go to St. Petersburg, but depending on where in Russia you are, you will probably do longer trips and tours on the weekends. Our time was very structured and organized, and we had little free time (usually after 5:00 or 6:00 pm everyday). </p>
<p>Our school was actually not a Russian school, but the local community center. NSLI-Y contracted two Russian teachers from Petersburg and they came everyday. So we didn’t get to go to school with Russian students or in an official school. But again, depending on where you are and your program, that may change. </p>
<p>Free time: well, I usually tried to go around town and interact with as many people I could to culturally educate myself. I did this alone, which helped in the cultural immersion process. At night I did my homework. I did get to go to my family’s dacha (summer house) on the Gulf of Finland, and for the last 10 days of our program, we went to a Russian summer camp and saw a different part of Russian life.</p>
<p>There was quite a good number of Russians who spoke English (at least in the Petersburg and Moscow provinces). However, I think that deeper in Russia (with less contact with foreigners), fewer people will speak English. Russians were always stunned that a group of American teenagers had come to their country (and left their home country of America) to learn Russian. Many couldn’t fathom that idea, as some thought that Russian would be the last language one would want to learn.</p>
<p>I just had my interview today! So here are my two cents:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Dress:
-Never dress to casually. Jeans and sneakers are BAD. However, don’t go over the deep end either; there is no point in walking to the interview in a suit either. Try going with something that is respectful and nice (I wore slacks and flats with a black sweater).</p></li>
<li><p>Attitude:
-Be upbeat, open, and confident. They’re looking for someone who can survive a long period without their parents watching over them and still maintain a good relationship with others around them in the environment they’re placed in.</p></li>
<li><p>THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW:
-For me, I had a 3-paged questionnaire to fill out prior to the interview. It is better to bring a parent along just in case (sometimes, they will ask your parents to fill something out too).
-The questions:
—They ask a lot about you, your previous experiences, your friends, and your family. Examples: Tell me a little about yourself (blabitty blah blah, the questions can range for that one). What about you makes you different from all of the other people in your grade? How do you interact with your family? Who is in charge of decisions in your family? Tell me of an experience when you had a conflict with your peers/classmates/teachers/parents, and explain how you resolved it. Describe your friends.
—Scenario questions cannot be counted out in the interview. Mine was: In the country you are in, the History teacher makes a grave mistake about something you know. How would you correct it, if you correct it at all?
—They’ll ask about your preferences and lifestyle (allergies, religious views, etc)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>That’s as much as I can squeeze out of my memory now. Good luck to all who are going to be interviewed!!!</p>
<p>Chewy thank you for all of that information! Was there ever a time in which you just did not know what to say? Was the interview fast paced, or more laid back? How long did the actual interview process take, meaning the one on one questions with the interviewer…</p>
<p>vperedrossiya, so you were in the beginner city? Was the school work rigorous? Thank you again for sharing your experience with us! I have so many questions but I do not wish to overwhelm you!!</p>
<p>Lol, no problem Soresubject. There were a few times when it took me a moment to find my words. If you are not sure of a question, remember, it’s always fine to ask them to clarify. Mine was pretty laid back. We talked for a really long time about kimchi. =D The 1-on-1 took approx. 45 minutes, maybe a little more.</p>
<p>Haha kimchi that’s great! Well goodluck to you! It’s going to be hard waiting from now until April :)</p>
<p>So, I just got back from my interview, and I think that it went excellently! I think it was at least 45 minutes, and it was one-on-one. Although everybody was quite dressed up, the actual feel of the interview was very casual. I had been extremely nervous, but my interviewer made me feel very comfortable. </p>
<p>She started off with something like “tell me a bit about yourself” and went onto questions about your family and family life, like what you guys do together as a family, how you interact with your siblings, etc. She then went onto questions about school like about my favorite classes and what i like about school, what my future plans are, and what colleges i plan on applying to. She also asked why I chose the languages/countries I did, if I had experience with the language, and if I had been on a foreign exchange program. Then there were some questions that had yes, no, or both answers to that dealt with your personality. Some of them were if you’re organized, shy, extroverted, adventurous, open-minded, etc. Then there were some about like what do you do in your typical week: activities, sports, volunteering, etc. The final questions were quite broad. For example “what sets you apart from other people your age?” and something like “give an example of a time when you were responsible”. Oh, and she also asked why I wanted to do NSLI, and like what the greatest aspect of this program. After that they called my dad in and interviewed him a bit about like if he felt comfortable going through with this and what the ideal host family would be.</p>
<p>Hope this is useful to anyone that has not yet had their interview!</p>
<p>Klika that is very useful! Thank you for posting! Even though I have yet to receive word of becoming a semi-finalist. I wish you luck waiting until April!</p>