UEM Scholarship 2nd Stage Interview
Alhamdulillah, I was also called for the 2nd stage interview.
Like always, I became very anxious because I wouldn't say that there were no entries for the 2nd stage experience but they lack important details and content. I actually stumbled upon a forum and ask a past scholar about the interview. The funny thing is that this person replied to me 3 hours before I came to the venue. I gratefully thank him as it was just what I needed, direct and detailed.
It was around 1 o'clock in afternoon when I arrived little early at the venue, the opposite of Mercu UEM has a myNEWS.com so I decided to head out and had lunch lunch before going inside the building. I had 2-3 bananas for lunch as nothing appealed to me there and had a terrible stomach ache later on until the evening when I was heading home😓 Let that be a lesson to all future candidates. After that I went to the 8th floor of Mercu UEM for Zuhur prayers. I stated that so future candidates can perform their salat before interviews.
After salat, I went back to ground floor and I was directed to the 7th floor but this time instead of going to a meeting room we went to a small screening room. We were all seated according to groups. There were around five people in one group. There were around 20-25 people for my session. The 2nd stage interview was only conducted for a day. The total of candidates for both sessions, morning and afternoon were approximately around 50. After we were all grouped we were given name stickers that I struggled to keep attached to my shirt for the whole session. After that, a facilitator instructed us to write an essay and the topic is given based on your group. So each group member will have the same topic but the essay in done individually, you can't discuss among group members. The topic was based on general knowledge. The topic my group members and I were given is\\was 'Caning instills fear, it does more harm than good. Do you agree?' We were given around twenty to thirty minutes to finish the essay. Actually, when I first read the word caning, I mean when we ALL read the word caning, what comes in mind? Everyone of us thought it was related to something about the canning industry😂 We weren't suppose to discuss but we were desperate because everyone had no clue or any idea about caning. A few minutes later, the facilitator walked out and I thought to myself, 'desperate times calls for desperate measures', I took my phone out of my pocket and quickly searched about caning. I laughed quietly as all our opinions about caning was wrong. We did spotted a CCTV at the ceiling but I guess it didn't really matter after that.What's done is done. Please be in tune with the current news and increase your general knowledge future candidates. I quickly passed the info and we all hastily started to do our essays.
 |
| For the 2nd Interview, I only received an e-mail. |
According to past experiences from senior scholars they stated that the interview had 3 stages but this year had only two. My speculation is that it maybe because the interview was scheduled so near between major events which was GE14 and the month of Ramadan. Moving on, the facilitator stated that the essay topic that we were given is going to be collected and given to the interviewers. Questions will arose from our essays but the interview is going to be held in a group discussion meaning that we all can have the opportunity to state our opinions based on the questions arose from any or all of our essays.
We were one of the groups that are situated at the same floor (7th). Other groups had to go the 8th floor for the group discussion. Before going into the meeting room we were given time to get prepared and were given refreshments as the interviewers take a look at our essays. We took the time to get to know each other. We talked about other scholarship interviews we endured weeks ago. One of them opened up their friends experience participating in the Petronas Scholarship interview. The interviewer said to his friend 'Are you nervous?' his friend answered a yes and the interviewer responded 'We are not looking for people like you,' while smiling and shaking his head.
Not long after that, I group was called. Inside the room there were two male interviewers. One of them was the headmaster of KYUEM. One of the candidates greeted him by his name. I didn't, even after the interview I just knew this along with the fact that in the 1st stage, I was interviewed by the CEO of KYUEM😅 As usual, we were asked to introduce ourselves and then they asked what course were we applying for and why we chose them. After that, they started asking questions based on our essays. Like any other group discussion, the objective of the participants is to give out opinions based on the topic of discussion. It could be concurring, agreeing views or even contradicting and opposing views. It's very important to give bold opinions and speak confidently but at the same time remember you are in a group discussion. Standing out will really help you get noticed by the interviewers obviously but remember to make sure that everyone engages in the discussion. For example, if you spot a participant who is quite passive in the discussion, after finishing your opinion point to the person politely and say 'Do you have any opinions regarding the topic (name)?' Honestly, there's nothing to actually toell about my group discussion as we only dwell deeper into the topic 'Caning instills fear'. After a while, we ended the discussion about the essay as everyone was supportive of the stand 'caning instills fear' and divert the discussion into the theme of the topic meaning that since our discussion was about caning which is a form of corporal punishment that is usually done in schools, we carried on the discussion about school rules. The conclusion is that the discussion doesn't only focus towards the essay question but can divert into the theme of the question itself. So be ready. Not forgetting that the interview session was video recorded for the committee members that wasn't present on that day.
At the end of the interview, like always the interviewers will ask you 'Do you have a question?' Every experience will tell you 'Don't leave the room without a question,' That's true! This is because it shows you as a participant manage to engage in the discussion. Also, the question should be regarding the scholarship and KYUEM. Knowing your interviewer can really help you focus on the topic of questions you should ask. For example if your interviewer is the headmaster or CEO of KYUEM, it is better if you ask questions regarding KYUEM itself.
After finishing the group discussion, we were taken to the 8th floor for an individual interview that's video recorded. Our hearts race because non of us actually had that experience before. We will be called individually and as always before our session starts, the facilitators offer us refreshments. Some of us took the time to freshen ourselves in the bathroom, some had tea and some were brainstorming for ideas. The topic we were given to talk during the video recorded session is 'how did you felt before, during and after the group discussion,' We were given the duration of 2 minutes to talk that includes 30 seconds to introduce ourselves. When my turn comes, they called me inside a small room. Firstly, they tidy up my appearance, took my photo ( future scholars should really make sure your ready for the picture, be photogenic as this picture will be shown during a briefing of the scholarship). Then, a facilitator gave me a demonstration of hand signs he will give to mark the start, first 30 seconds, last 30 seconds and end of the duration while a helper attaches a microphone on my shirt. I was seated on a chair with a small table in front of it facing a video camera. I ended up talking for more than 2 minutes and they said they were going to make some cuts. I was quite unsatisfied about that.
