How to ace your Fulbright interview
Top tips by Irina Lutsenko
(Fulbright FLTA, 2015-2016, University of New Haven, Connecticut)
#1
Be ready to talk about your application, job/studies, program participation, and plans for the future.
To be able to do that:
- Read your application again. Chances are you wrote it 3-5 months ago. Trying to remember what you wrote during the interview is a bad idea.
- Talk to Fulbright alumni or watch/read about their experience. You will get a better understanding of what the interviewers might be looking for.
- Google typical university or even job application questions. These bog standard, run-of-the-mill questions come up too.
- Having done all of the above, practise with a friend.
#2
Smile and make eye contact.
- Read your application again. Chances are you wrote it 3-5 months ago. Trying to remember what you wrote during the interview is a bad idea.
- Talk to Fulbright alumni or watch/read about their experience. You will get a better understanding of what the interviewers might be looking for.
- Google typical university or even job application questions. These bog standard, run-of-the-mill questions come up too.
- Having done all of the above, practise with a friend.
#2
Smile and make eye contact.
Smiling is not inherent to Russians, but it is to Americans. Smiling will help you make a positive impression and stand out among other candidates. Plus, let's face it, we naturally want to communicate with those who smile and look at us. It’s subconscious.
#3
Do your best to show your leadership potential.
#3
Do your best to show your leadership potential.
Leadership potential is hard to pin down because it takes different shapes and sizes, but I'd say you should demonstrate your ability and desire to inspire, come up with ideas, participate, and contribute. These are crucial because this is what you will need to do both during and after the program. Don't pretend to be someone you are not, but obedient robots without initiative are not what the program needs.
#4
More things you should try to project:
- your interest in and knowledge of the program;
- the ability to make good use of your Fulbright year back home;
- the desire to spread and share your experience.
My interview is a bit of a blur now. But I remember being asked about student retention and my plans for the future (so nothing crazy). What was a bit unusual though was being interviewed by four people simultaneously. If you are too, remember to look and smile at each person.
Overall, be open, be positive and think not what the program can do for you, but what you can do for the program.
#4
More things you should try to project:
- your interest in and knowledge of the program;
- the ability to make good use of your Fulbright year back home;
- the desire to spread and share your experience.
My interview is a bit of a blur now. But I remember being asked about student retention and my plans for the future (so nothing crazy). What was a bit unusual though was being interviewed by four people simultaneously. If you are too, remember to look and smile at each person.
Overall, be open, be positive and think not what the program can do for you, but what you can do for the program.
Top tips by Maria Merziapova
(Fulbright FLTA, 2015-2016, Wheaton College, Massachusetts)
#1
Treat it like any job interview.
“In what way?” you ask. Well, first of all, don't skip the preparation part. Your resume this time will not speak for itself. Listen to the interviewer's questions carefully first and then begin your presentation of yourself, tailoring your prepared answer to fit the question.
#2
Work on your intonation and pronunciation.
If you are sure of the way you sound, everything else would give the impression of overall confidence.
#3
Maintain eye contact with all interviewers.
The first thing they do is introduce the board of four interviewers. Make sure to smile and nod understandingly and be an active and polite listener. This will be expected of you throughout the program. Imagine yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. You are a respected member of a group of people and there’s a person who is looking at just one of them or everyone but you. This doesn’t leave a very good impression, does it?
#4
Treat it like any job interview.
“In what way?” you ask. Well, first of all, don't skip the preparation part. Your resume this time will not speak for itself. Listen to the interviewer's questions carefully first and then begin your presentation of yourself, tailoring your prepared answer to fit the question.
#2
Work on your intonation and pronunciation.
If you are sure of the way you sound, everything else would give the impression of overall confidence.
#3
Maintain eye contact with all interviewers.
The first thing they do is introduce the board of four interviewers. Make sure to smile and nod understandingly and be an active and polite listener. This will be expected of you throughout the program. Imagine yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. You are a respected member of a group of people and there’s a person who is looking at just one of them or everyone but you. This doesn’t leave a very good impression, does it?
#4
Read a book on body language.
I know, it’s hard to change your behavior and habits just for 5 minutes, but you must be able to adapt to different environments and requirements. Be friendly and open not only in your words, but also in your smile, your body language, your bright and shining eyes. And, once again, SMILE.
#5
Be consistent with your answers.
Some of the questions I got asked at the interview seemed a bit odd. Those were questions about my country, my opinion of the government and the president, my take on how I would explain these things to American students. The way they were phrased was meant to throw me off my game, but I chose to be frank and reasonable. If different people ask pretty much the same question in different parts of the interview – that’s your cue to stick to the answers you gave the previous time.
#6
Don’t let the questions freeze your brain.
Keep in mind that they might ask something that you are not ready for or something you haven't mentioned in your objectives essay. The first thing to do is to nip the growing panic in the bud and start talking to make the panicky thoughts go away. Because a long pause or gibberish is, obviously, not the right choice. Try to remember some of the points from your essays and rephrase them. But the best option is to be prepared for the question: What else can you tell us that we haven't read about in your essay? What else have you done that is useful? What other reasons do you have for trying to become a teaching assistant/cultural ambassador?
Something I haven’t done.
I know, it’s hard to change your behavior and habits just for 5 minutes, but you must be able to adapt to different environments and requirements. Be friendly and open not only in your words, but also in your smile, your body language, your bright and shining eyes. And, once again, SMILE.
#5
Be consistent with your answers.
Some of the questions I got asked at the interview seemed a bit odd. Those were questions about my country, my opinion of the government and the president, my take on how I would explain these things to American students. The way they were phrased was meant to throw me off my game, but I chose to be frank and reasonable. If different people ask pretty much the same question in different parts of the interview – that’s your cue to stick to the answers you gave the previous time.
#6
Don’t let the questions freeze your brain.
Keep in mind that they might ask something that you are not ready for or something you haven't mentioned in your objectives essay. The first thing to do is to nip the growing panic in the bud and start talking to make the panicky thoughts go away. Because a long pause or gibberish is, obviously, not the right choice. Try to remember some of the points from your essays and rephrase them. But the best option is to be prepared for the question: What else can you tell us that we haven't read about in your essay? What else have you done that is useful? What other reasons do you have for trying to become a teaching assistant/cultural ambassador?
Something I haven’t done.
Think proactively and try to imagine what kind of problems/obstacles you might encounter on your journey to being an FLTA. Just a couple situations and prepared answers for that would suffice. I had a question “What problems do you expect to face while being an FLTA? How might you go about solving them?” This question made me pause a little since at the time I wasn’t in the habit of creating problematic scenarios in my mind and solving them before they even occur. But it seems to be what some interviewers want from us.
Overall, be enthusiastic, consistent, ready for the unexpected and remember that the interviewers are not there to bring you down. They are there to get to know you and give you the opportunity of a lifetime.
Overall, be enthusiastic, consistent, ready for the unexpected and remember that the interviewers are not there to bring you down. They are there to get to know you and give you the opportunity of a lifetime.
- Insights into the Fulbright FLTA application process
- My Fulbright year: what, where, when
- The benefits of being a Fulbrighter (based on personal experience)
- Teaching Russian from scratch: my proudest achievement
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