Interview

For the interview last Wednesday I applied for the Cannon Scholarship. With the scholarship funds ($15,000), I wanted to play a role in establishing the U.S. as a leader in renewable energy (e.g., solar power). Being the world's strongest economy and an emitter of 25% of the world's carbon dioxide, not only does the U.S. have an economic responsibility but a moral one as well. I thought I had a good cause for the internship but I could have done a better job of explaining what exactly I would do the scholarship money and how that would help me bring the U.S. to the forefront of renewable energy. For example, one of the interviews asked me: "Where do you see yourself 15 years down the road?" My answer was too general; I said I expected to be working at a top institution like Johns Hopkins, MIT or CalTech. A better response would have been to talk about the degrees (i.e., Masters, Ph.D, etc.) that I would need in order to get a high ranking position at one of these institutions or to get a job in the energy industry in the first place. The interviewers were definitely looking for specific answers in this case; they wanted to know the different steps I would take to further my education. In general I think my answers could have been more specific; for many of them, I gave similar responses. "To establish the U.S. as the global leader in renewable energy." I noticed in the video that some of responses were not fluid, i.e., I hesitated at times and stumbled with my words. Listening to my voice in the video, there are times when it sounds a bit tense. If I had the chance to redo the interview, I would definitely review more sample questions instead of those just on the assignment sheet. Overall the interview was decent with some room for improvement.