Interviewing Questions and Answers | Exchange programs | FLEX, YES, CBYE

Summary

In this video, Monica, an exchange student in the United States, shares essential tips for aspiring exchange students preparing for interviews. She covers common questions, the qualities exchange programs seek, and how to showcase them. Monica advises on answering personal, situational, and goal-oriented questions, emphasizing the importance of being flexible, open-minded, communicative, curious, and positive. Her insights aim to help viewers ace their interviews and prepare for a rewarding exchange experience.

Takeaways

• 📢 Be prepared to answer questions about yourself, focusing on positive traits and experiences.
• 🌟 Highlight your personal goals for going on exchange, such as language improvement or cultural exploration.
• 🎓 Emphasize what you hope to achieve as an exchange student, including making a difference upon returning home.
• 🏆 Reflect on your biggest personal achievement and be ready to explain why it's significant to you.
• 🤔 Anticipate situational questions about host family scenarios and show your problem-solving skills.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, as you'll be living with new people and experiencing different routines.
• 🌐 Show open-mindedness and a willingness to embrace diversity in your host country.
• 🗣️ Use your communicative nature to make friends and build international relationships.
• 🔍 Exhibit curiosity about the program and the world, showing a desire to explore and learn.
• 😃 Maintain a positive attitude throughout the interview and your exchange experience, focusing on the benefits and opportunities.

Q & A

What is the first question typically asked in an exchange student interview?

The first question after greeting is usually 'Tell me a little bit about yourself', which is important as it may lead to further questions based on the candidate's response.

Why is the question 'Tell me a little bit about yourself' significant?

This question is significant because it sets the tone for the interview and can generate follow-up questions based on the candidate's initial self-description.

What should a candidate highlight when asked why they are interested in going on exchange?

A candidate should highlight key points or personal goals such as improving language skills, exploring the world, experiencing other cultures, traditions, and nationalities.

How should a candidate answer the question about what they want to achieve as an exchange student?

A candidate should focus on personal goals like improving language skills, making a difference in their home country by learning how things work in other countries, and returning with innovative solutions.

What does the question 'What do you consider your biggest achievement?' aim to reveal about a candidate?

This question aims to reveal personal pride points and significant accomplishments from the candidate's past, which they consider as major achievements.

Why are situational questions about host family scenarios important in an exchange student interview?

Situational questions about host family scenarios are important to assess how a candidate would handle real-life situations, showcasing their adaptability, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.

What qualities does an exchange program look for in candidates, according to Monica?

Exchange programs look for qualities such as flexibility, adoptability, open-mindedness, communicative nature, curiosity, and positivity in candidates.

Why is flexibility important for an exchange student?

Flexibility is important because students need to adapt to new environments, routines, and customs quickly when living with host families they have never met before.

How does being open-minded help an exchange student in their experience?

Being open-minded helps an exchange student by preventing them from judging others and allows them to embrace diversity, which is crucial for a positive and enriching cultural exchange experience.

What role does a candidate's communicative nature play during their exchange?

A communicative nature is essential for making friends, creating international relations, and having a fulfilling exchange experience, as it encourages the student to take initiative in social interactions.

Why should an exchange student be curious about their host country?

An exchange student should be curious to explore the world, experience new cultures, and make the most of their limited time abroad, ensuring they gain valuable experiences and insights.

How can a candidate demonstrate positivity during their interview?

A candidate can demonstrate positivity by smiling, showing enthusiasm, and focusing on the positive aspects of their experiences and goals, even when discussing potential challenges.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Exchange Student Interview Tips

The paragraph introduces the video's focus on helping viewers prepare for interviews to become exchange students. Monica, an exchange student herself, assures that despite different programs like FLEX, the core qualities sought and interview questions are similar. She emphasizes the importance of the 'tell me about yourself' question, as it can lead to further inquiries about personal interests or experiences. Monica advises to be specific, positive, and to prepare well for this question to create a good first impression.

05:00

🗣️ Discussing Personal Goals and Achievements

This section delves into how to answer questions about personal goals for the exchange, suggesting to highlight key objectives like language improvement and cultural exploration. Monica shares that questions might also inquire about what one hopes to achieve or their greatest personal achievement. She uses her own experience as an example, mentioning being a finalist in a competitive school program as a point of personal pride. The advice is to reflect on personal successes and present them convincingly.

