Last Friday was perhaps my final school-related activity, I was asked by the waiban to take part in a series of interviews of students affected by the May 12th WenChuan earthquake. The interviews were part of a program run by SUNY in which 150 full scholarships would be given to college students who had family members in or around the Sichuan quake area. The scholarships would be given to the students with the best English level and most genuine interest in spending a year in the United States.
There were a total of 47 interviews, of which only seven were English majors. During the interviews, a panel of 14 teachers including myself, quizzed the student on why he or she wanted to study in America, his or her goals, and what the student intended to do if chosen to go. Each interview lasted 5-10 minutes depending on how proficient the student was in English. If the student had exceptional English, the interview would last a bit longer. In the longer interviews, the panel further assessed the student's ability to explain what he or she knows about American culture or what the student planned to study with respect to his or her major. Of the 47 potential students, only ten were chosen based on a combined average score given by the panel.
A number of the interviews ended abruptly when it was determined that the student had either no real desire to go to the US to study or didn't have the confidence or language ability to sit through a university level class in English. One student came in and had absolutely no idea why she was there. She awkwardly came into the conference room, sat down in the chair facing the panel, and introduced herself. When one of the teachers asked why she wanted to go to America to study, she replied, "I didn't know this was to go to America". The teacher then answered, "OK, you're dismissed". Actually a lot of the interviews ended that way. "You're dismissed". It was very Apprentice board room style. Only the students who had no real shot and needed to be booted out were given the "You're dismissed" comment.
In all it took four hours to go through the 47 interviews. By the end, my brain was numb from listening and interpreting, then having to ask a fresh insightful question to the interviewee. It was fun though as I was given complete discretion over what questions I wanted to ask. Additionally I was more or less consulted when the other members of the panel thought it was necessary to end the interview. As I was sitted on the side of the conference table, the rest of the panel turned to me and I either nodded in agreement which perhaps prompted the "You're dismissed" or I asked a follow-up question and continued the dialogue.
I ended up asking a lot of interpretive questions about differences between China and the US. The questions could have been understood in a number of different contexts, perhaps even negatively, but I think the fact I was only asking the question and not suggesting or pointing to a response made it relatively harmless. A few students said they were interested in journalism to whom I asked what the differences between Western, specifically American media and Chinese media. Towards the end of the interviews I started to get weary, and began asking sharper questions. There was one geography major who I believe failed the interview because I asked her which continent America was on. When she didn't know the word "continent" the panel laughed and after one more question she was given a "You're dismissed".
After finishing the last interview, the teachers went into a separate conference room where we all ate lunch. Perhaps it was the heat or the exhaustion after interviewing students for four consecutive hours, but I don't think there was a single word uttered during the meal. After lunch we went back into the conference room with the 15 finalists from the original 47. The 15 finalists were then asked to give a short impromptu speech about why his or her experiences during the earthquake and what he or she could learn from traveling to the US to study. Again the panel gave a score and after another hour the field was finally narrowed down to ten.
As I left the conference room after everything was over, I stopped by the room where the remaining students were filling out forms that would allow them to enter the next round of interviews in Chengdu. I told them they should be proud of how professional they were and gave them tips about how to appeal to a group of people choosing a potential overseas student. I said the first and foremost thing to remember was confidence. I'm not sure whether this was the best advice I could have given them, but I felt that any panel review would rather choose a Chinese student who had the confidence to speak up in class, ask questions, and find a circle of friends as opposed to a student who lacked that confidence. Especially when the interviews are only 5-10 minutes, impressions are everything, and confidence can go a long way...
out...
