Sohaib's AKU interview!

Before i start, please keep in mind 3 things:

1) This is not a marking-scheme/answers-bank. Everyone's interview is unique and simply copying what other people said would not be the best idea. Just make sure whatever you say in the interview is true and really makes your personality shine in front of the interviewer.
2) This post became longer than I had initially expected. But i'm sure this recollection will give you a nice feel of the interview.
3) Always remember: be calm, be prepared, and be confident (like a boss!) [leikin ziada over bhi nahin].

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Background:

Preparing yourself before the interview is essential. That is in fact, something i learned just a few days before my interview date. Receiving an AKU test score of 85.21%, which was the highest in St. Pats Alhumdulillah, i became a bit over-confident with regards to the interview, almost thinking it doesn't even matter now. Fortunately, one of my seniors took a mock interview of me a few days before the actual event and that REALLY got me down to earth; making me realize i HAVE to PLAN myself.

The night before the interview, i took 2 pieces of paper and started writing. I mapped all the achievements i wanted to talk about during the interview and wrote/thought-out my own answers to the most common questions (like those mentioned in the AKU Interview - Guidelines post). This also made me ready for some of the rather tough questions like 'what are your weaknesses?'.


Interview day:

Dressed in a black pant with black socks and black dress shoes, i contrasted by wearing a striped white shirt with a black tie (oh and the tie had several thin ECG lines forming hearts on the front. Was a funny one indeed. Borrowed it from a senior in 013). Having been lectured several times by my (awesome) teacher Dr. Afshan Latif, to have a GOOD BODY LANGUAGE, i walked my tall figure with a straight back and confident posture to the Sports center where i was to have my first interview.

AKU Interview - Guidelines

General Overview

After you've received the letter stating that you've cleared the AKU Admission Test, you'll be called in for an interview. Each candidates sits down for Two Interviews. Each one can range anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. It's very rare that an interview is prolonged beyond an hour. There is one interviewer in each interview (I had always imagined myself being interviewed by a panel of AKU interviewers, don't now where that thought came from)

Also, keep in mind that an interview has two parts to it. One part is what you can prepare for, it includes a few common questions and lies. While, the other part is what you are to beware of, not in a scary way though, as the interviewer might pic up any topic to discuss with you.

Before anything else: Just be yourself.

How to prepare?

Firstly, keep in mind that you have been called for an interview because AKU wants to know about YOU.

Secondly, dress elegantly; not too lavishly nor too informally. Many guys wear suits but my schoolfellows were advised to wear a dress shirt with pants. As for the ladies, mostly go for the eastern look, a long shirt with chooridar or trousers would do. Some do choose a western attire, well, if you're confident with that then it's fine. Anything that would say, "Oh, I'm just me" :)

Another Contributor

Hey guys,

I was looking for a place to post my experience regarding the 'AKU Challenge' and all the other admission mania (in hopes of doing something for the 'greater good', perhaps) when a couple of AKU Seniors from AKU's Class of 2017  trolled us Juniors (The ones from Class of 2018) at Facebook; the details of the troll are a story for another blog though.

During all that trolling I found out that a senior, Sohaib Qadri, runs this blog. I asked him if I could contribute. He agreed. And, here I am. I could have started my own blog but during the time I was surfing online for help and guidance regarding the AKU test, interview and the likes I was unable to find a blog that had EVERYTHING. Thus, I decided to contribute to an already existing blog so that the ones who plan on applying to AKU have just one place that acts as a complete guide for them.

Hope this blog helps you out. Ask any questions regarding AKU's admission procedure and feel free to point out any specific areas that you need help with so that the new posts can be focused on those.

This shall be it for now. Cheers.

-Lubaina