In the end, I think it was a really good experience. During the group discussion, we got to know more about KYUEM as told by the headmaster. The conversation was very engaging and fulfilling, the interviewers were very friendly and managed to made us cackle. The video recorded session was to be shown to other committee members that wasn't present on that day. Anyhow, even though I exceeded the time limit and my recording was going to cut until it was 2 minutes long, I think I gave my best and presented myself the best way I can. After finishing the interview, we managed to get to know more about each other and shared our phone numbers later on creating a WhatsApp group to inform one another about any news regarding the scholarship, took some photos and enjoyed the refreshments as told by the facilitators.
It was a Ramadan miracle, I received this e-mail when I just quit matriculation to pursue foundation studies in University Malaya (UM). If your wondering why I entered matriculation click here.
We were one of the groups that are situated at the same floor (7th). Other groups had to go the 8th floor for the group discussion. Before going into the meeting room we were given time to get prepared and were given refreshments as the interviewers take a look at our essays. We took the time to get to know each other. We talked about other scholarship interviews we endured weeks ago. One of them opened up their friends experience participating in the Petronas Scholarship interview. The interviewer said to his friend 'Are you nervous?' his friend answered a yes and the interviewer responded 'We are not looking for people like you,' while smiling and shaking his head.
Not long after that, I group was called. Inside the room there were two male interviewers. One of them was the headmaster of KYUEM. One of the candidates greeted him by his name. I didn't, even after the interview I just knew this along with the fact that in the 1st stage, I was interviewed by the CEO of KYUEM😅 As usual, we were asked to introduce ourselves and then they asked what course were we applying for and why we chose them. After that, they started asking questions based on our essays. Like any other group discussion, the objective of the participants is to give out opinions based on the topic of discussion. It could be concurring, agreeing views or even contradicting and opposing views. It's very important to give bold opinions and speak confidently but at the same time remember you are in a group discussion. Standing out will really help you get noticed by the interviewers obviously but remember to make sure that everyone engages in the discussion. For example, if you spot a participant who is quite passive in the discussion, after finishing your opinion point to the person politely and say 'Do you have any opinions regarding the topic (name)?' Honestly, there's nothing to actually toell about my group discussion as we only dwell deeper into the topic 'Caning instills fear'. After a while, we ended the discussion about the essay as everyone was supportive of the stand 'caning instills fear' and divert the discussion into the theme of the topic meaning that since our discussion was about caning which is a form of corporal punishment that is usually done in schools, we carried on the discussion about school rules. The conclusion is that the discussion doesn't only focus towards the essay question but can divert into the theme of the question itself. So be ready. Not forgetting that the interview session was video recorded for the committee members that wasn't present on that day.
At the end of the interview, like always the interviewers will ask you 'Do you have a question?' Every experience will tell you 'Don't leave the room without a question,' That's true! This is because it shows you as a participant manage to engage in the discussion. Also, the question should be regarding the scholarship and KYUEM. Knowing your interviewer can really help you focus on the topic of questions you should ask. For example if your interviewer is the headmaster or CEO of KYUEM, it is better if you ask questions regarding KYUEM itself.
After finishing the group discussion, we were taken to the 8th floor for an individual interview that's video recorded. Our hearts race because non of us actually had that experience before. We will be called individually and as always before our session starts, the facilitators offer us refreshments. Some of us took the time to freshen ourselves in the bathroom, some had tea and some were brainstorming for ideas. The topic we were given to talk during the video recorded session is 'how did you felt before, during and after the group discussion,' We were given the duration of 2 minutes to talk that includes 30 seconds to introduce ourselves. When my turn comes, they called me inside a small room. Firstly, they tidy up my appearance, took my photo ( future scholars should really make sure your ready for the picture, be photogenic as this picture will be shown during a briefing of the scholarship). Then, a facilitator gave me a demonstration of hand signs he will give to mark the start, first 30 seconds, last 30 seconds and end of the duration while a helper attaches a microphone on my shirt. I was seated on a chair with a small table in front of it facing a video camera. I ended up talking for more than 2 minutes and they said they were going to make some cuts. I was quite unsatisfied about that.
In the end, I think it was a really good experience. During the group discussion, we got to know more about KYUEM as told by the headmaster. The conversation was very engaging and fulfilling, the interviewers were very friendly and managed to made us cackle. The video recorded session was to be shown to other committee members that wasn't present on that day. Anyhow, even though I exceeded the time limit and my recording was going to cut until it was 2 minutes long, I think I gave my best and presented myself the best way I can. After finishing the interview, we managed to get to know more about each other and shared our phone numbers later on creating a WhatsApp group to inform one another about any news regarding the scholarship, took some photos and enjoyed the refreshments as told by the facilitators.
It was a Ramadan miracle, I received this e-mail when I just quit matriculation to pursue foundation studies in University Malaya (UM). If your wondering why I entered matriculation click here.
 |
| Alhamdulillah, never stop hoping even though it hurts. God does answer his servants prayers. |
 |
| Surah Al-Sharh (The Relief) |
Hi, I would like to ask around what time did your session ended ? Around 12pm ? And how long did your group took for the interview ? 30 minutes ? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi can i have your contact number or email, i have a few questions that i would like to ask you personally. Thank you so muchhhh :)
ReplyDeletehere`s my email, abudaniel002@gmail.com