Carry yourself throughout the whole hour with dignity and grace. Sit up straight and don’t fidget (sounds like elementary school!). Make good eye contact. Give firm handshakes.
Treat your board with respect. Practice calling each of your board members by their formal title and last name.
Practice humility. Remember that this is not a dialogue between equals. You are still the student trying to show that you have mastered the material to those who are the experts. Say what you know, and gracefully claim what you do not know. I was given a question to which I had no clue about the answer, so I simply said that I did not know. I was complimented later by the board for “doing what most other students could not—say ‘I don’t know’ and just move on.” Don’t try to fake answers you don’t know.
The corollary to the previous point is: do try to build upon what you do know. Give examples; point out historical highlights about the issue in question; tell what you remember from your reading about the issue.
Avoid making broad statements without nuancing your responses. If you cannot find just the right word, say so. It is important to show that you can articulate the fine points and the gray areas of theology and liturgy and incorporate contradictory ideas.
Make sure that you answer the question. Don’t get lost in tangential material until you’ve answered the question.
Lead the board into the next question. Once you’ve answered the question, say how it is related to another topic that you want to discuss.
I’ve been told to keep talking until you are stopped. But don’t ramble. Stop when the board stops you or when it is clear that you have answered the question to their approval.
It’s cliché, but your board really is on your side. They do want you to do well and they will prompt you as much as they can to get to the answers they are looking for.
Finally, the last piece of advice given to me before I went into the exam room was, "Whatever you do, don't cry."
No comments:
Post a Comment