I left my house at 6AM to commute to my interview location, the Roosevelt House in the Upper East Side. On my way to the subway station, I picked up a copy of the New York Times, to scan the day's headlines (a step up from the free Metro's I usually get). Even though I reached my destination fairly early, I was not the first person there (Truman finalists are usually overachievers). As the finalists trickled in, everyone talked about how nervous they were and shared horror stories they have heard. When the panelists came into the room at 9AM, everyone introduced themselves formally. The lead panelist gave an anecdote of each finalist's hometown and institution, easing the tension in the room. From there, the interviews quickly began with the students from Rhode Island going first.
The rest of the finalists were left in an auditorium and we were each interviewed one by one. My interview group included 10 New York candidates and 3 Rhode Island candidates. They were a supportive group, as everyone encouraged each other throughout the day and applauded as each of us finished. Everyone was willing to share their interview after they were finished. Other than discussing Truman related items, our conversations were lively, ranging from public workers’ unions to reality TV shows. The foundation would tell you that you will form strong relationships with the finalists and that was true. As one finalist described it, we were "hot messes" stuck in a room together for 7 hours.
I was 8th to go out of the 13 candidates. Initially, I imagined the room to be a big conference table where I would had to sit in the “hot-seat” at the end of the table. Instead it was a much more closed setting, where everyone was sitting at a standard table. Although I liked the intimate setting, it was difficult for me to make eye-contact with everyone when I addressed the questions. There was also a glass of water ready for you and I finished it before the interview ended. My questions ranged from my policy proposal to my interests to my background. I would list more specific questions but no two interviews are the same. Other finalists were asked more off-beat questions such as what three books would you purchased with a credit card or a question tying in President Truman.
I thought my interview was fine but I knew my greatest challenge was that I was not able to answer questions promptly enough. A question would be asked with two additional follow-up questions from the same person. That threw me off because I would be too focused on formulating a response to the first one. The interview is a test of how you respond under pressure. Although I typically respond well to pressure, I was a bit thrown off because I never faced an interview like this before.
And now some advice to potential candidates:
- Read your application before the interview. Put yourself in the position of the panelists and think of questions they would ask you. Your application is the only material they have on you.
- Read newspaper headlines. I read the NY Times before going into the interview and one of my questions was in a reference to an article in that morning’s edition.
- You are the expert on your application so trust yourself. Your panelists probably know less about your topic so be confident in your responses.
- Have fun! The process is more of a dialogue than an interview.
