We Have a Vanderbilt Cohort

First there were 31, then there were 8 and now there are 4.  The Ivy League Connection received 31 valid applications for the Vanderbilt program.  After a review and ranking of the applications, 8 were invited to the interview phase and after a very lengthy set of interviews, our interview panelists made the tough choice to select the 4 who they believe will be the best representatives for the Ivy League Connection, their schools, the District and their community.

Very late in the evening the following four young ladies were invited to return home and pack their bags while they wait for the airport shuttle to take them to Nashville this summer:

Audrey Dowling ~ El Cerrito HS

            Ana Touriel ~ El Cerrito HS

Anna Chang ~ Pinole Valley HS

Hawi Abraham ~ Middle College HS

Going in to the interviews, it was obvious that this group of 8 was going to put the panelists to a test to determine which of them should be sent.  As is often the case, the differences between the applicants are minor.  It’s the little things that make the difference.  If it was all about the academics or an ability to draft an essay, then the interviews wouldn’t be necessary.  From the beginning, though, the ILC knew that there’s more to people than what can be quantified on paper.  The human factor has always been a part of the selection process.

Applicants are asked 10 questions where there are no right or wrong answers.  The panelists want to know how the applicants think and whether they can sell their positions.

This year, the complexity of the questions was expanded with the hope that it would provide the panelists more data from which to determine their own rankings.  Sadly, this only provided the applicants with more to talk about in their responses.  An interview normally takes 12-15 minutes.  With 8 applicants the interviews were expected to take about 2 hours.  By the time last night’s interviews were concluded, it had been three and a half hours!  And still, the panelists had an extremely tough time determine who would earn the 336th through 339th ILC scholarship.

The ILC congratulates all of the applicants and heaps an extra bit of praise for the four young ladies headed to Vanderbilt this summer.