10:02

🤔 Handling Situational Questions

The paragraph discusses preparing for situational questions that might arise during the interview, particularly those related to host family interactions. Monica advises on how to respond if ignored by a host sibling or if a host sibling damages personal items, emphasizing maintaining calm and understanding. She stresses the importance of showing respect for others' feelings and property, even in challenging scenarios.

🌟 Desired Qualities in Exchange Students

Monica outlines the qualities that exchange programs look for in candidates: flexibility, adoptability, open-mindedness, communicative nature, curiosity, and positivity. She explains the rationale behind each quality, such as the need to adapt to new environments and cultures, to be open to new experiences, and to actively engage with others. Monica also shares tips on how to demonstrate these qualities during the interview process.

📢 Final Tips and Encouragement

In the concluding part, Monica offers final tips for the interview, focusing on displaying positivity and being open to new experiences. She encourages viewers to take every opportunity to explore and learn, even if it's outside their comfort zone. Monica invites viewers to ask questions in the comments and thanks them for watching, expressing hope that the video will aid in their interview preparation.

Keywords

💡Exchange Student

An exchange student is an individual who studies at a higher learning institution in a country other than their own, often as part of a cultural exchange program. In the video, Monica, the speaker, identifies herself as an exchange student in the United States, emphasizing the importance of this role in understanding the challenges and benefits of participating in an exchange program.

💡Interview Questions

Interview questions are inquiries posed to candidates during an interview to assess their suitability for a particular program or role. The video discusses common questions that exchange student applicants might face, such as 'Tell me a little bit about yourself' and 'Why are you interested in going on exchange?', highlighting the need for applicants to prepare thoughtful and positive responses.

💡Personal Goals

Personal goals are objectives that an individual sets for themselves, often related to personal growth or achievement. In the context of the video, Monica advises applicants to reflect on their personal goals for participating in an exchange program, such as improving language skills or experiencing new cultures, to answer interview questions authentically.

💡Achievements

Achievements refer to accomplishments or successes that an individual takes pride in. The video script mentions that applicants may be asked about their biggest achievement, suggesting that they should consider past successes that demonstrate their capabilities and potential as an exchange student.

💡Situational Questions

Situational questions are hypothetical scenarios presented to interviewees to gauge their problem-solving skills and reactions. Monica explains that exchange program interviews may include situational questions related to host family dynamics, such as how one would handle being ignored by a host brother, emphasizing the importance of a communicative and understanding response.

💡Flexibility

Flexibility in this context refers to the ability to adapt to new situations and changes. The video underscores the importance of flexibility for exchange students, who must adjust to living with unfamiliar host families and适应 new cultural norms.

💡Adoptability

Adoptability is the capacity to be taken up and used effectively. Monica mentions that exchange students should be adoptable, meaning they should be able to integrate into their host family's lifestyle and routines, treating them as their own to enrich their exchange experience.

💡Open-mindedness

Open-mindedness is the willingness to consider new ideas or experiences. The video stresses that exchange students should be open-minded to different traditions, nationalities, and orientations they may encounter, as this attitude fosters a more inclusive and rewarding cultural exchange.

💡Communicative Nature

A communicative nature refers to being inclined to communicate effectively with others. Monica advises that applicants should demonstrate a communicative nature during interviews and later when interacting with their host families and peers to build relationships and fully engage in the exchange experience.

💡Curiosity

Curiosity is a desire to learn or know more about something. The video encourages exchange students to be curious, exploring new cultures and experiences actively, as this enthusiasm can enhance their understanding and appreciation of the host country.

💡Positivity

Positivity refers to a optimistic or hopeful outlook. Monica emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive attitude during the interview process and throughout the exchange year to cope with potential challenges and to make the most of the experience.

Highlights

Introduction to the video's purpose: helping viewers become exchange students.

Importance of the 'Tell me about yourself' question and its potential to generate follow-up questions.

Advice to be specific and only mention positive aspects when introducing oneself.

The significance of expressing personal goals when discussing interest in exchange programs.

Suggestions to highlight language improvement and cultural exploration as reasons for wanting to be an exchange student.

Guidance on how to answer 'What do you want to achieve as an exchange student?' by connecting personal goals with the exchange experience.

The personal reflection required to answer 'What do you consider your biggest achievement?'

Example of how to discuss a significant personal achievement in a way that impresses interviewers.

预告即将讨论的交换项目所寻找的品质，以及如何回答关于个人优点和缺点的问题。

Explanation of situational questions and how they relate to host family scenarios.

