In an effort to help alleviate your stress as you prepare for the Presidential Scholarship weekend, I’ve made a list of tips, including how to prepare, potential interview questions, dos and don’ts, and what to wear.  Take a peek!

What should I expect during the interviews?

Both interviews will involve a professor and a current Presidential Scholar. You’ll meet with them in a classroom, or a room similar to our post-tour meeting rooms. The interview will go more like a conversation, truly! We want to get a better idea of who you are, beyond the essays you wrote on the application. What do you bring to High Point University that is unique and will add to our extraordinary culture?  (Below you will find a more detailed list of common interview questions that will also help you prepare.)

 Preparing for the Interview

1.       Do a little research on relevant facts related to the Presidential Scholarship.  Primarily, read about the various levels of the Presidential Scholarship here.  This will help jog your memory about what the interviewers are looking for in potential Presidential Scholars, which will help you answer questions more precisely.

2.       Review your application and the essays you wrote so you will be prepared to address any questions related to what you wrote.

3.       Think about how becoming a Presidential Scholar will influence your education and career development and be prepared to talk about that.

4.       Have a couple of questions prepared to ask the interviewers.  Asking questions that reveal your interest in contributing to the High Point University community helps show your high level of commitment.

5.       Pick out your interview outfit ahead of time.  Be appropriate and professional (see below for more “what to wear” details).

6.       You do not need to bring anything to your interview.  The interviewers will have copies of your Scholarship Application and official transcripts.

7.       Relax and be yourself!  The Scholarship Committee already thought you were pretty great, that’s why you were invited to interview!  These conversations are your chance to prove that the Committee made the right decision.

 Potential Interview Questions: *These are not necessarily questions you will be asked, but they are known to be common interview questions. If you have a few prepared answers for these, it will be helpful.

1.       Tell us about yourself.  Your background, your accomplishments.

2.       What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?

3.       What are your academic goals?  Career goals?  Where do you see yourself in ten years?  How will the Presidential Scholarship help you achieve those goals?

4.       Tell us about the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in school or school-related activities and what you learned from it.

5.       What personal achievement are you most proud of?

6.       You’ve accomplished many commendable achievements already.  Where do you think you can improve, or where do you have room to grow?

7.       You’re very involved in community service (student government /athletics/church, temple, etc).  What project are you most proud of and why?

8.       What leadership roles have you held in your extracurricular activities?  What have you learned as a result of those roles?

9.       What are the things most important to you in life?  What are your deepest personal convictions?

 DOs & DON’Ts

DO:

1.       Be on time.  When you check in on Saturday morning you will receive your interview times and locations.  Ask an HPU staff member where the building is located and arrive a few minutes early to ensure you have time to find the correct room.

2.       Introduce yourself to the interviewers, look them in the eyes, shake hands firmly—show your self-confidence!

3.       Be yourself!  We want you to answer all the questions honestly, so just relax and be you!  This is the time to emphasize your accomplishments.

4.       When asked a question, listen carefully, think about your answer and respond with interest, enthusiasm and confidence.

5.       Maintain eye contact as you speak.

6.       Say “thank you” at the conclusion of the interview!  Everyone likes good manners!

7.       Practice!  Conduct a mock interview with a friend, parent or teacher.

DON’T:

1.       Be critical about teachers, your high school, other universities, or friends.  This only reflects badly on you.

2.       Chew gum, bite your nails, fidget, yawn, slouch, tap your foot/hand/knee, etc.

3.       Assume the interviewers know all about you.  Even if you’ve included information in your application, they may not remember all of your accomplishments.

 What should I wear?

Business dress is definitely the way to put your best foot forward.  I recommend you wear a suit to your interviews, if at all possible. The more professional you look, the more serious we think you are about wanting the scholarship and being an outstanding High Point University student!

The Presidential Scholarship website reads: “*Dress Code for the weekend is business professional.* This means shirt, tie, and dress slacks for men; blouse and dress slacks/skirt for women. “

 WANT MORE INFO?

As always, you can contact me via phone or email: 336.841.9161 & hblayloc@highpoint.edu.

Potential Presidential Scholars & their parents prepare to walk the red carpet at HPU's 2008 Presidential Scholarship weekend!

By the time most of you read this, you will have already received your acceptance packet to High Point University– Congratulations!  HPU students experience a rigorous academic environment founded on traditions of high achievement, active involvement and holistic education, and we’re excited that you’ve chosen to contribute to that!

 Hopefully, you’ve heard about our merit-based Presidential Scholarship Program.  If you are an incoming freshman with demonstrated outstanding achievement, good citizenship, strong leadership, and exceptional scholarship, read on! 

 Students who have a score of at least 1100 on the Math & Critical Reading portions of the SAT, or a Composite score of 24 on the ACT are eligible to apply for the Presidential Scholarship Program.  There are six levels of the 2010 Awards Program, with fellowships and scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $25,000 per year.  You can read more about each level by clicking here.

