[Module One] #2. Foundational Questions: "Cupcakes" & Tell Me About Yourself

The Foundation aka Foundational Questions

Episode Two

Hello and welcome. Let's get started with Episode Two of PREP NYUS: How to Get Into Your Dream School NYU Shanghai. In this episode, we will go over Part One of Foundational Interview Questions. Grab some water; we’re in for a looooong one.

Welcome to another episode of PREP NYUS- the podcast that will get you into your dream school. I'm LuLu, and I've successfully helped four students get into NYU Shanghai. That's a 100% success rate.

Today, we'll continue with Module One: Foundational Interview Questions.

If you haven't listened to episode one yet, I highly recommend that you begin there because you will have a much better understanding of the roadmap of this podcast.

And if you're coming back, welcome! Here's a quick refresher of the five modules.

One: Foundational interview Questions.

Two: Practical Relationship Questions.

Three: Creative&Critical thinking Questions 脑筋急转弯。

Four: AI interview & Opening Day.

Five: Final Preparation: Etiquettes, Formulas, and Send-Off.

For my returning students, my returning listeners, I am excited to hear your “cupcakes” and you're welcome to send me an email so I can take a look and give you some feedback. My email is NYUSPrep@gmail.com.

I will dedicate time each week to answer some of your questions.

At the end of the last episode, I gave you your first homework assignment, which was to jot down a couple of things that make you unique. In fact, so unique that you can call them your 'cupcakes'.

As a reminder, a ‘cupcake’ is something about you that is so interesting that will make you stand apart from all these other students who also want a spot at your dream school: NYU Shanghai.

In this episode, we're going to go over my student Zoe's ‘cupcakes.’

Zoe is the girl who I helped successfully get into NYU Shanghai, and she's a happy freshman right now.

Secondly, we're going to learn a formula that can help you answer your Foundational questions.

Finally, we're going to practice answering these questions. We’re covering half of them today and the rest in the next episode.

Let’s begin.

First, let's talk about Zoe's Cupcakes. By the way, this episode is a really long episode. I'm only a couple of minutes in, but I already know this is a long, long, long, long episode.

So get some hot tea, get some bubble tea 珍珠奶茶, get some snacks, and get ready to lock in.

Let's first discuss Zoe's cupcakes.

The four cupcakes she shared with me are 1) debate 2) creative expression 3) buzz cut and 4) empathy. We ended up combining two of these together, resulting in a total of three cupcakes. Her cupcakes were:

1. Her debate team experience

2. Her creative expression through photography

3. Her bold decision to shave her head, which showed confidence and individuality.

I'm going to talk about the three cupcakes and help you understand why Zoe and I chose them.

Cupcake #1. ‘Debate.’

Zoe was a leader and an active member of her debate team. She had many responsibilities, and she was designated the job of delegating duties to her teammates.

Zoe shared with me that one time, one of her teammates said that they didn't care which task they got, so Zoe just delegated a task to him at random. But what ended up happening was that the teammate was really upset because he didn't get the task he wanted. Zoe reflected on this and believes she gained a little bit more empathy as a result, especially when it comes to understanding people's needs: both expressed and non-expressed.

Another reason this ‘Debate’ cupcake is crucial for her is because she gained a lot of confidence and esteem from all of the awards she won from her debate competitions. She was able to stick with it.

And that's something NYU Shanghai loves, a student who will stick it out through the hard times and the good times.

Lastly, the reason why this was a major ‘cupcake’ for her was, because she described to me, this evolution of her maturity- sort of coming of age. She grew up from someone who only saw situations in a binary black and white manner to someone who viewed situations and relationships in a more holistic POV, and we know NYU Shanghai loves, lovveees ‘holistic.’

When Zoe initially joined the debate team, she was nervous. Yet, by committing to it, she grew in various ways, and that's why this is no doubt a cupcake.

The prizes she won from debating, the skills she learned through competing, and the empathy she adopted through working with her teammates are the three essential reasons that this is a cupcake.

When you create your cupcakes, think about experiences that may be a bit challenging at first, but helped you evolve and learn from that experience.

Cupcake #2. Creative expression.

Zoe's second cupcake is creative expression. She shared with me her favorite photographer, which is Michio Hoshino. Michio Hoshino was a photographer who immersed himself in the wilderness to take photos of nature and wild animals. Very cool guy. He's not alive anymore, but still he inspired her nonetheless.

