The Interview
CODES Interviews are conducted virtually using a Microsoft Teams link. They are twenty minutes in length. You can expect faculty, staff, and other CODE Scholars on the call. The interview is a chance for us to learn more about you and for you to learn more about CODES!
Interview Questions
Why did you apply for CODES? What about the program interests you?
What are your goals for your time in college?
Working in teams can come with challenges. On a scale of 1 – 5, How well do you work collaboratively and why would you rate yourself in this way? How do you respond to challenges and unexpected events in group projects?
CODE Scholars work with community partners who have their own busy schedules and priorities. Our goal is to create a final project that helps support them and fulfill a need they have. This means you have to adapt quickly to unforeseen circumstances and change your project based on their feedback. Tell us about a time you have had to adapt in this way. How do you deal with frustration or stress in a situation like this?
CODES includes students from many different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and regions; this is what makes the program so exceptional! CODES classrooms are among the most diverse places on campus. Tell us about a time when you learned something through talking with people who were different than you.
Interview Tips
Our goal for the interview is to get to know more about you, and see whether you would be a good fit for the program. It can be stressful to talk for twenty minutes with people you don’t know, but take a deep breath and refer to our tip list, and you will do great!
- We use Microsoft Teams; do a tech check before your meeting to make sure you can use Teams on the machine you plan to use for the interview. If you don’t have what you need personally, your school counselor or a teacher can usually help you get situated at school.
- Sit in a chair rather than lying on your bed, and find a quiet space where family and friends won’t bother you. If the time when you originally scheduled the interview means that you have to be in a car or on a bus, arrange for a different time.
- It is not necessary to dress up, but please do wear a shirt!
- Look over our questions above, and think through answers before you get on the call. Details and stories from your life make all the difference!
- Have some questions about the program or SIUE; we want to know what you are curious about! When someone asks you if you have any questions; always have some at the ready.
