Garrity Scholar Interview

Garrity Scholar Interview Details:

Interview Dates: January 16 and 17, 2024

Time Slots: Between 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. (during the school day for St. Mary's Middle School students)

Interviews will be 15 minutes long. The Garrity Interview Team is made up of members of our Faculty, Staff and Administration.

Students should report to St. Mary's campus and will be brought to their interview location at their designated time. Parents are invited to stay on campus for the students in the Garrity Hospitality Center in St. Mary's STEM & Gateway Building while their student is being interviewed.

Helpful Interview Tips:

The interview questions will not be shared prior to the interview, but please find below some helpful hints as you prepare:

There are a lot of scholarship interview tips floating around out there, but one piece of common advice that is typically given to job seekers also applies to scholarship interviews: practice makes perfect.

By taking some time to practice answering questions, your student can become more comfortable with the process. Plus, it gives them a chance to refine their responses, ensuring they deliver the information in a concise yet comprehensive way.

This also gives them a chance to be observed by someone they trust, allowing the person who is assuming the role of the interviewer to provide them with scholarship interview tips based on how their mannerisms, posture, or other behavioral quirks may be perceived.

Further, by practicing with someone who knows them, your student will be more likely to be themselves, as the interviewer can tell when your child is being honest or trying to come up with an answer that they think the scholarship committee would want to hear.

If your student is overthinking their responses or becomes worried that they won’t blow away the panel, here’s one of the most important scholarship tips around: remind them that they were invited to interview because of what they have shared so far. The committee is already impressed with them or they wouldn’t have been invited in for an interview.

They should review the requirements for the scholarship, including the essay question that were presented. Typically, this will give them insights into the organization’s priorities, and may even tell them exactly what they will be asked.

Next, it’s helpful to get some background information on the organization itself. This can include mission statements, the “About Us” section of the website, and even recent news announcements. Gaining a foundational understanding of the organization is another way to learn about their priorities, and can also help your child adjust their responses to the scholarship interview questions so that they cover topics the panel likely holds dear.

Finally, make sure your student reviews the content of their scholarship essay. Since this was a crucial part of the application, and certainly played a substantial role in why they were asked in for an interview, refreshing their memories on what they discussed will prepare them to speak to the content directly.

While your student may not be able to anticipate every question that may be asked, certain ones are almost guaranteed to come up.

As your child gets ready to head into the interview, staying relaxed is vital. Remind them to take a deep breath and keep their head held high. The committee already thinks they could be worthy of the award, or they wouldn’t have invited them in. So, as long as they conduct themselves appropriately and follow the tips above, they have a great shot at being selected.

 

Source: thescholarshipsystem.com