How to ace your CCAP interview - part one

NOTE:

A recent survey shows that most people do absolutely nothing in preparation for an interview.  This is a good indication that if you do even minimal preparation, you will be way ahead of the game.  And one more thing - your CCAP interview will only last about 15 minutes or so.  You need to make the most of every minute and chance to  

First, review every part of your application. 

Your interviewers will have a copy of your application. If there is a blank, or an unclear answer, they may well have a question for you. In the C-CAP interview, they’ll also have a copy of your essay as they interview you. 

If you’ve reviewed your application, you’ll know what to expect.  Even better, if you’ve reviewed your essay, you’ll remember what you wrote – and be able to think about why you wrote it.

CCAP judges want to match your culinary dreams with the dollars they have to award, you can expect to be asked if you’ve had a chance to consider more than one school.

You may be asked if you’ve toured specific schools, and you will definitely be asked if you’ve thought about how you will live while you’re in school.

If you’re thinking about Johnson and Wales, for instance, you need to know how you plan to travel to school.

How will you live while you’re in school?  Have you lived away from home before?  Will you need a part-time job?

Do you have other financial resources?  Do you need transportation?  What about school supplies (not just your books)?

Your C-CAP interviewers want to know you’ve spent some time figuring out this next step in your culinary career.  Next, there's more information about how to do your best in this part of the competition.

Coming next: Just a few questions to keep in mind