Advice on demonstrating a communicative nature when faced with hypothetical host family conflicts.

Emphasis on the importance of being understanding and calm when dealing with host family issues.

Discussion on the qualities exchange programs look for, starting with flexibility and adoptability.

The necessity of being open-minded and not judging others based on differences.

Importance of a communicative nature for making friends and international connections.

Encouragement to be curious and explore new experiences to get the most out of the exchange program.

Stress on the value of positivity and how it affects the exchange experience and interviewer's impression.

Conclusion and call to action for viewers to ask questions in the comment section.

Transcripts

if you are watching this video

congratulations you are one step closer

to making your dream come true and i

will try to bring you even closer of

becoming an exchange student because

today in this video i'm not only going

to talk about common interviewing

questions and give you some answers but

also i'm going to tell you about what

qualities exchange programs look for and

what you should show them

hey my name is monica and i'm an

exchange student in the united states

my program is flex

but if your program is different don't

worry about that because mainly all the

programs are looking for the same

qualities and they would ask you mostly

the same questions keep watching because

this video is going to be helpful even

if you're applying for another exchange

program let's get going the first

question they are going to ask after

greeting and asking how are you doing

today is going to be

tell me a little bit about yourself

and this question is really very

important because it may generate a

bunch of other questions like if you are

telling them about yourself and you're

mentioning that you love reading books

or watching movies they would most

probably ask what is your favorite book

or movie or if you are telling them that

you are a video blogger they may ask you

how and why did you decided

uh to become a video blogger or maybe

you're mentioning that you love

traveling and they will ask you what is

your favorite country you have been so

far or that kind of questions so this is

a kind of question that you should

really think about before answering

because this would make general

impression about yourself and you want

it to be as positive as you can so be

very specific in your answer and only

mention positive things the second

question may be why are you interested

in going on exchange the best way to

answer this question is highlighting the

key points or personal goals why do you

want to become an exchange student it

may be improving my english language or

if you are going to study

outside of the united states in europe i

don't know you can say that i want to

learn german that's why i'm interested

in doing my exchange year in german or

stuff so the first thing should be about

language next it can be about exploring

the world experiencing others culture

traditions nationality and tests this

kind of stuff so you just need to think

about your personal goals why really

think about why do you want to go to do

your exchange year you should you should

have some reason to leave your home

right

so just think about that and answer it

honestly another question that you would

be asked for sure is what do you want to

achieve as an exchange student you can

once again highlight improving your

language skill abilities you can say

that you want to make difference in your

country that's why you need to see the

things how they work in the other

countries and when coming back you would

be able to solve them in modern or i

don't know in innovative ways those are

just few examples that comes to my mind

right now but i'm sure if you think

about your personal goals you would come

up with more and more and more answers

speaking about achievements the next

question may be what do you consider

your biggest achievement this is

something personal that you really need

to think about your past life and what

did you do that really made you proud

but i would bring my personal example so

you can understand how i answered that

question so i said that i was a finalist

in uwc i don't know if you have heard

about that or no it's a united world

colleges it's a school that offers ib

diploma and when they ask why do you

consider it as a huge achievement i said

that each year more than 700 people

apply for the national committee in

armenia and only 50 of them are being

selected as finalists and i was one of

them and they were like oh wow right i

mean you do not have to be uwc finalist

in order to bring some example it may be

something smaller or maybe bigger it may

be

like winning a startup program or

[Music]