To apply for the Presidential Scholarship Program, visit www.highpoint.edu/presidential. The application deadline is December 20, 2009.

What is the Scholarship Committee looking for on the application?

 The Committee is dedicated to awarding students who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement, citizenship, leadership, and scholarship. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you complete the Presidential Scholarship Application:

• Take Care: Just like on the Application for Admission, we want to see that you have taken the time to fill out the Scholarship Application carefully. Have a counselor or teacher check your spelling and grammar. (Trust me, we can tell when you filled out the whole application during the last 15 minutes of lunch.)
• Toot Your Own Horn: There are places for you to fill out your academic awards and honors, organizations and activities, volunteerism and community service, special talents, and activities unrelated to school (work, religious, etc). You’ll be able to list any leadership positions you’ve held or special recognition you’ve earned in those arenas. Show the Committee how fabulous you really are!
• Write Well & Show Us Who You Are: There are three essays that must be 300 words or more, and you must complete all three essays. These questions are designed to give the Scholarship Committee a more complete picture of who you are and what you will uniquely contribute to the culture of High Point University. This is your chance to really shine! Be creative, but write well. (And use spell check; it’s there for a good reason!) Again, please, please, please, have your guidance counselor or English teacher put a second pair of eyes on your essays. Constructive criticism will only help you!

 What happens after I submit the Presidential Scholarship Application?

• Students will be reviewed by the University Scholarship Committee ONLY if they have been admitted to the University and have submitted the Presidential Scholarship Application.
• After the Committee has done the preliminary evaluation of the applications, semifinalists will be invited to interview on campus during a Presidential Scholarship Weekend in February 2010. Semifinalists will be notified by mail sometime between December 22^nd and January 15^th and the Admissions staff will assign invited students to an interview weekend.
• Semifinalists will be interviewed by two committees. Each committee will have faculty members and current Presidential Scholars.
• The University Scholarship Committee’s decisions will be postmarked by March 12, 2010.

  If you all have more questions about the Presidential Scholarship Program, please send me an email or give me a call (336-841-9161) and I’ll be happy to help you!  If your parents have questions, send them to www.TheWrennRoom.com or have them contact me.

 Be sure to check back in January when I’ll give interview tips for semifinalists who will be attending one of the Presidential Scholarship Weekends, including: what to wear, what to expect, and what you should do to prepare in advance.

COLLEGE FAIRS : My Advice

As an Admissions Counselor*, I represent High Point University at numerous college fairs throughout the country during the fall.  I talk to hundreds of great high school students who have fallen in love with this university just like I have, and they want to be admitted, badly. 

I find, however, that many students come to college fairs unprepared.  So as your guide through the Admissions World, I feel it is my responsibility and honor  to give you a few helpful pointers for navigating the world of College Fairs, because you’d be surprised how often I’ve seen the t-shirt that reads: “I’m not lazy, I just don’t care” and that attitude won’t get you admitted anywhere. So, here are my top five tips to impress your Admissions Counselor that will help move you along the path to acceptance. 

1. Dress up.  The t-shirt I mentioned above is horrendous. But any t-shirt when you’re trying to impress the person who decides if you get into college is a bad idea. You don’t have to wear a full suit (though it certainly wouldn’t hurt), but you do want to make an impression, and looking sharp is the easiest way to make it a good one.

2. Greet the Admissions Counselor by looking him or her in the eyes and saying “hello”.  Counselors typically open with something like: “Hey, how are you doing?”  Students typically mumble “good” as they look down at the table.  (Parents can be just as guilty of this poor behavior as well!) So if you want to stand out?  Look me in the eye, shake my hand, and answer: “I’m very well, thank you. How are you?”

3. Have a few questions prepared.  After greeting a potential student, I usually ask if there are any specific questions I can answer for him or her.  Please do your best to have a question in response, rather than an “Ummm, I don’t really know…”  Your high school’s college counselors should be helping you with this anyway. If not, ask them for help!  You can even use the same questions for all the college reps you speak with; things like: Does your school offer ______ major? How many undergraduate students does your school have? What is the faculty-to-student ratio?  What makes your school different?

4. Write legibly on the inquiry cards or make labels.  Almost all schools ask for your name, address, email, phone number, high school, graduation year, and intended major(s).  If you print this information on mailing labels, you can just slap it on our inquiry cards and we’ll be less likely to send info to the wrong address and your hand won’t be aching by the time you leave the fair.  Everybody wins!  If you can’t make labels, just try really, really hard to write neatly.

5. Say “Thank you.”  Everybody loves a polite high school student.  (Especially Admissions Counselors who have been standing behind tables in suits six hours a day, five days a week, September through November, all to tell you about the schools they love.)  So thank the Admissions Counselors who are there to speak with you, thank your parents for caring that you go to college, and thank the guidance counselors and parents who put the college fair together because, trust me, it’s a lot of work!

For success at College Fairs, take the advice of Ron Burgundy and

“You stay classy.”

*To find out which High Point University Admissions Counselor you need to impress, visit our interactive map!