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What should I say in my Chevening interview?

What should I say in my Chevening Programme interview? Sometimes people ask me this question.

Here’s what I say: Tell your story. The Chevening Programme isn’t hiring you. They don’t need you to do anything in particular for them. They’re happy to let you define success your own way. So please don’t wonder about the “right responses” for Chevening essays or interviews. It’s not like that.

The official advice for the interview from the Chevening FAQ page is here:

So what about this story. Let’s start with the middle, which is where you are today. You’re in a very cold room waiting for your Chevening interview. You’re relaxed and even smiling. You’ll be chatting with Indonesians and British people about subjects you love – UK and Indonesia. When they ask a question, listen carefully and think where you want to begin. Because there are several ways to tell the same story. Remember, you’re a decent communicator, or else you probably wouldn’t have gotten this far.

Anyway, the middle of the story is set in the present tense. It’s about your current preparations for overseas study and how you fit in to a particular degree program at a particular university in England. Not all international students enjoy international study. With budgets more limited than in the past, Chevening can’t take any risks. They’re shopping hard for good candidates. And you need to shop hard, too — for the field, university and degree program. Research up and know before you go.

Of course, the point isn’t to impress Chevening with your internet research skills. The point of the entire interview – as much as anything else – is to connect with the interviewers and put their minds at ease: Here’s a sharp, likeable person, they’ll say. Let’s give her money to her.

So how does the story actually begin? Please check your CV and the essays you submitted to Chevening for the answer to that. Since the beginning of the story is how your background and track record qualify you for this opportunity. Needless to say, your response in the interview should mirror your written application.

Your family background, gender, ethnicity, religion and your choice of high school, university and work career are an important part of your story. To some degree, all Chevening candidates will be blowing in the wind until June when they hear about the results of the interview and whether your intended career approach is still a thing. Just skip that part. Don’t talk about how you’re blowing in the wind. Focus instead on how you fit in to Indonesia society – the groups you identify with, the roles you play, the developments you follow, the people you look up to, the support you enjoy, the service you give to others. It’s about “where you’re coming from.” Because Chevening knows that, after study overseas, you’ll be returning to more or less that same spot.

Remember, it’s nice to demonstrate your connection to the UK in your interview. But it’s crucial to demonstrate your connections in Indonesia.

The “end” of the story– as you know – is about how you will come back to Indonesia, after postgraduate study in the UK, and be a successful and influential example of how international educational exchange really does matter. But no need to focus too much on how the story ends – and here’s one reason why: No one actually knows! Thus, the point isn’t to prove that you will be fabulous, just that you can be fabulous – and want to be.

The Chevening people have invited you to “fully explain” so they’ll be listening hard to you talk about your background (beginning), your current preparations to study in UK (middle) and your aspirations for the future (end). And they’ll be asking themselves if it feels like a true story ..because no one knows for sure.

But if you do get the money, it’s likely because the people at the Chevening Programme concluded:

The candidate was friendly, smart and well-connected. She started way back at point A (your background) and made it all the way here to point B (where you are now). And we understand her objective — about how she’d now like to go on to point C (aspirations) – which is obviously an ambitious, interesting and worthwhile thing to do. So we gave her the money because we wanted to be involved. We wanted to be part of the story. We think we understand what she wants to do. We think she can do it. And we think we can help her.

Now, if someone is telling you a funny story but you don’t quite get the humor, you’ll probably invest a little extra effort because everyone likes to laugh: “Wait, so the rabbit fell asleep in the middle of the race?”

You can expect the same with the panel of Chevening representatives who will interview you. They may discover that your essays and your answers aren’t 100% in alignment and decide to invest a little effort into trying to understand – because you confused them.

Real life is full of real inconsistency. What should you do? Just retell the story. For example, try starting at the beginning. Remind the panel when you first became interested in study abroad. Help them grasp how your past accomplishments have positioned you to take advantage of future opportunities. In other words, even if the question you’re asked is about the details, the response is still about the background and the picture.

Good luck!

Belajar GMAT / GRE adalah sport

Frequently asked question (FAQ): Do you know anything about test prep?