opening uh some kind of charity for

someone it may be something small but if

you present it in the right way they

would believe that it's a huge

achievement

and they wouldn't really check it

didn't say that

name here three strengths and three

weaknesses

i'm not going to talk about this

question right now because in the end of

the video i would name

the qualities that exchange programs are

looking for and when you watch that part

you would understand how you want and

how you should answer this question for

right now let's move to the next part

because uh when they are analyzing you

your personality they are going to ask

you situational questions

for example one of those questions may

be

what would you do if your host brother

ignores you

in this situation we are using our

communicative nature and we are doing

the first step if this is the case you

should say that i would go and reach him

uh and ask to talk about these uh try to

find out the reasons why he keeps

ignoring me and try to solve that

problem by

just talking to him oh by the way these

situational questions most of the time

are connected uh with your host family

because in my program we are living with

host families and if you are applying

for a school exchange program you would

most probably say it was families too

because you would be under 18 so this is

the safest way and this is the most

common way

to do exchange programs anyway i just

wanted to explain why i would keep

saying your host mother husband or

sister or host family in general

and the next question that you might be

asked is what would you do if your

little host sister breaks your laptop or

your phone

so uh the best way to answer this

question is saying that

technology is replaceable and you

wouldn't do anything

and

because the human relationships are the

most important blah blah blah blah blah

and you would just

uh

talk to them and explain that it's not

okay to do so but you wouldn't commit

any kind of vandalism you're not saying

that i would kill my host sister if she

does that or i don't know that kind of

answers no unacceptable you are

introducing yourself as a calm and

understanding and a good person so just

say that um things might happen what can

i do i would just buy me another one so

another question maybe what would you do

if your host grandmother gives you a

sweater that you do not really like you

might say that i would wear it at home

so she would see that i am not ignoring

her gift but i wouldn't wear it to go

outside and meet my friends because i do

not like it that's it you are just

saying that you are showing respect to

your gift even though you do not like it

so you may be asked tons of different

these kind of questions situational ones

but most importantly you need to stay

calm and show your best qualities that

i'm going to talk about right now it's

time to talk about what qualities they

are looking in you

and the first ones are flexibility and

adoptability

okay

why are those important

because you are moving far far away from

your home

from your family and friends and you

need to be very flexible and you should

also be adoptable because you're going

to live with people you have never met

and you need to

adapt to their uh routines to their

customs and everything they are doing

you should become a part of it because

exchange students aren't considered as

guests they are considered as family

members so you should really

adopt

and be one of them that's why this is

important the next quality is

open-mindedness you should also be very

open-minded and you shouldn't judge

others that do not look like you because

here everyone does whatever they want

and no one cares about others opinion

and actually no one judges them just be

prepared that the things aren't the same

in your country and you would meet

people having different traditions

nationalities orientation religions and

everything different different different

different there is nothing similar so

you just need to keep your open mindless

otherwise you would be bullied by others

for not being open-minded and for

judging others for being different

another quality that needs to be

highlighted is communicative nature the

things may be perfect with your host

family but in order to have full

experience you need friends this is

going to be really very hard why

because you are the new one you are the

one who came from the other edge of the

world and who needs new people in his or

her life and you should be the one who

does the first steps because they do not

really need you and because i mean they

all know each other for years and they

are they are all friends for decades and

if you do not do the first step they

wouldn't do it even if they come and ask

you some questions uh about your country

and they would be like oh wow that's so

cool and stuff

if if you are not drinking anything to

keep them they would just go away the

next day so just use your communicative

nature to gain new friends and created

international relations

another

quality that they are looking for is

curiosity you need to be very interested

in the program in exploring the world

exploring new culture having the

experience because if you are not

curious and you are coming to the united

states and just

chilling out in your room the whole day

but what is the point of doing it i mean

you could have just stayed in your room

in your country but if you're going to

the living room asking your host family

some questions about i don't know some

random stuff they might take you to that

places in order to see your eyes or if

you're going out with your friends and

experiencing some kind of teenager

lifestyle in the united states that's

awesome i mean you need to be very

curious to explore this because you are

here for one or two semesters and you

would be back the next year and you do

not have like a lot of time to have this

experience so just be curious to explore

and the more experience the

the last and one of the most important

qualities i want to mention is

positivity

first of all show your positivity to the

interviewers by smiling

and

not giving that negativity because if

they feel the negative wipe from you

during the interview they would be like

oh no this isn't good candidate and why

is this important to be positive because

while you are here in the united states

you should be positive about everything

you are doing because if no it's going

to be very hard if you concentrate on

negative beings

there are a lot of negative things but

you should really concentrate on the

positive ones in order to

be happy and in order not to be homesick

and in order not to

be stressed out so here is one example

even if you are not super religious

person

and your host family is and

they want you to go to church with them

just go with them and be positive that

you are going to experience american

churches because everyone knows that

american charges are very different i'm

not super religious person myself and i

haven't been to an american church yet

but i wanted to go in order to

experience this because i know that my

other exchange friends who went there

they are like

that's not what we have in our countries

and just for that just to see what's

going on in those charges i want to be

there at least once so just be positive

about everything and consider them as an

american experience that you wanted to

have

these were my tips for today i really

hope that this video is going to help

you to pass your interview and be more

prepared for your exchange year if you

have anything to ask leave them in the

comment section below i would answer

them and for now thanks for watching