Several of the instate schools my daughter is looking at have a “Scholarship Competition” which requires the students to show up, take an “essay test”, have an interview and a review of academic records.
What does this mean exactly? What would the likely format for such an essay test be? Is it really all about the interview? My daughter is very quiet and reserved until you get to know her, so I don’t even know how to advise her for this type of scenario. Be herself? Try to tell them what it seems like they want to hear?
Any advice from anybody that has gone through this would be VERY appreciated!!
My son sounds similar to your D. In the next couple of weeks schools will be in town to conduct “informational interviews” and one on one meetings. Son signed up for Creighton and Chicago. I am hopeful that the experience will be invaluable and perhaps he can gain some insight into these scholarships.
I just wish that the schools provided a little bit more information about what to expect!
It can be hard to predict what the essay format will be. My daughter went to one Honors competition where they attended a seminar taught by a faculty member and had to write an essay in response to the seminar. The various seminar topics covered a broad spectrum. It was more about being able to construct arguments than what you did or didn’t know going in to the seminar. For the most part, advise her to relax! If you’re concerned how she will interview, then review some possible questions that will come up in the interview, and help her prepare some questions of her own to ask the interviewer. Perhaps your guidance office can help her conduct a mock interview. She really does need to be herself. Talk to her about why she chose this school, what she hopes to experience in college, the high and low points of her high school experience, what her passions are - so she’ll be comfortable and ready to answer questions the interviewer might throw at her.