Yes, I know it’s a bit game.

I’m not really a golfer or a gamer, so I’ll use a running analogy. The first time you run a half marathon … it will hurt. But if you keep running half marathons it eventually will not hurt.

Question is, will you keep running half marathons? And how are you going to run them –sporadically and barely –with great difficulty and occasional injury? Because that won’t work. You have to run them regularly, methodically and with some care.

So what about the 100 m dash? Now, if you’re already good at marathons, then nothing. In other words, your half marathon and marathon practice don’t help because 100 m is different.

So that’s basically what the GMAT and GRE are like — if you ask me. Like a bunch of sporting events you need to train for. You don’t actually have to win. You just need to be competitive.

But actually, all the different question types (“events” ) on the test do have a lot in common. Such as the fact the correct answer is basically hidden among incorrect answers.

Kind of like a game.

Game day

And then there’s “game day,” i.e., the competition. When you actually take the test. So the point is to work backwards, using all the remaining time before game day, without burning out.

If you’re reading this discussion (please feel free to leave comments) and you still have a few years before you’re going to go to graduate school, congratulations — you’re ahead of the game.

But what I’m saying is these are two of the biggest test prep pitfalls: 1) you don’t have enough time to prepare 2) you somehow got burned out before game day.

Remember, your training regime has to at least bearable, perhaps even fun.

If you are a computer game player, please keep playing this game. Obviously the score will go up. If you’re a golfer, this game is for you: it’s entirely in your head. Each time you’re out there hitting the ball — in other words, doing practice questions — and getting ready for your tournament, you’re asking yourself: What just happened? Why did I do that?

Was I over-thinking it? Under-thinking?

Too wide? Too narrow?

And … GOL!

So GRE/GMAT isn’t really about what you know. Just how well you play.

Have fun!

EVENT | Writing undergraduate applications essays: @America, Oct 2, 2013

I wrote my application essays for UC Berkeley based on the recommendations of an admissions dean at UC Berkeley — and it worked! So if you’re applying to George Washington University, don’t miss this event.

My story is, it was a pretty autumn day and instead of going biking in Tilden Park I went to the “how to write an admissions essay” workshop sponsored by Boalt Hall. After all, I was already living in Berkeley and the the park wasn’t going anywhere.

I just honestly thought it would be a waste of time since I already knew how to write and had even published articles and monographs.

So I decided to do the boring thing. And I learned really a lot, applied everything, and got accepted, even though my test scores were slightly below median.

Now if I hadn’t gotten accepted would I be writing this “success story”? No. Good point. But I know it helped me write a better essay because I still remember some of the points made by Edward Tom, who is still dean of admissions at Boalt.

Antibiotics, test prep and drug & alcohol rehab in Bali – all good things in course

Ever hoped a wise wizard would kidnap you and lock you up somewhere pleasant with good food until your thesis, final exams or other academic objectives were wrapped?

Well, I met some guys in Bali last month in essentially the same boat. Their goal is getting free from substance abuse. And guess what? There’s a course you can take for that — in Bali — and even some apps.

Why ‘Bahasa Indonesia’ should normally be translated as ‘Indonesian’

Once upon a time there was a video of Barack Obama speaking Indonesian at a press event. This was right after he became president, and before he had delivered any impressive speeches in “Bahasa,” here in Indonesia. So people were talking about how awesome his Indonesian was, after all those years.

And then Indonesia-linked journo-linguist Ben Zimmer posted the video on a University of Pennsylvania linguistics Penn LDC Language Log and tagged it up as #bilingualism #LanguageAndPolitics #multilingualism #pragmatics.

The original post included this note:

One pet peeve: the ABC News report refers to Obama’s proficiency in “Bahasa Indonesian.” The language is called Indonesian in English and Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesian. “Bahasa Indonesian” is a mix-up of the two terms. This confusion could be avoided by simply referring to the language, in English, as Indonesian, but the imprecise use of the term Bahasa on its own (which simply means “language”) by expats and journalists has apparently led to further misunderstanding about the name of the language.

