Well, you’ve done it. Made it to the second round. Or, you’re like me and you are memorizing this blog post before you’ve finished your application. Please, though, don’t start day-dreaming at 11:59 the night before! Get that sucker done! Either way, let’s get this meat stand rolling (note: I am a vegetarian. But that phrase sounded right and when something sounds right, I use it. Don’t be so sensitive of the m-word.).
Obviously, you’re probably wondering, “What next?”
I think I might have danced around a little when I got my letter. Then I called it a day and made some popcorn. Don’t freak, though. We aren’t out of the trenches yet. Now you need to get all of your oxen in a row before the interviewer contacts you.
First of all, MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENTS NOW. Today. This very moment. Don’t even think about reading the rest of this post until you’ve scheduled a physical, dental, and, if applicable, psychiatric exam. Otherwise, you will do what I did. The forms were due March 1st.
Morning of February 22nd: “Mom, I think I need 3 medical exams, like, now.”
Don’t do what I did.
Now, I know I got in, but don’t risk it. For the sake of your loving parents/guardians/secretaries, please. Just don’t. Anyways, you don’t want the receptionist at the doctor’s office to give you the evil eye once you get there just because you scheduled 15 minutes ahead of time.
Second, please. Get your passport. I don’t care if you’re Tom, Dick, or Stanley; not getting your passport when you get semifinalist, then getting finalist and making a big stink about how you can’t fill out the forms without your nonexistent passport is just obnoxious, and makes a lot more work for the people at the office. Remember, they don’t have to give you their money. But they are, and you need to respect their efforts to give you this opportunity.
Third. Don’t flip about the interview. It’s really not a big deal. You go into a room with your interviewer and your parent, and you answer questions. About yourself, your family, what kind of things you like to do, etc. That’s it. The biggest part of this process is when they ask you how you would handle situations abroad. You can’t prepare. All you can do is ask for clarification when you don’t understand, and then just run with it. Every interviewer is different, so there isn’t a whole lot of advice anyone can give you on this. Just be polite, dress nicely, and be yourself. Odds are, your interviewer will be your pre-departure orientation leader, too, so try to be as nice as you can, because you will see them again. My interviewer was brand-new to the program but had worked with AFS for years. Turns out, she’s really knowledgeable about exchanges and has stayed in touch with me through the processes.
Retrieved from: http://obshtestvo.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Krastopat.jpg
I get it, though. You’re excited. And that’s good. Be happy and proud, because making semifinalist is an honor. But don’t get so scatterbrained that you lose sight of normal life. Keep doing well in school, because if (and when) you get finalist, there won’t be time to try and pull your grades up when you are applying for a visa.
Anyways, congratulations! Before I end, I’d like to leave you with a little anecdote. Before every test, my insanely aggravating Biology teacher would say, “Good luck,” as he passed out the tests. “But you won’t need it. Success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” As annoying as it had been, this is correct. You don’t need luck. You’ve been given opportunity, and I hope you’ve been preparing. So if anyone tells you that you are “lucky,” take it as an insult. You don’t need luck. You got there on your own two feet and you deserve your successes; no mystical Luck-Giver decided your fate.
From Wisconsin with Love,
Anna
from kirov with love | из Кирова с любовью 
