So, starting from the beginning...I first found out I was a semi-finalist in the middle of my history class on December 2nd. Semi-finalist notifications usually come out throughout the beginning of December but it varies widely across language and between the years.
I really don’t know what I was expecting. I had put so much time and thought into my application but I knew that it was an incredibly competitive program (acceptance rate <15%) and on top of that, I was a freshman and I heard that it was extremely rare that freshmen were selected. Nevertheless, I was incredibly excited to be selected and anxious for the interview.
Here are a few tips and tools that I used in order to have a successful interview:
Prepare well (but do not just memorize answers):
While it's important that your answers don't sound fake or memorized, it's also important to go into your interview with a good idea of what to expect. For me, I started reading lots and lots of NSLI-Y blogs to get a better idea of the interview process and what potential questions would be asked. I collected a folder on my desktop of questions and tips I found online that I could use to prepare. Later, I had my parents ask me some of the questions that I had found so that I could practice my composure, confidence and ability to speak on the fly about NSLIY.
Dress Appropriately:
This isn't something to stress about but it's important that you dress maturely and appropriately. I wore a sweater dress that reached right above my knees and a blazer and flats. I saw most boys wearing slacks/khakis with a button up shirt (some with a tie) and most girls wore a knee-length dress or skirt with a blouse or a blouse and slacks/nice pants but no jeans.
Be personable:
Remember that if you end up going on this program, you will be an American ambassador in many ways and it's important that they know that you will be polite and respectful but also outgoing. They want to make sure that you will interact well with the locals, the other NSLIY-ers and your host family and that you will talk with them in Arabic and make the most of your time there.
Be knowledgable:
Make sure that you do your research about the language you are applying for and about NSLIY in general. As I said before, you will be an American Ambassador so it's important that you are knowledgable about other cultures. It's also important that you have a full understanding of NSLIY because they want to make sure that you are comfortable and want to go on NSLIY for all that it entails. It's important to show them that you have considered both the pros and cons of this program and 'know what you are getting in to'. Then again, if you have questions, it's important to ask them here.
Show your enthusiasm for other languages and cultures:
NSLIY is not just a study abroad program. It's main purpose is as a really intensive language study and cultural immersion program. Show that you have genuine curiosity and desire to learn about other cultures and will make the most of the immersion setting when it comes to learning the language.
Be enthusiastic in general:
Show them that you are truly excited and motivated.
Don't just tell them why you want to go, tell them how you will add to the program:
While it's important to convey your enthusiasm, it's also really important to show what you will do to extend the benefits beyond just yourself. That could be talking about how you want to spread cultural understanding or whatever you plan on doing. Don't be shy to show how you would be an asset to their program.
Show them that you have thought through how you will continue your language study upon return:
While you are able to learn a ton during the summer program, without continuing to practice and learn, your language skills will slip away. Research local language classes or make plans to have weekly conversations with people who speak the language in your community or look up online classes. This way you can show them how you plan on continuing your language learning after NSLIY
Take your time:
It's totally fine to take a couple seconds to gather your thoughts. In fact, it will help you have a more well-thought-out and coherent answer which will really benefit you.
Decide a couple of things you want to make sure the interviewer knows about you:
I knew I couldn’t prepare an answer for every question I saw and I didn’t want to come up with a scripted answer to recite either, so I decided to just make a list of the things I wanted the interviewer to know about me by the time the interview was over and what qualities I wanted to get across.
For me, it looked like this:
I want them to know that I am...
passionate about language learning
passionate about travel
mature
resilient
natural problem solver
curious
not afraid to take risks (but not reckless)
respectful
mindful
interesting
interested
outgoing
reflective/self-aware
I knew that these qualities were important for study abroad and so I wanted to make sure that they came across to the interviewer. Keep in mind that the interviewer doesn't actually do any of the decision making, they take some notes and fill out an evaluation form and that gets sent to someone on the selection committee who evaluates it along with your packet and makes the final decision. So make sure whatever you want to get across is clear so that they take note on it.
