It is no secret that applying for scholarships can be a daunting process. Being awarded a scholarship is the result of hard work and dedication, and often requires applicants to go through an interview process. For those individuals who are looking to apply for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, it is important to understand the type of questions that may come up during the interview. This blog post will provide a comprehensive overview of the various types of questions that applicants should expect during the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship interview. It will discuss the topics that will likely be addressed, the types of questions that might be asked, and the best approach to answering these questions. Moreover, this blog post will provide tips and strategies on how to prepare for an interview and express oneself in a professional and confident manner.
Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship 2022 Webinar (Jan. 11, 2022)
There are between 45 and 55 finalists chosen from across the country after the selection committee’s two-day meetings. These Finalists will be interviewed in person or via zoom throughout the summer, with one or both of their parent(s) or guardian(s) present for some of the interview (as was the case for the 2020 Scholar selection due to the pandemic restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings). Each year’s CDB Scholars will be chosen early in September from the Finalist pool to begin working with the CDB staff to find each Scholar the best high school fit.
Please refrain from addressing your inquiries to the CDB Scholarship team with the phrase “I’m completing the CDB application for my son or daughter,” even though you are always welcome to call or email them. This is a MASSIVE red flag for us regarding the effectiveness of your child’s application, and it’s not at all what you ought to be doing in relation to it,
Finally, please be aware that decisions may be made that are not in line with your preferences or expectations in any competitive process, whether it be the selection of the Finalists or, ultimately, the annual CDB Scholars. The selection criteria have less to do with what your child “did wrong” on their application or wasn’t “enough” in any particular area and more to do with the fact that the CDB Scholarship attracts a truly outstanding applicant pool from all levels of the national gifted population in seventh grade. The CDB team evaluates and discusses hundreds of highly accomplished young people during the selection process. We constantly wish we had the resources to recognize many more of these highly accomplished young people than we are able to do each year with the 25–30 CDB Scholarships we award.
Please DO SHOW US if you identify yourself in your CDB application as a dancer, musician, artist, singer, inventor, or photographer, either through a work sample or in the portal for additional information. This is more about sharing your passion(s) with our team than it is about wowing us as a superhuman. Reading about a specialty or area of interest in your application over and over again while receiving no visible or audible indication of this aspect of you is frustrating.
Here are some advice for potential applicants drawn from the reading and evaluation of hundreds of CDB applications each year:
The CDB program’s high point for everyone involved is the Bradley Seminar, which takes place in the spring. When the deadline for that year’s CDB applications arrives in April, Mallory and I go into lockdown mode to process and read the hundreds of eligible applications that we receive. By the beginning of May, we had divided the top-tier applications into groups of roughly 55–60 each, which we then forwarded to the members of our multiple selection committees for review. Mallory, our IEA president, and I travel to meet with the selection committees to choose the CDB Finalists for that year. We will spend the summer touring the country to conduct interviews with these candidates as the next step in the CDB selection process. Spring is a time of intense emotions and a lot of support given to our Scholars as we assist and work with them to finalize their high school and college decisions because it is also the time when our Scholars hear the results of their high school and college applications.
Our calendar is based on an academic year that begins in early September, immediately following Labor Day, with the annual selection of new CDB Scholars. The CDB year goes roughly as follows: in early September, the new class of Scholars is announced, starting the cycle of “virtually” introducing the nationwide CDB rising 8th graders to each other and getting to know them as the extraordinary people they are. Then we follow up with each Scholar as they visit and apply to at least three high schools or programs that best suit their learning styles and academic goals and conduct several months of interactive research about high school programs in the fall. At the same time, we’re actively monitoring the transition for the incoming 9th grade CDB class from middle school to their first year of high school, ensuring that the returning high school Scholars are still in good positions at their schools, assisting the CDB high school seniors with their college applications, checking in with the new class of CDB alumni as they enter college, and starting to work on the upcoming year’s CDB application and important program dates, organize our n. The CDB team will receive the grades and teacher comments from each CDB Scholar’s midterm and final exams, and will then provide each Scholar with personalized feedback. We typically get in touch with the new class every two weeks by phone or email to check in, get to know them, and see how their high school selection process is going.
