UNSW Co-Op Interviews (2 Viewers)

[Seb160066]

Hi, I just received interview offers for UNSW's Compsci, Mechanical and Software engineering co-op streams and just had a few questions on the interview process.
1. Does anyone know what the typical ratio of Interviews to Awarded Scholarships is?
2. What sort of questions are asked in the interview?
3. How hard is it to meet the Co-op's 96 ATAR requirement? I'm a Kiwi student currently doing NCEA so I've got no clue on how Australian grades work.

Also, is it common to get multiple interview offers? Or did I just get really lucky?

 

[jimmysmith560]

2. In addition to favourable academic performance, UNSW seeks the following qualities in candidates:

• making a significant contribution to school or community
• showing initiative and leadership
• communicating well
• enjoy working with other people
• wanting to be active within the university and Co-op community
• having a genuine interest in a career in industry or a government enterprise in their chosen program
• being ambitious and keen to contribute
• caring about what is happening in the community, country and the world at large.

Emphasising such qualities at the interview could assist you in maximising your chances of admission. Based on these qualities, here are some questions that could potentially be relevant to the interview:

• Why do want to study your chosen degree?
• Why did you specifically opt for a cooperative education program?
• How do you intend to use this educational opportunity beyond university?
• What are your expectations as a future student studying the Co-op Program?
• Do you have a strategy to maximise your learning and ensure favourable performance?
• What does school mean to you?
• Tell me about a time when you did something good for your school.
• Are you involved in your local community?
• Why would you dedicate additional time towards contributing to your school and/or local community?
• Tell me about a lesson that you have learned during your time in your final year of school. How do you intend to apply it going forward?
• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about a time when you faced a problem and how you addressed it.
• What makes you a good leader?
• Do you prefer completing tasks individually or working in teams?
• What can you tell me about communication?
• Why do you believe that you will be able to enter your desired profession?

3. Essentially, receiving offers for degrees at Australian universities that require high ATARs may require you to get the NCEA Level 3 endorsed with Excellence. This means that you may need to gain 50 credits or more at excellence, which appears to be an objective of a high standard in terms of the NCEA. While I am not entirely sure about the credit part, UNSW states that completion of the NCEA Level 3 is the equivalent of completing the standard Australian Year 12 program and normally satisfies the pre-requisite for application. Subsequently, your NCEA Level 3 results would be converted to an ATAR and the Co-op office would need to confirm a conditional offer late pending the NCEA results release date.

I hope this helps!

 

[Vall]

Also, is it common to get multiple interview offers? Or did I just get really lucky?

If I'm correct (I think I am) you do one interview and the sponsor for your top preference (in this case compsci I assume) will be present at the interview along with UNSW people. Then if the compsci sponsor doesn't like you for whatever reason, but UNSW does like you then they offer you up to the sponsor for your second preference and repeat again for the third if they don't want you.

 

[Seb160066]

2. In addition to favourable academic performance, UNSW seeks the following qualities in candidates:

• making a significant contribution to school or community
• showing initiative and leadership
• communicating well
• enjoy working with other people
• wanting to be active within the university and Co-op community
• having a genuine interest in a career in industry or a government enterprise in their chosen program
• being ambitious and keen to contribute
• caring about what is happening in the community, country and the world at large.

Emphasising such qualities at the interview could assist you in maximising your chances of admission. Based on these qualities, here are some questions that could potentially be relevant to the interview:

• Why do want to study your chosen degree?
• Why did you specifically opt for a cooperative education program?
• How do you intend to use this educational opportunity beyond university?
• What are your expectations as a future student studying the Co-op Program?
• Do you have a strategy to maximise your learning and ensure favourable performance?
• What does school mean to you?
• Tell me about a time when you did something good for your school.
• Are you involved in your local community?
• Why would you dedicate additional time towards contributing to your school and/or local community?
• Tell me about a lesson that you have learned during your time in your final year of school. How do you intend to apply it going forward?
• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about a time when you faced a problem and how you addressed it.
• What makes you a good leader?
• Do you prefer completing tasks individually or working in teams?
• What can you tell me about communication?
• Why do you believe that you will be able to enter your desired profession?

