Written by: Ashley Koh
“Why did you choose this diploma?”
This is a common question that I get asked in almost every interview. Unsurprisingly, this question popped up during my Early Admission Exercise (EAE) interview.
I am currently a Year 1 Culinary and Catering Management (CCM) student in Temasek Polytechnic (TP). Exactly one year ago, I was applying for the course through the EAE program. I had to submit a write-up and subsequently went for interviews, before getting an offer for this course. I would like to share some tips and tricks from my personal experience with the process and I hope that anyone reading this will be able to learn something!
1. application process
For all courses, you are required to submit a write-up of why you chose this course. There was also another optional write-up section where you could list down your CCA or Values In Action (VIA) experiences. I recommend keeping it simple and concise, where it shows your strong suits as well as your passion for your chosen course. Keeping a nice balance between your skills and interest would be able to pique the interest of the lecturers in the course.
In my case, I wrote about how the people around me inspired me to go for this course, and how the soft skills I learnt in school would be helpful. The optional write-up can be written in point form, so you can show more of yourself to improve your chances. Just write in clear sentences and be honest, let your interest shine through! The picture below is an example of my own personal write-up: I got shortlisted for the two courses that I had applied for.
2. INTERVIEW PREPaRATION
While preparing for the interview, I think it is very important to have something tangible to show to your interviewers. It could be anything related to the course, or even events you attended that have nothing to do with the course.
For me, I created a portfolio of the food I prepared, I even brought my certificates for my CCA though it had nothing to do with the course. Do not show up empty handed, as it will not leave a good first impression.
3. INTERVIEW TIPS
While preparing for the interview, I think it is very important to have something tangible to show to your interviewers. It could be anything related to the course, or even events you attended that have nothing to do with the course.
For me, I created a portfolio of the food I prepared, I even brought my certificates for my CCA though it had nothing to do with the course. Do not show up empty handed, as it will not leave a good first impression.
As it is quite an important part of the EAE process, making good first impressions and standing out from the rest is quite important. My interview with the TP lecturers was a group interview with other applicants. A tip I have is to listen to the other applicants’ explanations and experiences, as you can take note of what they have mentioned and improve on it or say something different.
For instance, I vividly remember the lecturers asking who our favourite chefs were. As the other applicants listed Gordon Ramsay as their choice, I blurted out “Jeanette Aw” in a moment of panic, wanting to stand out from the rest. It was quite a nerve-wracking experience but this is where the critical thinking skills come in! Luckily, I had read an article the night before on how she went abroad and studied baking. This allowed me to touch on how she was passionate about the craft, and that article probably saved me during the interview.
4. APTITUDE TEST
After the interview, the applicants will have to go through an aptitude test. Depending on the course, there could be more than one aptitude test. This will not matter as much as the interview, but it is still a key point!
For CCM, we had two aptitude tests. The first one, which took place right after the interview, was for us to identify different foods and spices via Google Form. The second one required us to prepare a dish that included eggs in the recipe, and create a video to showcase how we made it. I personally made a very easy dish, homemade egg mayo!
Having to juggle the EAE applications and interviews along with my current secondary school work was quite challenging, so time management is quite important as well. Whether I got into the course I wanted or not, I was grateful for this new learning experience and I believe it will benefit you in many ways. I wish everyone who is going for this route good luck!
