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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/13/2008
Posts: 12
Location: Toronto
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hey guys,
does anyone know if local awards ($4000) have been given out yet for millenium?
if it helps, i live in toronto
thanks!
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Rank: Valedictorian
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 611
Location: Mississauga, ON / Montreal, QC
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Yeah it was given out a few weeks ago
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 130
Location: Canada
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they're all gone...
Wordsworth
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/21/2008
Posts: 33
Location: Nova Scotia
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Yea, they were given out a few weeks ago...i was lucky enough to recieve one  heres a tip for future scholarships....BS your way through the phone interview ;)
University of Toronto Arts/Sci 2012!! -Trinity College-
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Rank: Student Body President
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 1,213
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yeah being able to do really well in a phone interview is huge...i've never really done well in phone interview situations...i get nervous really quickly because I can't see how someone else is reacting to what I say so i tend to speak really quickly and stumble over my words. In-person interviews I always end up doing better so I really hate doing over-the-phone ones...it's just got some sort of stumbling block for me that regular interviews don't.
as for BS'ing, if you're able to really explain your activities in great detail, that's good but i think people who are seasoned interviewers would pick up on that...if you've done enough and can just explain them reasonably well (e.g. instead of saying, "i did relay for life" explain that "I was one of the main organizers of the event, I planned and MC'd the school assembly, I helped manage the money, I spent all my after schools working on this for a month, etc" then that would probably get you further than simply exaggerating a not-so-great position. Like in all aspects of life, if you've got it, flaunt it. If you don't, well then you'd have to be a really good pretender. But in most cases they'll be able to tell
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/6/2008
Posts: 184
Location: QC
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I agree that in-person interviews are a lot easier than over the phone ones.
I was so nervous for my phone interview and thought I had answered really badly, so I was really happy when I got the award.
Also, for interviews in general, when giving information about activities you've done, give details. It adds credibility and makes it sound like you know what you were doing.
And try to avoid the typical "perfect" responses or the ones that make you look too good. Such as when they ask "describe an interpersonal problem you have had in a leadership position" don't answer "I've never had a problem with anybody."
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/21/2008
Posts: 33
Location: Nova Scotia
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Redrose27 wrote:yeah being able to do really well in a phone interview is huge...i've never really done well in phone interview situations...i get nervous really quickly because I can't see how someone else is reacting to what I say so i tend to speak really quickly and stumble over my words. In-person interviews I always end up doing better so I really hate doing over-the-phone ones...it's just got some sort of stumbling block for me that regular interviews don't.
as for BS'ing, if you're able to really explain your activities in great detail, that's good but i think people who are seasoned interviewers would pick up on that...if you've done enough and can just explain them reasonably well (e.g. instead of saying, "i did relay for life" explain that "I was one of the main organizers of the event, I planned and MC'd the school assembly, I helped manage the money, I spent all my after schools working on this for a month, etc" then that would probably get you further than simply exaggerating a not-so-great position. Like in all aspects of life, if you've got it, flaunt it. If you don't, well then you'd have to be a really good pretender. But in most cases they'll be able to tell Yes, you're definitely right about needing experience in something in order to BS it...but sometimes if you actually are involved in an activity, its not hard to stretch the truth a little or make yourself sound better than u actually are if you know what the typical responsibilities of someone in your position are. For example, i'm the editor of our school newspaper and i literally do nothing, but i know what a good editor is supposed to do, and you kinda just regurgitate to the interviewer what an ideal editor would be doing lol. Also, heres something else...most people do volunteer work or community service just for the resume (dont lie, everyone does it to some degree ;)), but when they ask you why you do what you do, you dont say, "uhhh...it looks good on a resume..". Obviously, you'd BS your way through that question and explain how you like to give back to your communities through your volunteer work and all that jazz...so really, BS'ing isnt hard at all if you know what you're doing.
