Interview Tips

So as some of my followers may already know, I had an interview with an alumnus from Brown University that I believe went very well and that I will finally get a decision in these few upcoming weeks. With that in mind, I found that when it comes to interviews people (including myself) aren't as well prepared as they would hope they are. I had to spent the entire day before trying to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for one of the biggest interviews I've had to date and (with the help of some experience relatives) I was able to go into my interview feeling as if I had done all I could to prepare.

So, in light of this discovery, I decided to give you guys just a few basic tips. They may be small, but they'll go a LONG way.

1. When meeting your interviewer say "Hello" not "Hi" or "Hey". You want to seem professional and prepared and a nice, clear "Hello" will start you on the right foot.
2. Give a firm handshake. I had particular trouble with this one, but the best way to think about it is to grab your interviewers hand as firmly as you would grasp a slightly heavy textbook. Not too firm that you'll break their hand, but not so light that they'll think you have no self-confidence.
3. SIT UP STRAIGHT! That means shoulders back, for girls you should have your feet tucked in behind each other (DON'T CROSS YOUR LEGS OVER THE KNEE), and for both girls and guys try your best not to fidget. Which means don't shake your leg, incessantly touch your hair or face, and don't shift in your seat too much.
4. Eye Contact!! Eye Contact!! Eye Contact!! You don't want your interviewer to think that you are easily distracted and don't have the common courtesy to look them in the eye when you speak to them, so even when they aren't looking at you keep your eyes on them! 
5. Ask questions!! Try to come prepared with a set of go-to-questions (I try to go with at least five..) that way when they ask you the infamous, "Do you have any questions for me?" You can say, yes and then just go from there.
6. Last, but certainly not least, when you say your goodbyes be sure to give yet another firm handshake and tell the THANK YOU! You want to be respectful and it's a good indicator of good manners if you thank them for taking the time to consider you for a position, scholarship, college, etc. So show them your gratitude and tell them you appreciate them letting you speak. 

Though these aren't all the do's and don'ts of interviewing, if you go in with at least these six guidelines in mind you'll have a fighting chance at achieving whatever it is you hope to achieve! If you have any further questions or comments feel free to comment on this post.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

When originally signed to read the first chapter of this novel, I had the typical and almost natural reaction that all teenagers have when asked to read something for class (you know? that guttural groan of distaste and slight misery? yeah, that one!). Yet like all good student I did as I was asked and read both the foreword and chapter one and what I found shocked me quite genuinely. It's not very often that I get to say this when it comes to books that are assigned to me, in fact the last time I said this was when I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, but I'll come right out and say it: I thoroughly enjoyed what I read. Now, I must admit that it was late in the night when I read and that I read along with an audio book to make sure I wasn't absentmindedly skipping over parts but in spite of all of that I actually found the first chapter to be very interesting and it held my attention. So I admit with humbleness that I was wrong to feel that this book was going to be a burden and that I look forward to more.

I Am Here...

So how far have I come along since my last post that put me on the SMART Goal map? And how have I used this course in order to further myself towards my goals? Well... Let me think...

If I were to look at things the way they stand now I'd say I'm doing pretty well for myself. I've been accepted into a total of seven different universities and am waiting to hear back from several more. This course has been a great way for me to explore several different avenues of my thinking and I've been able to utilize the tools given to help me gain a familiarity with the AP Exam, but in all actuality what does that all really mean is my question.

What I've found out throughout my life, in the short amount of time I've been on this earth, is that success isn't really relative to whether or not you accomplish your goal. I used to have this misconception where you had to reach an end game in order to feel accomplished and happy, and to some degree this is true, but in reality if your happiness can only be measured by the success of reaching your goal then I'd rather be utterly unhappy. Success, rather than being measured by accomplishment, should be measured by personal satisfaction not in what you've done but with who you've become. So with this in mind I must ask myself, where am I? And I can reply with a sense of content that I don't exactly know where I am, and that's what makes everything so interesting. Just because I've done so well so far doesn't mean that things will work out the way I planned or want and I'm okay with that because even SMART Goals can be something you want but not something you need.