Reflect on why you want to do NSLI-Y:
I really took the time to ask myself these questions:
Why do I really want to do NSLI-Y?
What excites me about the program?
How will I use the language after coming home?
Why did I choose this language?
Asking myself these questions really got me in touch with why I was so eager and passionate about applying, and when it is clear you are passionate, the interviewers are able to see that you are really committed to making the most of the program.
Here's how my interview experience went:
I got to the interview about 30 mins early and sat in the car with my family for 15 mins and kind of freaked out and practiced some questions with them and then headed in when there was about 20 mins left.
I headed in and there was a kind of waiting room where I checked in and then sat down and chatted with some of the other semifinalists. They all seemed really amazing and super interesting and I really enjoyed hearing about where they wanted to go and why. Then an NSLI-Y Russia Summer alum came in and she answered some questions and I really took the opportunity to ask her all the things I wanted to know about that only someone who had gone on the program could answer. After a little while, the registrars started talking about switching interviewers and I kind of started freaking out that there was a complication or something but at about noon my interviewer came in and we went and sat down at this table with chairs that was in the corner of a huge room (it was in a Bahaai temple but it was a big empty room) and there was partitions all around. I could kind of hear other people getting interviewed but it wasn’t a big deal. He introduced himself and it turns out that he was actually a student at Berkeley and was from Malaysia and had studied abroad in Japan and now the US. First he really explicitly explained how the interview process works and the fact that he doesn’t make any decisions himself, he just asks me questions, takes down notes as answers and then there is a rubric sort of thing he fills out afterwards with some more general criteria on a scale of (1-4). Then he asked some basic questions about what countries I wanted to go to etc. and then he started to ask questions like:
What would you do if your teacher said something incorrect about the US when teaching a class?
How do you plan on continuing your language learning after you return to the US?
Why do you want to go on NSLI-Y?
What has been your greatest disappointment?
Why did you choose the language that you chose?
What extracurriculars do you do?
It was actually a really natural conversation-style interview and I actually really enjoyed talking to him. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions about his exchange experience and the interview actually flew by.
I can’t even tell you how much more excited I am now that I am coming so close to potentially getting this opportunity!!!
Good luck on your interview!
I really don’t know what I was expecting. I had put so much time and thought into my application but I knew that it was an incredibly competitive program (acceptance rate <15%) and on top of that, I was a freshman and I heard that it was extremely rare that freshmen were selected. Nevertheless, I was incredibly excited to be selected and anxious for the interview.
Here are a few tips and tools that I used in order to have a successful interview:
Prepare well (but do not just memorize answers):
While it's important that your answers don't sound fake or memorized, it's also important to go into your interview with a good idea of what to expect. For me, I started reading lots and lots of NSLI-Y blogs to get a better idea of the interview process and what potential questions would be asked. I collected a folder on my desktop of questions and tips I found online that I could use to prepare. Later, I had my parents ask me some of the questions that I had found so that I could practice my composure, confidence and ability to speak on the fly about NSLIY.
Dress Appropriately:
This isn't something to stress about but it's important that you dress maturely and appropriately. I wore a sweater dress that reached right above my knees and a blazer and flats. I saw most boys wearing slacks/khakis with a button up shirt (some with a tie) and most girls wore a knee-length dress or skirt with a blouse or a blouse and slacks/nice pants but no jeans.
Be personable:
Remember that if you end up going on this program, you will be an American ambassador in many ways and it's important that they know that you will be polite and respectful but also outgoing. They want to make sure that you will interact well with the locals, the other NSLIY-ers and your host family and that you will talk with them in Arabic and make the most of your time there.
Be knowledgable:
Make sure that you do your research about the language you are applying for and about NSLIY in general. As I said before, you will be an American Ambassador so it's important that you are knowledgable about other cultures. It's also important that you have a full understanding of NSLIY because they want to make sure that you are comfortable and want to go on NSLIY for all that it entails. It's important to show them that you have considered both the pros and cons of this program and 'know what you are getting in to'. Then again, if you have questions, it's important to ask them here.