And this is key because it wasn't just that she was inspired. She then went on to teach herself photography. So she took actions. NYU Shanghai loves someone who takes initiatives.

In a study talked about in the book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, this study was very interesting, workers were analyzed by their performance and how it compared to which web browser they used.

They found out that people who use Google Chrome or Firefox were usually much better employees and salespeople. At first they thought, hey, maybe it's a coincidence, but it wasn’t. The reason being, Chrome and Firefox are browsers that you need to take the initiative to download unlike built-in web browsers. For instance, if you are a mac user you are naturally equipped with safari. If you're a PC user, then it’s Internet Explorer. However, if you want to use a different type of browser, you would have to deliberately seek that and take the initiative to download it.

So that little initiative can be carried out through the other elements of your work. The research determined that those people are usually not stressed or miserable at work because they create a space that they like to work in.

If something doesn't make them happy, they will go and change it. That's why this ‘cupcake’ of photography as creative expression is excellent for Zoe to talk about because through this learning experience, she gained more knowledge of herself. By the way, NYU Shanghai loves non-academic pursuits for knowledge, meaning you're gaining knowledge, but it's not explicitly academic related knowledge-chef's kiss. That is very well received.

The fact that Zoe wasn't only inspired, but also took the initiative to teach herself this creative expression that inspired her- that will be very well received in NYU Shanghai. Excellent cupcake, Zoe. Let's talk about the next one.

Zoe's third cupcake is her buzz cut. This is what she shared with me. She said that she used to have long, shoulder-length hair. However, the year before, she felt this need to cut her hair despite severe opposition from others, including and especially her mother.

“Going bald was liberating,” she said, “and it felt rebellious, gender defying." She took pride in this and I could sense this fire, this bravery. She was very passionate about deliberately going from having long hair to having no hair.

Here's the thing, people listening to your answers may not be able to tell if you're lying, but they will know for sure if and when you are speaking the truth.

Remember what I shared about diversity. The experience of getting a haircut is normal, everyone gets haircuts. But, the experience of getting a buzzcut, of having basically no hair, qualifies as a cupcake. Because not many girls do that, especially girls who are 17.

Let me take a moment to remind you that the key to answering any NYUS interview question is making sure your answer embodies two things: 1) You are a proactive and diligent student who is unwaveringly putting your study first and foremost and 2) You have a genuine Interest in attending NYU Shanghai.

In short, show in your answers that you are a 1) proactive and diligent student with 2) genuine interest in attending NYUS.

Keep those two things in mind as we move on to the next part, which is answering some of the Foundational questions. And before we do, I'm going to tell you the formula. Ready? Write this down. Q equals A plus one.

Q= A + 1.

That's the formula that will carry you through all of the Foundational questions.

Q is question, A is answer, and plus one is one proof or evidence that supports your answer, your A. I am dedicating time each week to answer some of your questions, so if you did your homework assignment from the last episode, you can go ahead and send me your cupcakes via email at NYUSPrep@gmail.com. I will be happy to take a look and write back to you giving you some feedback.

Let's begin the first half of the 12 Foundational questions. Starting with the easiest and simultaneously the most difficult question: “Tell me about yourself.”

When answering this question (Question #1), you want to show that your story has consistency, and your values align with those of NYUS. You're not a famous person. You're not Barack Obama. You're not Beyoncé. You're not: insert the name of any famous or influential person. You're not these people. So by just saying your name, for example, Amanda, Jonathan, Kevin- by just saying your name, it has zero effect as far as conveying who you are.

There are no positive emotions, let alone any emotions, with your name alone. That's why it's important to attach a detail to your name when introducing yourself.

Your name alone doesn’t carry any positive emotion- or any emotion at all. That’s why it’s important to attach a specific detail to your name when introducing yourself.

This is crucial because when you answer this question on “Tell me about yourself,” you're not going to start with, “I'm Amanda.” No one knows Amanda, therefore your name doesn't give off a feeling. Instead, it's just a name that takes up space. So this is what you're gonna do.

Instead of saying, I'm: your name, you're gonna say that part at the end. You're gonna say something like: “I'm a person who is curious and passionate about, fill in the blank, and my name is Amanda.”

Another example: “I'm someone who believes in the power of open dialogue and my name is Jonathan.”

You want to start this answer off with something truthful, authentic, and conveys emotion, hopefully positive emotion. As we answer all of these questions, I'm going to give you suggestions on where you can include your ‘cupcakes,’ because you want to deliver them at any opportunity you can.