Returning to the first sentence of this explanation of CDB, Mallory and I always spend our days reading and responding to a LOT of emails from our Scholars, their parents, and admissions officers at the high schools we partner with. We also introduce new schools to the CDB program and Scholars. We attend IEA meetings every week as well as appointments outside of the office or with visitors who are interested in learning more about CDB and drop by our Pasadena, California, office. We regularly check in with one another as partners working with a population of students that is incredibly diverse to see how we can best support and help them in matters ranging from course selection to confidence-building when it comes to trying new things or taking accelerated classes outside of our usual comfort zones. When needed, we serve as constant wake-up callers, confidence boosters, and cheerleaders to encourage Scholars to get back on track when their grades dip. A merit-based scholarship program, CDB has contractual requirements that are supervised and upheld. That being said, our goal as the CDB program’s officers is to always collaborate with our Scholars to give them the tools they need to drive their own academic careers while taking into account any ups and downs along the way. We try to “humanize” sometimes irrational goals and perfectionistic tendencies that can trip up even the most accomplished, high achievers in our cohort by working with many of our students who constantly expect super-human results from every test, every class grade, and every teacher comment.
Through all of the work we do throughout the year, Mallory and I serve as connectors. We assist new Scholars in making connections with high school Scholars when they visit new schools where current CDB Scholars are enrolled; we pair CDB alumni and parents with current Scholars seeking potential mentors or having inquiries about careers, current occupations, or life in the “real world” from peers in the community. We attend regional and national conferences, host webinars, hold monthly gifted support group meetings in person, and connect organizations interested in our work with IEA programs and initiatives to inform interested people about what CDB and IEA are about.
Winter involves making sure that all high school and college CDB applications, as well as recommendation letters and CDB information to all of the colleges our college applicant Scholars are applying to, have been completed and submitted by the deadlines. By now, the new CDB application is online, so in addition to the three or more webinars we hold to inform participants and address their questions, we are also available by phone or email to assist potential applicants, recommenders, and schools. The theme has been chosen, and the agenda for the Bradley Seminar is being carefully planned. Individual Scholars are asking for suggestions for summer internships that we will help with. The results of the winter term are in, and greetings for the holidays have been exchanged. As soon as Scholars hear from their Early Decision and Early Action colleges, there is always a round of congratulations or encouraging messages about persevering and doing our best to reduce our Scholars’ stress and anxiety. Additionally, at this time, we work with any of our high school Scholars who are considering switching to a different high school program or looking for a different type of educational opportunity for a variety of reasons. Our capacity to manage each person’s ongoing academic needs and to advocate for each Scholar should they wish to broaden their horizons is one of the unique features of the CDB program.
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New Event Posted to the myBurbank Calendar
Come ahead with your holiday shopping while assisting a fantastic cause! 2022-11-04
The Burbank Coordinating Council’s Annual Gala will be held on November 5, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific Time. The theme is Where Hope Grows, and the location is the Burbank Water and Power Secret Garden.
New event posted on the myBurbank calendar
Just added to the myBurbank Calendar
Fundraising event for the BHS girls’ and boys’ track teams: the fall craft fair 2022-11-18
The interview is an opportunity for you to learn more about a potential school and for the interviewer to get to know you as a multifaceted person; if you find it difficult or impossible to relax, approach it as a friendly get-to-know-you conversation.
Dress in accordance with the school’s dress code, but a little nicer. No jeans. If you tend to mess with your hair when you’re anxious, girls, tie it up and pin bangs away from your face. Guys, brush your hair.
Don’t oversell the significance of the interview so that your anxiety affects your child.
If your parents are taking part in the interview, look at them when they speak and avoid making faces that convey irritation or embarrassment. If you don’t seem to get along with your parents, it gives off a very poor impression.
Never attempt to present yourself as someone you believe the interviewer “wants to see”; instead, be genuine in your responses and yourself.