Show your enthusiasm for other languages and cultures:
NSLIY is not just a study abroad program. It's main purpose is as a really intensive language study and cultural immersion program. Show that you have genuine curiosity and desire to learn about other cultures and will make the most of the immersion setting when it comes to learning the language.
Be enthusiastic in general:
Show them that you are truly excited and motivated.
Don't just tell them why you want to go, tell them how you will add to the program:
While it's important to convey your enthusiasm, it's also really important to show what you will do to extend the benefits beyond just yourself. That could be talking about how you want to spread cultural understanding or whatever you plan on doing. Don't be shy to show how you would be an asset to their program.
Show them that you have thought through how you will continue your language study upon return:
While you are able to learn a ton during the summer program, without continuing to practice and learn, your language skills will slip away. Research local language classes or make plans to have weekly conversations with people who speak the language in your community or look up online classes. This way you can show them how you plan on continuing your language learning after NSLIY
Take your time:
It's totally fine to take a couple seconds to gather your thoughts. In fact, it will help you have a more well-thought-out and coherent answer which will really benefit you.
Decide a couple of things you want to make sure the interviewer knows about you:
I knew I couldn’t prepare an answer for every question I saw and I didn’t want to come up with a scripted answer to recite either, so I decided to just make a list of the things I wanted the interviewer to know about me by the time the interview was over and what qualities I wanted to get across.
For me, it looked like this:
I want them to know that I am...
passionate about language learning
passionate about travel
mature
resilient
natural problem solver
curious
not afraid to take risks (but not reckless)
respectful
mindful
interesting
interested
outgoing
reflective/self-aware
I knew that these qualities were important for study abroad and so I wanted to make sure that they came across to the interviewer. Keep in mind that the interviewer doesn't actually do any of the decision making, they take some notes and fill out an evaluation form and that gets sent to someone on the selection committee who evaluates it along with your packet and makes the final decision. So make sure whatever you want to get across is clear so that they take note on it.
Reflect on why you want to do NSLI-Y:
I really took the time to ask myself these questions:
Why do I really want to do NSLI-Y?
What excites me about the program?
How will I use the language after coming home?
Why did I choose this language?
Asking myself these questions really got me in touch with why I was so eager and passionate about applying, and when it is clear you are passionate, the interviewers are able to see that you are really committed to making the most of the program.
Here's how my interview experience went:
I got to the interview about 30 mins early and sat in the car with my family for 15 mins and kind of freaked out and practiced some questions with them and then headed in when there was about 20 mins left.
I headed in and there was a kind of waiting room where I checked in and then sat down and chatted with some of the other semifinalists. They all seemed really amazing and super interesting and I really enjoyed hearing about where they wanted to go and why. Then an NSLI-Y Russia Summer alum came in and she answered some questions and I really took the opportunity to ask her all the things I wanted to know about that only someone who had gone on the program could answer. After a little while, the registrars started talking about switching interviewers and I kind of started freaking out that there was a complication or something but at about noon my interviewer came in and we went and sat down at this table with chairs that was in the corner of a huge room (it was in a Bahaai temple but it was a big empty room) and there was partitions all around. I could kind of hear other people getting interviewed but it wasn’t a big deal. He introduced himself and it turns out that he was actually a student at Berkeley and was from Malaysia and had studied abroad in Japan and now the US. First he really explicitly explained how the interview process works and the fact that he doesn’t make any decisions himself, he just asks me questions, takes down notes as answers and then there is a rubric sort of thing he fills out afterwards with some more general criteria on a scale of (1-4). Then he asked some basic questions about what countries I wanted to go to etc. and then he started to ask questions like:
What would you do if your teacher said something incorrect about the US when teaching a class?
How do you plan on continuing your language learning after you return to the US?
Why do you want to go on NSLI-Y?
What has been your greatest disappointment?
Why did you choose the language that you chose?
What extracurriculars do you do?
It was actually a really natural conversation-style interview and I actually really enjoyed talking to him. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions about his exchange experience and the interview actually flew by.
I can’t even tell you how much more excited I am now that I am coming so close to potentially getting this opportunity!!!
Good luck on your interview!