Some additional tips for crafting your answer:

1. Be authentic. Don't try to sound like someone you're not. Share your real story. NYU Shanghai wants to get to know the real you.

2. Stay relevant. Focus on your qualities or experiences that align with NYU Shanghai's values and mission.

3. Practice out loud. Speaking your answer is different from writing it. Make sure it flows naturally. 确保你的回答真实相关，和充满感情。

Other ways to ask “Tell me about yourself” are: “Could you tell me who you are as a person?” “Describe your background in brief” and “What are you like?”

Zoe's answer roughly sounded like this:

 I'm an open-minded and curious person, and I'm Zoe. Filmmaking is one of my favorite things to do. I took part in a movie competition called Film Marathon, where I had to make a short film within a time limit of 48 hours. This experience inspired me to hold a movie competition in my own school as the Minister of New Media in student council.

This is important because Zoe's major is interactive media, so her mentioning that she served as the minister of new media in her student council is important and relevant.

She continues and says:

It was quite successful, and I was glad to build a platform for the young movie lovers. Speaking of movies, I'm reminded of my magical movie moment.

Then she describes how when she was eight years old, she accidentally turned on the TV and the movie happened to be Titanic, which is a funny choice for an eight year old, depending on the scene.

And she said that the ocean was splendid, the plot was intricate and intriguing, and she felt really drawn to the movie.

Then she defined ‘movie.’ She goes:

I realized then what a movie is, a beautifully and carefully built dream- besides,” she continued, “I also act as the team leader of our school's debate team, which has won many prizes nationwide. This experience nurtured my critical thinking skills and leadership.

And she concludes with:

Being genuine and passionate are the two characteristics I really admire, and I think that aligns with NYU Shanghai's mission.

That's an answer right there.

Zoe's answer was extensive. Are you gonna have time to say all that? Depends on the format of the question. Is the question being asked in person or during your AI interview? Were you asked this waiting in line for the bathroom or sitting down at the cafeteria table?

But one thing is for certain, you will be asked this question at some point- whether it's during your AI interview or your campus visit. This question of “Tell me about yourself,” is essentially you introducing yourself.

I just want to highlight something Zoe did that was very beautiful here. In the first sentence where Zoe introduced herself as “I'm someone who is passionate about understanding different perspectives, and my name is Zoe, and that's why I joined my school's debate team.”

I want to highlight how that is such a strong start to answering the question of “Tell me about yourself,” because it conveys emotion, authenticity, and not only a name.

Question #2. How did you hear about NYU Shanghai?

Hit them with your best shot. Tell them about the magical coincidence of how you accidentally got off at the wrong metro station there, and in front of you, stood the most beautiful architectural building and how while you stood there in awe-which took you another five minutes to realize that the building was actually NYU Shanghai.

Well, say that if that's the truth or otherwise say whatever your truth is. My student Zoe talked about how an “older sister friend” (She called her an older sister friend because in Chinese, we would just say 姐姐 but in English, if you just said it would mean your actual sister). So that's why the wording here is older sister friend.

And this older sister friend of hers was already at NYU Shanghai and traveling abroad through NYU Shanghai's Abroad programs, which is actually one of the biggest incentives of students coming to NYU. This older sister friend was telling Zoe about her experiences in New York and in Berlin, which Made Zoe feel super interested in the school.

Now this is an interesting perspective that may not apply to you, but this is what happened with Zoe.

The company that her mother worked at was right next to NYU Shanghai. So she can recall NYU Shanghai being a dream school since she was 7 years old. If this isn't your story, obviously don't say it. Speak your truth. No one is you and that's beautiful.

Here's an action you can take. Think about your earliest memory of NYU Shanghai. How old were you? Where were you? Who told you? How did you first know about NYU Shanghai? How did you first find out about the existence of this institution? Think about that.

Question #3. What type of environment do you perform the best in?

Here's the thing, NYU Shanghai wants students that can get along with other students. The student body contributes to the school environment, aka* the vibe. So for this question, you're going to share your learning method.

*aka= also known as

Whether you prefer to work independently as a deep thinker, a researcher, or someone like that, or collaboratively with other students, bouncing ideas off each other, or maybe a blend of both, that’s what the question is really asking.

Let the college know how you shine and how you work the best through demonstrating your work ethics and your abilities as a promising student.