3. Essentially, receiving offers for degrees at Australian universities that require high ATARs may require you to get the NCEA Level 3 endorsed with Excellence. This means that you may need to gain 50 credits or more at excellence, which appears to be an objective of a high standard in terms of the NCEA. While I am not entirely sure about the credit part, UNSW states that completion of the NCEA Level 3 is the equivalent of completing the standard Australian Year 12 program and normally satisfies the pre-requisite for application. Subsequently, your NCEA Level 3 results would be converted to an ATAR and the Co-op office would need to confirm a conditional offer late pending the NCEA results release date.

I hope this helps!

Okay thank you so much for the help!

 

[dbramley]

Did Mechanical have any places this year?

 

[Seb160066]

Okay thank you so much for the help!

There were four sponsors this year, so four places I assume. I'm not sure how many interviews were given out though

 

[devondalebro]

There were four sponsors this year, so four places I assume. I'm not sure how many interviews were given out though

What do you mean by four sponsors? Like for what course

 

[Nedom]

What do you mean by four sponsors? Like for what course

Sponsors are people who sponsor students. It doesn't make sense for universities to pay a student to attend their university, they want your money not the other way around. These sponsors will provide you with guaranteed placements (at their company ofc) and a job (i think) for your course, and will also provide the financial support, as they see you as somebody that could be of value for the company in the future, which they work out through the selection/interview process. Students will need to maintain a certain WAM to be able to retain the scholarship.

Note: Nothing you can't find with a quick search on Google.

 

[devondalebro]

Sponsors are people who sponsor students. It doesn't make sense for universities to pay a student to attend their university, they want your money not the other way around. These sponsors will provide you with guaranteed placements (at their company ofc) and a job (i think) for your course, and will also provide the financial support, as they see you as somebody that could be of value for the company in the future, which they work out through the selection/interview process. Students will need to maintain a certain WAM to be able to retain the scholarship.

Note: Nothing you can't find with a quick search on Google.

Well the thing is the number of sponsors for each course changes every year. I was not sure if seb had some sort of insider information into how many coop sponsors there were for whatever course he was talking about but seems like he just went on UNSW coop website for sponsors for mechanical. I don't think the sponsors on the website is accurate tho because that is mostly likely just all sponsors available for mechanical like ever.

 

[Seb160066]

What do you mean by four sponsors? Like for what course

Oh sorry I replied to the wrong comment. I meant there were four mechanical engineering sponsors this year, so I'm assuming four scholarships awarded

 

[Seb160066]

Damn did you get an offer for mechanical? I was sus about whether they had any places for it because the info form doesn't even have a location for the interviews for mech eng. My app was so geared towards mech eng but I only got offers for cs and swe.

Yeah I got an interview offer for MechE. I'm guessing it must have just been really competitive this year maybe?

 

[scaryshark09]

HAS ANYONE GOT AN INTERVIEW NOTIF YETTTT

i think it comes out at 2:30pm

 

[SadCeliac]

do they send rejection emails i love closure

I personally haven't heard anything back yet??

 

[stevie444]

i just got in for banking and finance, doubt i will make it past interview tho

 

[stevie444]

I personally haven't heard anything back yet??

check on the actual application website, that's how i found out (they did send an email after tho)

 

[scaryshark09]

who is going to the briefing day tomorrow?

 

[SadCeliac]

who is going to the briefing day tomorrow?

Me except only until the lunch break because I have places to be afterwards lol

 

[scaryshark09]

Me except only until the lunch break because I have places to be afterwards lol

those two things after lunch don't seem important so i might leave also idk

 

[stevie444]

im going as well

also leaving after the interview skills thing, whats dress code for briefing day?

 

[scaryshark09]

lol i think i spotted @SadCeliac im like 90% sure