#nsli

i just had my interview a few days ago and i’m making this post to hopefully help fellow NSLI-Y semi-finalist and future hopefuls! 

I received my semi-finalist notification on December 1 around 4:00 pm, a week later an email listing 3 interview events that were being held in my area, and January 6 (a week before the interview) the exact time and location of the event.

i wore a black sweater, a dark plaid skirt, sheer tights, and heeled booties. i never saw any other girls at my event, but i did notice most of the guys were wearing a button up, tie, blazer/jacket, khakis, and dress shoes. 

so! the actual event happened in the lobby of a hotel and there were only about 10 people being interviewed the entire day so it was only me and one other person during my scheduled time. a super sweet volunteer who was helping conduct the event explained to me that my interviewer was stuck in her home due to icy roads and my backup came down with the flu SO i was assigned the one interviewer already at the event lol. i wasn’t given a questionnaire or had my mom speak to the interview like i had read on other blogs, i just began the interview immediately. 

first, my interviewer introduced herself and told me a bit about her experience abroad with AFS. the interview began with some pretty basic questions like “Tell me a bit about yourself”, “What country and duration are you applying for?” and “What are your college and career goals?”. then, they got a bit deeper like: 

What are the advantages and disadvantages you foresee of this program?

What qualities do you possess that will help you while abroad?

Describe your ideal host family. How would you react if your host family was the opposite of your ideal?

What do you spend your free time doing? While living abroad, you might not be able to do everything you’re used to at home. How would you react?

What do you expect to learn about yourself during this program?

Describe a time that you disagreed with someone. How did you react?

How do you plan to use the experience you gain?

What kind of role do you play in your friend group?

Why do you want to participate?

Describe a time you were in a group that you completely felt out of place. How did you react?

most of the questions had multiple parts within them. also, none of these were based off of my application, she was reading from a sheet and choosing questions to ask. my interviewer was very patient with me and would try to give me some examples if i was having a hard time with one. with every question i would try to cover multiple topics in order to strengthen my overall point - telling stories and pulling from experience is a great way to do this!! i have a good bit of experience with working in tough environments abroad (mission work) so i believe this helped make my statements more concrete. the actual interview probably only lasted 25 minutes tops, but i had a lottt of questions for her. we talked for about another 30-40 minutes about her experience living in Thailand for a year, what she was studying in college, how gap years work, and a whole bunch more! i highly recommend talking to your interviewer after the interview portion because, for me, i really became more comfortable with her as we talked and my genuine personality began to shine - and she actually wrote down a lot of what i was saying!! i definitely believe this tremendously helped my overall interview since i was able to cover a lot more than just the basics. she even gave me some advice that i would have never even thought of!! i’m so thankful to have had her as my interviewer ❤️ 

overall, it was a pleasant, laid-back experience. i would say that my biggest tips would be: 

make sure to have a few stories up your sleeve 

be as nice and pleasant as possible - first impressions are important (i.e. shake their hand, smile, be/sound optimistic)

try to talk to others and your interviewer as much as possible (when else are you going to be surrounded by people who share the same passion or goals as you?)

try to have fun with it and don’t stress too much! being comfortable will come across in how you hold yourself and overall makes things more pleasant 

I am back again for another post. Today is June 28th, 2017 and I’m currently on the airport wifi writing this- so I’m not yet in the motherland, but will be tomorrow!

I was very nervous throughout my pre-departure orientation, but I have to say- it really helped me to feel more at ease with being in Korea. It’s important to meet and get to know all the other kids on your program because they are your support systems who are going through the same thing as you.

I’ll keep things short, as I plan to do weekly posts on here but I’m super excited to be heading to Korea. I hope to explore as much as possible, go on college visits, eat at the vegan restaurants there and hopefully learn as much Korean as possible. But I really hope that I can enjoy myself and make the most of this opportunity. 

I’m boarding my plane in about a half hour

HOLY SHIT CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Hey guys! As many of you know I am a finalist for the NSLI-Y Seoul Summer 2017 program and I cannot be more excited! When I leave I definitely will be writing about my experience with the program and answering any questions anyone may have.

Because I have a little under a month until departure I thought I would share my interview experience and advice for all the NSLI-Y/Yes Abroad 2018 and beyond applicants who are as nervous as I was for my interview.

Just a little info on the timeline: I completed and submitted my application mid September, was sent semifinalist status in early December, received my interview sign-up early January and did my interview in late January of 2017. I would later find out about my finalist acceptance late March but that information will be explained further in a later blog post. 

