Arkwright Scholarship

Discussion and advice on Sixth Form matters

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estelle
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:19 pm

Arkwright Scholarship

Post by estelle »

Hi there

My DS has passed the written paper & has been invited for interview for an Arkwright scholarship at the end of April. Those of you with DCs who have been though this-please could you share any tips about the interview process? I would be really grateful for your advice.

estelle
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by kenyancowgirl »

If memory serves me correctly, this is something awarded at the end of y11 for 6th form study? You may get more joy in the A level section of the forum. Good luck and well done as it is a real achievement!
estelle
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:19 pm

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by estelle »

Ah yes I see, I wasn't sure where to post it! It's for DCs planning to study STEM subjects at 6th form & then go on to Engineering at Uni. You get some money but the huge benefit is mentoring from a company and possible work experience. My DS sat a 2 hour paper & is attending an interview at Bath Uni-it's a whole day event with a panel interview & lengthy team building exercise. Just looking for any tips that Forum members might be able to offer-there seems to be a wealth of knowledge on this forum!

estelle
hermanmunster
Posts: 12815
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by hermanmunster »

I'll move it to sixth form - see if you can get some more advice there, well done to your DS and good luck with the interview
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by KB »

Hopefully you will hear from someone with a DC who went through the process soon.
In the meantime some general interview advice for such situations:

remember that the assessment may well be taking place at all times - not just formal parts of the day

prepare to speak on any extra curricular projects you have been involved in - the technical aspects bit also about skills learned from them eg problem solving, leading a team, working as part of a team and have specific short examples of each.

the same for your GCSE project - including planning your time, communicating your ideas verbally and graphically

be able to talk about what you want to study at A level and why

think about post sixth form plans - whether University, higher level apprenticeships etc

be able to talk about work experience already undertaken - even if it wasn't related, what did you learn that you will take forward to future work opportunities

what do you think you will get out of work experience opportunities under the scheme (technically and more broadly)

what do you think you will get out of the mentoring system ( as above)

what skills and talents do you have that make you a good 'engineer'?

what do you find hardest at school/ in Tech?

what first attracted you to this area?

its certainly worth preparing answers to potential questions and then having a mock interview - if possible with someone they know less well than a parent or sibling ( family friend, aunt or uncle?) and recording it so they can listen back afterwards. Horrible process but better to mess up in practise than for the real thing! and give the 'interviewer' at least one unexpected question.


during the exercise its important to be yourself as any falseness will come out over a protracted period but its also worth thinking about your natural inclinations and whether you need to try to temper them eg if you are naturally shy then make areal effort to speak up - if you are bossy then make an effort to listen to others first

it is very important to get noticed so you need to get stuck in - you don't need to be the loud mouth or the natural leader but be engaged and thoughtful and have regular input

remember its a team building exercise so listening is also important and involving others - not being a one man band

don't worry if the actual project / exercise isn't going very well - how you react to that is just as important

and make really sure that however annoying someone is its not you that looses your temper!



Do the prep in advance then relax beforehand and get a good nights sleep and a decent breakfast.
An old tip - if you find the panel scary then remember they are just human beings who have to do all the same things that all humans have to do ( if you get my drift) - but try not to giggle about that in the actual interview!!
SteveDH
Posts: 464
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:30 pm
Location: Harrow

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by SteveDH »

1st congrats to your DS on passing the written test.

My DD got awarded an Arkwright Scholarship a couple of years ago and it has helped her a lot.

What I think got the Scholarship for my DD was her DT project, to which one of the interviewees commented deserved an A*, however the key thing about her project was it allowed her to answer about how much she enjoyed trying out lots of different techniques and materials.

The main thing you have to be able to do in the interview is convince them that you want to be an engineer and have the capability of doing it, which as far as I can tell in their minds is more to do with creative thinking then technical expertise.

And the main advice I'd offer is, to be enthusiastic, preferably have some related hobby you can mention, and say how much you like making things, and look forward to studying engineering at uni, and don't say you want to be an architect.

When my DD had her interview, they did some group task before hand, but were told all that mattered was the interview (although this could have changed). I think the main purpose of the group task was to keep them occupied while others were being interviewed, and to give us parents a little demo at the end of the day.

Steve
estelle
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:19 pm

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by estelle »

Thank you KB & Steve DH for your really helpful advice-my DS is working on responses to interview questions & this is just the sort of thing he needs to know. He is genuinely enthusiastic about engineering so it's a question of making sure this comes across. He will have a mock interview at school so will get a chance to practise before the real thing.

estelle
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by pheasantchick »

Good luck to ds on his interview.
estelle
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:19 pm

Re: Arkwright Scholarship

Post by estelle »

Hi there

I just wanted to thank those kind Forum members who responded to my post & offered such helpful advice as well as good wishes. My DS had his interview last Friday. It was a really great day, interesting & motivating & he felt it all went well. We won't know the outcome until July but whatever happens it's a scheme I would really recommend to others who might be considering applying.

estelle
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