I have a semi-finalist interview this Saturday for the Park. I know that they said to review your application, so I assume there will be questions based off of my essays/extracurriculars, but does anyone have any other tips? I know to dress nice (I’m wearing a dress, blazer, hose, and closed toe wedges/minimal jewelry except for pearl earrings/hair half pulled back), but I am beyond nervous. Has anyone been interviewed before for the Park? Or any other prestigious four year scholarship?
I thank you all in advance! Have a great Wednesday!
I have my interview this Saturday as well! I feel your pain, I’m really nervous about it. Good luck!
I’m an out of state student, so my interview will be done over the phone. The school sent me a link to a video, saying that because in state semifinalists will attend an information session with current Park Scholars immediately before their interviews, they prepared a video for out of state students. The Park Scholars in that video are all out of state students, but they didn’t talk at all about what to expect in the interview. They just talk about the Park Scholarship and the opportunities it provides. They did say that 35 students would be awarded the Park Scholarship this year. Here’s the video link if you’d like to see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaUEO_IH6w8&feature=youtu.be.
Please post and let me know how it goes and what it was like when you’re done with your interview. It will be too late to help with the interview, but I will post what my phone interview was like after it’s over. It might be interesting to see if our questions were similar.
Good luck! If we’re all really lucky, maybe we’ll meet during Finalist interviews!
I wasn’t selected as a finalist. But congratulations to all who were selected and best of luck at Finalists Weekend!
I’m posting this for future semifinalists because I had a hard time finding out what I should expect to be asked in the phone interview as an out of state semifinalist. The information sent to me by the Park Scholarship said that I should reread my Park application because the questions would be about my application. However, none of the questions from my interviewers were directly about my application. So I’d recommend to future semifinalists to prepare for broader questions. For example, I was asked to tell my interviewers about a time that I failed and how I handled that failure. I was asked about how my extracurricular activities interfere with my grades and school work. I also was asked how I handle conflicts in my schedule when two activities conflict, and how my extracurricular activities have changed me as a person. I also was asked what classes I’ve taken in school that relate to my outside activities. The last question was if I had any questions about the Park Scholarship or the Park Scholars Program. All of the interviewers were very nice. The interview lasted about 20 minutes. I’m sure the questions change each year, and it’s possible that different interviewers ask different questions, but I hope this helps future Park Scholarship semifinalists.
Hey I’m just wondering what you guys’ test scores, activities and such were. I didn’t even make semi-finalists, and it was someone upsetting as I exemplify all the traits they’re looking for, and my dad is a Park Alumni. I have a 35 ACT, 3.9/5.0 weighted/unweight GPA, captain of multiple clubs and teams at my school, went to leadership programs over summer, and spent a lot of time volunteering in an area related to my intended major (mechanical engineering.) Just was wondering what I did wrong and what I could do better when it comes to other opportunities. Thanks guys!
P.S. I also spent a good amount of time on my essays, and I felt as if I was quite successful in telling my narrative and my aspirations.