After all, no one says “I had fun practicing my Français in Paris last week” — unless they’re playing. So is top 15 global language Bahasa Indonesia — Benedict Anderson’s “Revolutionary Malay” — somehow different? After all, until very recently, no one at all spoke Indonesian as a first language, and there was no such thing as Indonesian literature.

No. It’s not different. Thus, may safely conclude that the best reason for saying, “Last month I was in Jogjakarta practicing my Bahasa Indonesia” is that you didn’t get enough practice while you were there.

Just in case, I’ve thought up a few reasons why it makes perfect sense — to me — not to say Bahasa Indonesia when I’m speaking English.

Reasons why:

1) If we continue to translate Bahasa Indonesia into English as Bahasa Indonesia, then people will continue trying to shrink that down to “Bahasa.” And then we’re just one step away from absurdities like “Bahasa Indonesian.”

2) “Bahasa” isn’t a good abbreviation for Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesian or English. Odd conventions do arise over the water cooler or in the field — those situations when you’re speaking half this, half that, and all you really care about is not looking dumb or offending the other guy. But that doesn’t make “Bahasa” [language] the official language of Indonesia.

3) Indonesian is one word, not two. Bahasa Indonesia is twice as long but much more ambiguous. This matters, as computers aren’t real flexible thinkers and software localization teams don’t have a whole lot of time on their hands to ponder socio-lingustics and the role of national languages in the construction of the imagined community.

4) Indonesia is so chock full of mystery and wonder, there’s hardly any need to mystify the name of the national language.

In some contexts (e.g., law and science), “Indonesian” may actually be imprecise — whenever it’s unclear whether the reference is to the people, the place — or what. After all, this isn’t an ancient language that everyone has definitely-and-for-sure heard of (like Malay).

But, nope. Indonesian is a joy. It’s easy to speak (phonetic alphabet, no tones, little grammar misery); it’s easy to write (no characters); and it even has an easy name: Indonesian.

5) What’s wrong with the -ian suffix? We’ve got Russ-ian, Egypt-ian, Hungar-ian and tons of others … so why not Indones-ian?

6) While editing, I often find the lovely qualifier, Indonesian, very much neglected by my Indonesian editees (because of second language interference, or whatever you might call it). That is, they almost always opt for “Indonesia’s culture” and “Indonesia’s market” over “Indonesian culture” and “the Indonesian market.”

Admittedly, “Indonesia’s language” isn’t going to work as a way of bringing Bahasa Indonesia into English. But what’s wrong with this little conversion process here: Bahasa Indonesia >> the Indonesian language >> Indonesian.

7) No idea who is behind this Bahasa Indonesia ≠ Indonesian myth. Apparently it’s a cross-cultural conspiracy comprising native and non-native speakers of Indonesian.

One thing I do often hear Indonesian translators say is, “You can’t translate proper nouns like Universitas Indonesia or Bahasa Indonesia.” While this appears to be a non-rule, it must have a basis in something.

Still, native English speakers are arguably the ones most at fault for not being able to work out that, in English, the word for Bahasa Indonesia is Indonesian.

+++++++++++++++

NOTE: The approach above is supposedly a practical one — that may benefit translators, computer programmers and geography students (#pragmatics). But will be other approaches and other considerations (#LanguageAndPolitics).

The ideas of Benedict Anderson are surely on point here. The author of Imagined Communities coined the memorable term Revolutionary Malay to help explain how a non-language becomes one of the world’s most widely spoken languages in two generations.

Anderson knew Indonesian as well as anyone. He died last year, aged 80, on a lecture circuit in Indonesia .

Outsource my education and future to a foreign agent (agen universitas luar negeri) — yes, no, maybe?

IDP Education is what we might call an “agen universitas luar negeri” or foreign university agent. It’s also a global education company with over 40 years of experience helping ASEAN connect with rich educational opportunities in Australia, although now IDP has entirely outgrown Oz.

Based on my chat with Ibu Isla lat year, IDP was practically started in Indonesia. The recruiter opened its doors in Jakarta in 1981 and now has 13 offices throughout the archipelago. Unlike most other agents in town, IDP is also certified by the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC), which isn’t easy.

