Maxis Scholarship for Excellence: The Interviews

If only I had blogged about this immediately after the interviews, then I could have remembered the situations better. But then again, if I didn't get it in the end, malulah..... Haha! No worries....I'll try to recall them as best I could!

First Interview

I remember I received an anonymous call when I was in the midst of dinner at Madam Kwan's with my aunt! Haha....true enough, I almost choked when the caller told me to go for the first interview session on Monday (that day was a Friday)! I was told to bring along my certified documents or all my original certificates and a CV along for it. It was being held at Menara Maxis (next to KLCC), 10am on the 5th July 2010.

I had had a rough start that day... My water bottle cap was loose and it wet my bag and in it was all my documents! I was like WTF and trying to dry them as much as I could while cursing under my breath! :P Thankfully the interview went on smoothly. The interviewer was so friendly and I think it was the most relaxing interview I've ever been to! It turned out to be more like a friendly chat!! And was pretty fun! :D

If my memory serves me correctly, the questions that she asked me was as such:

1. Tell me about yourself - I honestly hate this question, cause it's so simple that you don't know where to start and where to stop talking! LOL....
2. What are your hobbies?
3. Why the dream you have (for me, it's an oral maxillofacial surgeon)?
4. Do you have any role model in achieving your dream?
5. Tell me about your leadership qualities
6. What is the most significant thing that happened in your life?
7. If you are to change 2 things about Malaysia, what is it and why? - I think I didn't quite nail this one... I realized I can answer much better later, if compared to when I was there in front of her! Haha...but wouldn't all of us too?? One tends to think better in a less stressful situations mah...
8. What are your 3 major weaknesses?
9. Why must we choose you for this scholarship?
10. Any questions for me?

The entire interview lasted about 30 minutes! And according to her, only 10 will be selected out of 40 applicants. If you are successful, they'll contact you for the next round.

Second Interview

The next interview for me was on the 27th July 2010. So you do the maths.... the next notification will be roughly in 3 weeks time.

Time:               2.40 PM

Venue:             Conference Room, Level 8, Menara Maxis, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Dress code:      Formal

This time, instead of one-to-one, it's three-to-one! I was required to bring a copy of my CV and original certificates too for (in case) verification purposes. All the interviewers were professors from various local universities, namely: Professor Dato’ Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, President of the Malaysian Institute of Human Resources Malaysia (MIHRM) and Deputy President of the INTI University College Laureate International Universities; Associate Professor Dr. Stefanie Pillai, Associate Professor for the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics in University Malaya; and Professor Datuk Dr. Roziah bt Omar, Director of Leadership Academy at the Ministry of Higher Education. Trust me, they are really really nice people!! I don't feel intimidated by them at all!

I expect the questions to be tougher this time but surprisingly it wasn't! In fact they only ask me these few questions:

1. Tell me about yourself (again)! - =.="
2. Why the course you chose (in my case, dentistry)?
3. Are you receiving any financial assistance?
4. You say you are actively involve in (your hobby), do you still participate in them in your university?
5. Are you planning to set up your own clinic in the future? 
6. What do you think about the Dental Faculty of University Malaya (which is the university I am studying now)?
7. Which professor do you like in your faculty?
8. What do you think about dental health in dogs and cats? - this was a real bummer! I was stunned a moment to think about what to answer! Haha.... but I think I did OK for this! :P

As you can see....the questions asked in the 2nd round of interview was something more related to your choice of studies. Compared to the 1st round which have more general questions about yourself! I did consult with previous Maxis scholars for the type of questions they'll ask this time round.... most said that it will be more difficult as there will be more thinking questions thrown to you! Well, I believe it is true for them but for me, it was as relaxing, if not more relaxing, than the previous session! My 2nd session only lasted less than 10 minutes!! I was shocked when they say thank you and allow me to leave! I thought I busted it..... But a Maxis employee who is taking care of us in the quarantine room told me that it is a good news! I was as puzzled the first time I hear it! It seems that the reason why they don't spend so much time with you in the conference room, is that they are sure to offer you a place for the scholarship! Hence, why the need to waste time for something that is assuring! Whereas for those applicants that are not so convincing, they'll spend more time interrogating them! LOL! Or so it seems.....of course I kept my fingers crossed after hearing this and in a way, it made me calm down and thank God, on 11th August 2010, I received this:

Congratulations! You have been selected as one of the 2010 Maxis Scholarship for Excellence - Undergraduate Programme Award recipients.

      We will be celebrating this joyous occasion with you in an upcoming award ceremony tentatively planned on the morning of 3 September at Hilton KL, KL Sentral. Both your parents are also invited for this ceremony. (Note: Immediate family members can attend the ceremony should your parents not be available to participate in this ceremony)

     There will also be a photoshoot next Wednesday, 18 August. This is great fun as you’ll get to dress up and interact with other recipients. The details for the shoot area as below. We’ll be giving you more details on the requirements for the photoshoot in a separate email.

Next up: Photo shoot and the much awaited award ceremony! *beams*