Alternative ways for the same question may include: “What type of work environment do you prefer?” “How do you study the best?” “Do you prefer working independently or as a team?” Those are all different ways to ask the same question. Let me read to you what Zoe wrote.

This is what Zoe said, in her own words:

I prefer the blend of working together as a team as well as working alone, depending on the phase of the project I'm in. Firstly, I would love to work on my own.

I love to collect comprehensive background information to form my own ideas by thinking and working independently. Then, I will find my teammates and go through the issue collaboratively because a single individual can easily go to the extremes or ignore the difficult facets of the problem. Having more people thinking together a critical manner means more possibility for getting closer to the truth. This is something I learned from my debate experience. I really enjoy this balance and it helps me to work efficiently.

Let's talk about why this answer is great. She acknowledged the question. She thought about it and answered in a comprehensive manner. On top of that, she acknowledged the merit of both working together and working alone. Most importantly, note her delivery of a ‘cupcake’ in her answer. She talked about this method of working was something she learned from her experience in the debate team.

That was a drop of a cupcake.

Remember, we're gonna drop our cupcakes whenever we can. That was a great answer because not only did she answer the question, but she also dropped her ‘cupcake.’

Beautiful.

Question #4. How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?

For this question, you're going to give an example of a stressful situation that you had to deal with and the healthy coping mechanism that you used.

Share the successful resolution. Explain your mastering of time, planning techniques such as the time boxing technique, scheduling, planning, and immersive actions etc. The school wants to know whether or not you are a dynamic student who is able to handle stress- who is able to perform well despite stress.

Because in college, it's inevitable there will be some stress here and there.

Here are some alternative questions to ask the same thing. “How do you deal with multiple tasks at once?” Or, “When you're balancing multiple projects, how do you keep yourself organized?”

Here's roughly how Zoe answered this question. She said:

Stressful situations occur a lot. Knowing that feeling stressed is just a normal emotion is very important.

See, right away she acknowledged that stress is something normal. That's beautiful. It's always a good thing to acknowledge the question in your answer.

So she continues and says:

It's our brain's function to urge us to act right away. Based on this acknowledgement, I tend to give myself positive hints like, “You can do it.”

I think instead of the word “hint,” she's trying to say “positive suggestions” or “encouragement.” She shares her previous experience-I'm reading her answers by the way. She actually typed a lot of the answers that we were doing in class and then she sent them to me. I have a copy of her answers, so I will keep reading them.

She shares that she felt a lot of pressure, for instance:

I once had to take a part in a three-part debate competition simultaneously. However, I nailed it.

She said that she used her method of timekeeping and time planning, and immersing herself in concrete things is pivotal. She ended with saying, “only actions work.”

She continues:

First, I list all the things I have to do. And then prioritize them based on importance and urgency. Then I use the time boxing technique. I will always leave some free time every day in case of an emergency. This method holds me accountable for completing my project and having a more repetitive day-to-day schedule, which I'm responsible for.

Why this answer works:

Not only did Zoe share how she handles stress, she gave an example. Again, what is the example about? The debate team, which is one of her ‘cupcakes.’ And if you're thinking, are we just gonna talk about our cupcakes in every single question? Yes, the answer is yes, you know why?

Because you're only going to get two questions.

So yes, you're going to use your ‘cupcakes’ in every question that they ask you because on the actual AI interview, you only get two questions.

Now, think about your most stressful situation. Think back to a time where you felt like you had too much on your hands to handle, but you still ended up on the other side, successfully handling the stressful situation.

Take a moment and think about it.

>That's your action for this question.

We have two more to go for this episode.

Question #5. What's your weakness?

This question is a big one. This question will be asked not only during your college interview, but also in the future for your job interviews.

This is kind of like the company's way of being playful with you. They want to see if you can handle this question that is a little bit tricky. A little bit tricky.

This is how you're going to answer this like a pro. First, show self-awareness. Show that you are good at some things, but are not great at some things, especially if those things tie together in some way.

So, for instance, if you say, “I'm good at starting things, but not great at finishing things,” that's totally okay because it shows that you can initiate. And you can learn more on how to complete what you started during your time in college.

Notice that I said “not great” at something instead of “bad” at something.

You don't call yourself bad or horrible or terrible anywhere.

You’re not allowed to be self-critical.

-Teacher LuLu

NYUSPrep@gmail.com

Use phrases like “not great,” “not the best at,” “not amazing at.” That's a small semantics tool that can make a big difference. This is how Zoe roughly answered this question.