Still, unless you’re dealing with James Bond directly, then before placing your entire future in the hands of a foreign agent, maybe it’s a good idea to find out who they’re really working for!

IDP is owned by several dozen Australian universities and SEEK Ltd, a major player in the Asia Pacific jobs market (80% owner of Jobs.DB website). In addition to distributing Australian edu products in key markets like India and China, they also provide language proficiency (33% owner of IELTS), immigration (Australia visa), research, and other related education services.

The consulting process they follow is clearly broken down into easy steps, which is also the point of the video below — that corporate ed giants like IDP really can streamline the applications and admissions process so it’s almost automatic (just add money ; )

No surprises there, correct? Since the IDP stakeholders collectively hold all the relevant puzzle pieces — and can influence curriculum trends in Oz, recruiting strategies, even immigration rules. Just guessing, but they probably know more about the Indonesian education system than Indonesia.

Still, here are a couple of other things to keep in mind:

University agents generally represent universities, not students (depends on contract)

No matter how well an education consultant understand your needs and interests, you prolly understand them a bit better

The brainstorming and research skills that are required to plan your education and career are part of the education itself and these are precisely the skills Indonesian employers are seeking

The student in the video hints at what a hassle it was to make some of the initial decisions about pursuing an education overseas (before calling IDP). However, that hassle — or struggle — is arguably part of what we refer to as “seeking an education,” at least in the Western academic tradition.

Based on experience, shopping for a degree is real learning. The motivation to shop hard is (or should be) huge. If this is your first degree then, then — sorry– maybe this is also your introduction to the global ed biz. Hopefully we’re not as bad as bankers (all the time =)

EXAMPLE: So Vada likes math, business and computers. She’s been told by a mentor there aren’t many “quants in skirts” out there. So she decides to study advanced IT and finance and become a “quant.” But what’s it called? Mathematical finance? Financial engineering? Computational finance? Well, the answer will vary from one education market and institution to another.

So that’s where the creativity comes in. Meanwhile, comparing the time to complete the degree, cost, location, academic rigor and relative market value — that will require a bit of analysis, right ? And analytical thinking is a crucial S1 and s2 job search competency.

So my point is, don’t reject “real” learning because you want to focus on “book” learning. Even a difficult choice like IELTS v. TOEFL or GMAT v. GRE might be an opportunity to become better acquainted with nuances within your own skill set and goal set.

Another detail about IDP — so far they only have a handful of clients in the US and UK, although a few months ago they inked an important deal with State University of New York (SUNY) which has over 60 campuses, including one in South Korea.

Free USA education plus tips on money laundering — without even leaving Jakarta mall (EXPERT PANEL: Oct. 2 @America)

Wish you were still in school enjoying the fall colors of New England, instead of drowned in work emails and headlines about corruption, terrorist and money laundering in the Indonesian press?

When I’m stuck in a rut at the office I like to disappear for a few hours and attend a free lecture on campus. That’s what I used to do at uni, also –slip off to another side of campus to score a brown bag lecture on photography or something totally unrelated to my “discipline.”

Sun. 12 Aug | S2 info session @America: info on Wharton, Stanford, Harvard & graduate scholarships

If you live near Pacific Place (S. Jakarta) then arrive early, sit in front, and just let the information wash over you. Don’t worry because some of it always sinks in.

(Full disclosure: my passport says Stanford, California because that’s where my mom & dad were living when I was born.)

I also must admit that it’s pretty tough to imagine before you go what you will experience if you study overseas. Of course, it helps if you have a friend or family member who’s already gone that route. Still, my view is that participating in these types of events does pay off.

The difference between Stanford-style education and what we’ve been able to offer so far here in Indonesia is probably a little drastic. But every Indonesian who graduates from top programs like these and comes back to give us a report — well, eventually that will have an impact. So just follow along and try to imagine.

A little advice: don’t ask a question unless you’re sure it’s clear, generally applicable and well-stated. An academic sharing session like this is not the appropriate forum to seek information that applies specifically to your own “outta Indo” academic adventure. And it’s certainly not the time to practice your public speaking skills.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Aug. 2012 MBA prep plan: study for GMAT or work on statement of purpose?

