Posse Interview Stress

Hey, guys

So I was nominated for the Posse scholarship, and they just told me my interview date. Normally, that would be great news. However, when I saw in the email that it would be 3.5 hours long, that’s when I did some digging and for out that it would be in a large group setting. The only thing is that I have really bad social anxiety, and I get extremely nervous in large groups. I find it hard to get in a word unless someone talks to me directly, which usually doesn’t happen because I’m quiet and tend to get ignored.

I’ve already been admitted into Questbridge, and they have a lot of schools that I want to go to, and they aren’t binding for regular decision. Also, they don’t require any in-person interviews. Posse doesn’t have any colleges that I want to go to. So really, my question is whether I should bother with the Posse interview even though I likely won’t be selected due to my anxiety, or should I go for it anyway just in case I don’t get Questbridge?

I would go, not to get into a college, but for the opportunity to face - and perhaps conquer - your fear.

You’ve been accepted to Questbridge, so what have you got to loose?

Posse is a great program, and has been the making of a lot of students whole college experience- don’t run away because of anxiety! Remember that the entire point of the posse process is to help you have your own posse- the goal is to have it be a positive experience for you.

As @Groundwork2022 said, think of it as a way to face your fears - and practice being with new people. When you show up at college in a year and a bit you will have a whole new set of people to meet, and more things to be anxious about*

Keep your eye on the big prize: college.

(also, there are nearly 50 Posse schools- everything from small LACs to state universities, located all over the country and none of them are interesting to you?! )

  • and a posse can make it easier!

My kid is a Posse Scholar, and went through the process last fall, and her experiences in every one of the interviews were all positive. In fact, every single one of the 10 students from her high school who participated in the first large group interview said how much fun it was, and how many cool people they met.

I just met a woman who is a Posse alumna, and she told me how she was very quiet and also, like you, very hesitant to talk in large groups, etc. As I wrote, she is an alumna - she was chosen, went to college ( a very selective one), and graduated. Posse are looking for all kinds of leaders, including, and especially, those who quietly lead by example, and by getting things done.

The first “large” group interview consists of multiple smaller group activities - the point is to see how you work in groups of 10 or so, not in a large noisy room full of kids. You will be surrounded by kids like yourself, who were chosen by their schools because their GCs or others believed that they had the potential to succeed in the Posse program.

In most ways, Posse is far superior to QB, because they don’t simply choose you and toss you into college. They prepare you for college, including things like teaching you how to choose classes, how to write at a college entry level, how to write a resume, or how get an internship. They create a support group of students who attend the college together, and they have groups of older and more experienced students who have been at that college for a while - the older Posse groups at that college. You also have a faculty mentor at the college who provides personal support and advice. Posse also helps after graduation with getting jobs, internships, and getting into grad school. Over 90% of Posse scholars graduate. This also means that Posse is very good at matching Posse scholars to the best college for them.

You write that you suffer from social anxiety, which means that going to a challenging college will be especially difficult for you, especially if you lack a support system. That is another reason to look at Posse.

So, while Questbridge and Posse are similar in getting you accepted to colleges (about 6% of QB applicants receive full scholarship versus about 5% Posse nominees), Posse is far better at getting you through college.

As for colleges - which Posse city are you at? You may not especially “like” any of the Posse College partners of your Posse city. However,
A, how can you even know whether you like a college, since it is unlikely that you have visited them, or actually have had direct, first hand experience at them? Most of your opinion may be based on limited and superficial information. I’m not criticizing, since that is how it is for the vast majority of the population. So there is a very good chance that you will actually find a college to love in that list of partners if you look at them with an open mind.
B, a full tuition scholarship is something that would make me, at least, love a college very much.

So definitely go to the interview, and do your best to be your best self and to be contributing part of your group. Find kindred spirits and, if nothing else, get contact info for some really smart and talented kids your age.

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My DD has been chosen as a semifinalist. The 6 schools she can choose from really doesn’t have a program she wants. Should she continue?

What program does she want?