As far as preparation is concerned, yes I did prepare, and I prepared a lot. I knew I wanted to be ready for any question I could possibly get during the interview, so I made sure to have mock interviews with friends and family (I’m extra like that) and also to really think through the true reasons I wanted to do this program. I was in a Facebook group chat for other semis/alumni in my area and I was able to get a lot of guidance over what kind of questions I would be getting and what kind of approach to take with my answers, so that helped too! Definitely don’t be afraid to connect with any alums or semis online because they may just help you a ton!

My best tip is to be yourself- so cliche I know- but its true! If you aren’t answering the questions genuinely then your interviewer can sense that which can lead to a very uncomfortable interview. All of my responses during mine were genuinely me and the way I would’ve answered the questions if it had been an everyday conversation- and in the end that’s what helped me to feel more comfortable with my interviewer. 

As far as my experience is concerned, my interview was held in a mall food court which made me a little more nervous if I’m being honest. I arrived at the mall and found the check-in table where another semi-finalist and a Moroccan exchange student were sitting. I asked if I could hang out with them and they both chatted with me happily while my interviewer finished up his previous appointment. Talking with them really helped me calm my nerves, so if you can talk to people beforehand, do it!

Then, my interviewer came to collect me. I awkwardly stood up to shake his hand (as most people had told me to do) and we went back to a table in the middle of the food court. I was so nervous about my interviewer not liking me but he was so nice and very funny! He made me realize that your interviewer never has it out for you and in fact is rooting for you! So don’t worry about them writing you a bad report- just do your best and they’ll do everything they can!

He first asked the basic questions like whether or not I had a passport, what program I applied for, why, where I lived, etc., then he started the actual questions. For my application season I believe there were 23 questions, though that number may change year to year.

As far as what kind of questions you’ll get asked, they change every year but they will all most likely have to do with what your future plans are/what you plan to do with the language you learn on program, what you would do in certain theoretical situations (ie problems with your host family), and also just describing yourself and how you cope with certain situations as well. 

My interview lasted about 45 minutes, (though I have heard of people having theirs be both shorter and longer) and I made sure to also ask my interviewer questions to make it seem more like a conversation, and not just a bland interview-make yourself memorable! 

After it was over I thanked my interviewer and he promised to write me a report that had as much of what I said as possible, and then walked me back to where my mom was sitting. I thanked him one last time and said goodbye.

Afterwards my mom took me out to eat as a reward and I left feeling okay but I regretted not saying more about my passions for the language which haunted me for the next few months (don’t be like me in that regard).  

Months later who knew I would’ve ended up with an acceptance letter in my inbox. 

If you have any further questions or need advice, my ask box is always open!

Have a lovely day,

Hey Guys,

I’m a semi-finalist for Korea summer and Mandarin summer (2nd choice) !!!

I was so excited when I got the email on December 1st that I screamed really loud and then my mom came running up the stairs worried lol.

I was debating with myself whether I wanted to blog about this or leave it out (because there’s still a 50/50 chance I don’t make it)

But you know what? It doesn’t matter because becoming a semi-finalist is an honor itself and why not blog about my experience? 

 I remember finding out about NSLI-Y 2 years ago, but it was too late to apply the first year. The second year I got rejected the first round, and this year I’m a semi.

But honestly, I’m trying not to get my hopes up because it’s really difficult to get in and -  if I don’t get in I’ll be super depressed..

Hi anon! I can’t really testify on what they look for specifically because I’m only a finalist, and from what I’ve been asking my other program kids, there’s a lot of mixed opinions- some people started the application late, some started early, some felt they did terribly during their interviews and some did fantastic- and we all were still accepted. But there are a few things that everyone I’ve talked to (including alumni) agree on. 

1. There is a bit of an age bias- basically, if two equally qualified applicants apply- the older one is typically accepted. It may seem unfair but at the end of the day the older kid probably won’t have an opportunity to participate in the NSLI program again, whereas the younger applicant has more tries before they are ineligible. So if you aren’t accepted, try try again the next year if possible!

2. Not necessarily everyone agrees on this but from my experience- start your application early. Stressing yourself out over your application is the last thing you want to do, and taking your time ensures (at least it did for me) that you’ll have plenty of time to review everything in detail and really perfect your essays.

3. Your essays are the most important- this is your opportunity to really show off your inner voice and your dedication, and in my opinion, this is where they really crack down to and search for red flags that may make you look unready for this experience. So have a trusted teacher look at them to make sure the grammar is all correct, then see if you can reach out to alumni to read them too (I actually did this and was able to get a lot of constructive criticism, which was really helpful!) And in the end, follow your gut, read the prompts and go with whatever you think will demonstrate your passion and dedication to language learning and the global community. 

Best of luck to you.