//posted Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Here are some grad school interview questions I found. Going to try to answer these... mmm... lets see how far I will get.

Tell me about yourself.

Mmm... what do I say here? Do I act like they havent seen my applcation? Well, I just graduated in August from the University of Washington with my Bacholores of Science in General Biology. I have been interested in becoming a teacher since I was in elementary school, and since I have been in college I have relised that I would like to focus on teaching science/biology. I have enjoyed my studies in biology and also worked very hard to get to this point, and I would like to be able to share the joys and strugges of science with future students. At the University of Washington I was a member of the transfer honor society Tau Sigma and a member of the national biological honors society Tri-Beta. While at the University of Washington I also was an active member of there community outreach program the Pipeline project where I was able to volunteer in Seattle Public schools, and spend my spring break of my senior year volunteering in a public school in rural washington state.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I feel that I am a hard worker, dedicated, motivated, and unafraid to take on a challage. Also I feel that I am a compassionate person, and a good teacher. I have frequently in different jobs been promoted to become a trainer. Even in jobs where I have felt uncertian of my ablities I have still shown to my empolyers that I am good trainer, and I feel that people I have trained have been responsive to me. I feel like all of these skills has helped me through college and in the working world. ** do i need to explain WHY i am these things???

I feel that a weakness of mine is a fear of they unknown. When I am exposed to an oppertunity to do something that I have never done before I tend to try to shy away from it. I feel that my time at the Univeristy of Washington has helped me, since I was in new situations frequently. This is something that I feel is a weakenss but something that I am aware of, and something that I do try to "fight" off when i know I need to.

What are your plans if you’re not accepted? Plan B?

Uh.... If I was not accepted to any program to become a teacher, I would do subsitute work since I has passed the CBEST and this allows me to do that. I have always wanted to be a teacher, and I would find someway to do it. I would sub. for a couple of years and then reapply to a teaching program. If i wasnt able to support myself on subsitute work I would also take a job working at the airport. I love working with people, and I feel that working iwth people is an area I can excel in.

What do you believe your greatest challenge will be if you are accepted into this program?

I feel that the greatest challenge to me, would be learning how to manage a classroom. I feel that this is a challenge that I would be able to face and still be able to do well in this, but I feel that I would have a difficult time with it. I have not had much expericane in management. I have worked in a classroom but always as the volunteer never as a disapination. This role would be tough for me, but I feel that with the acciquite triaing I would recieve here at Santa Clara I would be able to master this challenge.

In what ways do you think your previous experience and coursework have prepared you for succeeding in our program?

Thought the university of Washington Piepline project I was able to take two seminars related to teaching and volunteering in a classroom. The most pertinate one to my future goals is a semeniar called Inner Biology that focused on volunteering in a classroom during their science time. I was able to learn about the importance of teaching science and even was able to deveople my own lesson on biology and teach it to the class. I taught a class of second graders about Bacteria and even had them conduct their own experiment forming hypothesis about where they might find the most bacteria in the classromm ae and why. The class was able to cutlure bacteria from around the classroom and I was able to grow these plates and bring them back to show them. I formulated this lesson plan using The American Association for the Advancement of Science benchmarks for scientific inquiry for grades k-2. People can often learn about things around them by just observing those things carefully, but sometimes they can learn more by doing something to the things and noting what happens.


What courses have you enjoyed the most? The least?
I have enjoyed all my seminar thought the pipeline project because it has allowed me to volunteer in a classroom. I have also enjoyed my courses about Conversation, ecology, and plant indentification. I have enjoyed these courses so much that I would like to be able to contiune my studies of these topics in the Masters program Environmental literacy and ethics.
Some of the courses I have enjoyed the least have more to do with the ritumentarys of the course and not the topics of the course. I enjoy learning and enjoy learning aobut most topics, but I can get frustrated when the course is more about memorizing a few topics of the test, and not about exploring the topic.

How would your professors describe you?
Why have you chosen to apply to our program?

I have choosen to apply to this program because I like that I will be able to work towards my creditals and work towards a masters degree. My goal is to get my masters degree so I will have even more knowledge to better teach my future students. Not only am I intersted in getting a masters degree to better teach my students but Santa Clara has a masters degree in the area of study I am most fasinated by, ecology with a focus in conservation. I have not seen any other school in the Bay area that offers both of the things I wanted in a masters/creditals program. This combination is really the perfect fit for me, and when I firsted looked at the website I immmentaty knew that this was the school for me.

Why did you decide to become a (i.e. physical therapist)?

I have alwasy loved school, and I love working with kids, I also feel like I could be a good teacher. I feel that I have some natural ability towards teaching and by taking classes to become a teacher I will take what I have some talent for a mold it into a strong skill that I can make as my career.

Bah thats all for now. These are wisely crafted answers but what I thought of and wrote off the top of my head. Hopefully just thinking these things though will help me in my interview. SIGH ! WHAT DO YOU THINK???????

What do you know about our school/program?
What is your philosophy regarding this profession?
Explain a situation in which you had a conflict and how you resolved it. What did you learn?
Describe a group project you’ve worked on and what role you took.
What are your career goals? How will this program help you achieve these goals?
How will you be able to make a contribution to this field?
Describe one or two accomplishments.
How will you manage your time if you are accepted into the program?
What can you offer this program that other applicants cannot?
How do you motivate yourself?
What questions do you have for us?
What concerns you about the (i.e. counseling) profession?
Tell me about your last experience (internship, job, volunteer, clinical, practicum, etc.). What was a challenge? What was a contribution you made?

Amanda gossiped at 4:40 PM