She said:

I feel a lot of feelings and I overthink. When I'm communicating with people, I tend to pay a lot of attention to their facial expressions, gestures, and more, to try to read their feelings.

If my friends are sad, I often think that it's my fault and reflect on what I might have done.

I tend to put their needs above mine and care about their needs over mine. This deters me from doing what I really want to do or expressing how I feel. This is my weakness and I'm still growing and learning how to cope. This answer, not gonna lie, I helped Zoe with this.

She had this idea, but I helped her expand to this level of amazingness. I'm just gonna be so honest here, because this answer is beautiful. I mean, as a 17 year old girl, you are sharing that. One of your weaknesses is sort of your lack of mastery of your emotions, but nonetheless your acute awareness of your emotions and your awareness of others emotions.

These are really positive traits that she's sharing. But, the hook is, she's saying that, it's the fact that she puts other people’s feelings over hers, which is the weakness. So by answering this question this way, not only does she highlight her emotional acuity and her emotional intelligence in reading others feelings, she also answered the question of her weakness, gently wrapped up in those very positive traits.

That's a beautiful answer, Zoe.

>Here's an action you can take. Think about one of your weaknesses and turn that into a strength. Which weakness of yours can you talk about in a way that actually makes it seem like a strength?

You got this.

Now we begin the last question we're going to cover today.

Question #6. What did you do to improve your knowledge in the last year?

Another way you're going to hear this question is “What did you do to improve your non-academic knowledge last year?”

The purpose of this question is for the school to know about your non-academic pursuits- your passions and interests outside the classroom.

In other words, things that you're doing that enrich your life- and don’t come from books. Because yes, it's awesome if you pound through books, but you know what? NYU Shanghai wants a holistic student. So this is what we're gonna say.

Something about scuba diving, photography, skiing. Or say poetry writing- because I know that not all of us have the budget to go and jump in the deep ocean in the middle of Maldives. So you can literally talk about writing poems. You can talk about anything that's different from the things that you have to learn in school. It's something that you are learning by choice.

When talking about your non-academic interests, you can talk about anything that isn’t an academic pursuit.

That's what they're looking for: enrichments to your life that's not from the books.

Think about your favorite author, your favorite niche artist. The more niche, the better. Zoe gave an example of studying her favorite Japanese photographer, Michio Hoshino, who immersed himself in the wilderness and often took photos of places that are easily forgotten, that are not in the spotlight.

This is how Zoe roughly answered this question. Remember, the purpose is to discover your non-academic pursuit. She said:

I have always been fascinated by beautiful moments and seeking a way to document them, besides writing about them. Spiritually, I was inspired by a Japanese natural photographer named Mishio Hoshino.

I was inspired by a Japanese natural photographer named Mishio Hoshino. who immersed himself in the wilderness and the areas that are often forgotten about. Staring at the dolphins under his camera gave me serenity. Then, I decided to take actions.

I taught myself new knowledge of developing the camera rolls through books and videos and took photos every week. I savor every moment. Tch. It taught me patience and appreciation for beauty, especially when I'm working with my old school film camera.

Wow. Wow. Zoe, what a home run. Wow. Wow. Wow. Here's why this answer works.

First, she shared a non academic pursuit, which is right on the money, following directions, very good. Secondly, she demonstrated Taking initiatives. So not only was it inspiring right? She was inspired by this japanese natural photographer but the important thing here is that she was self taught. Because she was inspired, as a result, she took actions and taught herself how to use and develop the camera.

That is crucial because the difference between a winner and a loser is a winner takes actions and a loser sits on their ideas.

Remember the Google Chrome and Firefox example I gave in the beginning of the episode. That's right. Exactly. Well, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening.

I hope this episode provided you with value. If I can help you feel just a little bit more prepared, that is mission accomplished.

Before we finish this episode, remember these three tips for crafting your answers.

1. Be authentic. Don't try to sound like someone you're not. Share your real story. NYU Shanghai wants to know the real you. You can share a polished version of you, but still, keep it real.

2. Stay relevant. Focus on your qualities or experiences that align with NYU Shanghai's values and NYU Shanghai's mission.

3. Practice speaking out loud. The only way to get better at speaking is by speaking. Speaking your answer is different from writing it. Make sure it flows naturally, and I'm happy to take a look at your answers if you want to email them to me at NYUSPrep@gmail.com.

See you guys next time for part 2 of the foundational questions, where we will cover questions 7 to 12. Good luck. 加油！