The answer depends somewhat on your applications deadlines. A few likely scenarios are provided below.

Scenario 1: I don’t have my GMAT and I do have Oct. 2012 deadlines

If you’re applying for fall 2013 intake at top b-schools with traditional first-round deadlines (early Oct.), then you need a GMAT score now (ASAP). That’s because schools like Desautels, INSEAD, Ivey, Queen, Stanford,Wharton wish to receive your application approx. 12 months ahead of time.

So register at mba.com (official site) today for a GMAT test date in mid-late Sept. Because testing slots at University of Indonesia are going to fill up fast (leaving only Surabaya and Singapore which may be less convenient).

Of course, as per the awesome infographic from Accepted.com below, your statements/essays and letters of recommendation should be progressing in tandem with your GMAT prep. If your applications have stalled, then you can ask Strata-G Test Prep & CV for help. Just send us an email. It’s very likely we can propose a strategy for freeing up your time and getting your applications process back on track.

Scenario 2: I already have my GMAT score

If you already have your GMAT score, then you should invest all your available time and energy into your CV, essays, letters, etc.

Scenario 3: I don’t have my GMAT score but my deadlines are mostly Nov. 2012 (and later)

Let’s say you’re focused on schools where the first-round deadline is more relaxed (usually November); or simply different.

The November group would include Erasmus in Holland; UST and CUHK in Hong Kong; and Boston College, Dartmouth, George Washington, Georgetown, UC Davis (and many more) in USA. Meanwhile, top programs like IESE (Spain), Kaist (South Korea), National University of Singapore (NUS), and INSEAD in Singapore all require a careful look since they do things a little differently.

In sum, if you don’t have to take the test in September then stick to your GMAT study calendar for another couple months and see if you can improve your score by mid-October (retake late October if applicable).

Strategy recap:

Your GMAT score is like a key — even more important that your CV, etc — because you can slip it into your pocket and take it with you into next year’s application season (2014 intake) if you don’t get the result you want this year. So study as much as you can!

Most people agree that applying earlier is better, so you should always shoot for Round 1. However, if you’re going to miss it, then miss it carefully: you should never send an application that isn’t complete, credible, persuasive, and as as strong as possible overall.

To keep all your application deadlines from bunching up together, you can choose a couple schools with non-traditional deadlines (Nov. 2012 or later). Also, the following advice from Harvard MBA may apply to most other schools in the U.S. and Canada: “International candidates needing visas will find that applying in Round 3 makes the timing of their visa application stressful.”

Waiting until the last minute to send an application isn’t so good; but it isn’t so bad either, as long as you’ve done a careful job of determining when the last moment is;AND you’ve got DHL or Fed-Ex standing by to pick up your little package and fly it away to “Dear Admish Committee.”

Taking the GMAT before you’re ready is a good way to get ready; but this doesn’t apply to sending b-school applications. Thus, never submit anything that isn’t ready, because there’s no reliable “redo” option.

Applying to several competitive foreign MBA programs is comparable to a full-time job (in terms of time and #setres = ) . Thus, if you’re working full time, you will need to be extremely creative as regards time management. If you feel you’re running out of time, consider sending us an email. We can sometimes confirm a basic deadline question for no charge.

Hopefully you’ll turn out to be wrong, meaning there’s still time left before the deadline. Otherwise (if you really are out of time), we can help you speed up the applications process.

As regards, the gorgeous rainbow-pastel instant classic from Linda Abrams above, if you don’t have time to devise a plan like this one, then consider having someone else do it for you. Because nothing will be more helpful to you in accomplishing your admissions goal than a planning calendar. (The Accepted.com blog is also awesome.)

then you already have your GMAT score or else you need one ASAP.

Rocksteady for writers — the two-step

Like this:

If you sort, label, organize and package your writing well, then your points one and two — and so forth — are gonna come rolling right outta the box at the reader’s feet and ask to shake his hand (as illustrated below by Thing 1, Thing 2, and Dr. Seuss’ inimitable Cat in the Hat!)