University of Toronto Arts/Sci 2012!! -Trinity College-
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Rank: Valedictorian
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/7/2008
Posts: 566
Location: toronto
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Phone interviews suck. I actually got like, hardcore nervous for my millenium. I was fine in a like 9 on 1 in person for TD tho
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/29/2008
Posts: 3
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Interesting, I'm a little disappointed in the process for the Millenium scholarship... beyond an e-mail I received a while back, all I knew was that recipients would be contacted by May 1st. When my sponsor and I received no word, I assumed it meant I wasn't a recipient.
But I have a question or two... I'm assuming the interviews came after narrowing down the large pool of applicants. Still, people must have done some pretty amazing things, since I never even made it to that stage. I was just wondering, without giving out personal information of course, is there anyone who received the award who is willing to share if their application was more quantitative or qualitative?
I would really like to know for future reference, because I try to be as honest as possible in my applications and it hasn't gotten me very far financially. I suppose I'm very disappointed because I am in need of the money, and I have worked very hard my entire life, which apparently wasn't enough. Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/21/2008
Posts: 33
Location: Nova Scotia
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Hi Taeya, I dont have much time for a detailed post right now, but I'll tell you what I can. From my experiences with scholarships, its not how much volunteering or time spent on extracirriculars, but rather what kind you do. They are not looking for people who are just another "spoke in the wheel", so to say, but rather people who have initiative to start their own projects, clubs, etc. So basically, its better to have a leadership position in just two or three clubs, than to be a member or volunteer in about ten. Leadership is always an important part of any scholarship application...throughout my whole phone interview w/ millenium they kept asking me about my leadership roles in this and that. Another big thing is community service...as in doing something that helps out the people around you. I find a huge thing is peer tutoring or something to that extent. Something that shows that you care about others.
Anyway, my advice is to try and start a project (fundraiser, etc) or two within a larger organization, or start your own club in University. Leadership and initiative are very important characteristics of a good scholarship candidate. Also, dont forget to keep your marks up!
Good Luck!
University of Toronto Arts/Sci 2012!! -Trinity College-
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/6/2008
Posts: 184
Location: QC
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Same as ederoo, it's really more qualitative. The Foundation concentrates on two things: leadership and initiative. If you've led several activities that's good, if you've STARTED several things, that's even better. They like to see that you're not just taking over after someone else has left or started the pathway for you; they like to know that you're actually starting things on your own, finding needs in your community to be met, etc. This takes more effort and energy than merely volunteering for another organization.
In the phone interview, they asked a lot of questions about leadership: what kind of a leader are you, what would you do in this situation, and so on.
I've done a lot of things, but the actual things themselves were more important: tutoring, hospital volunteering (I helped lead the arts and crafts program), I'm executive of four clubs and an active member in about fifteen other organizations, I organized an AIDS walk (raised $600+), I organized a program to help Chinese immigrant children learn French and English, etc. etc.
(I've won the award twice now, a local and a provincial).
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Rank: Student Body President
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 1,213
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hey, i'm just curious how you've won an award twice? (unless one was the entrance and the other was an incourse?)
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/6/2008
Posts: 184
Location: QC
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Both were entrance.
I live in Quebec, so I applied when I graduated from high school two years ago (grade 11), and this year when I graduate from CEGEP (grade 13/first year university equivalent). Entrance award is available to both years, so I figured might as well apply to both.
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Rank: Student Body President
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 1,213
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sweet. so did you accept both then?
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/6/2008
Posts: 184
Location: QC
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Yeah, I went to a private CEGEP (the tuition costs more than McGill does T_T) so the Millennium was very helpful, and for the next few years, it'll be helpful paying for university.  Congratulations on your numerous awards/scholarships, by the way.
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 130
Location: Canada
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is the millennium in-course award CANCELED FOR next year b/c the foundation is being replaced?
Wordsworth
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Rank: Student Body President
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/4/2008
Posts: 1,213
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Username13 wrote:Yeah, I went to a private CEGEP (the tuition costs more than McGill does T_T) so the Millennium was very helpful, and for the next few years, it'll be helpful paying for university. Congratulations on your numerous awards/scholarships, by the way. thank you. congratulations on your multiple wins as well and wow that must've been an expensive cegep. just a question i've wondered. If you go to a cegep, do you still have to do the same amount of time in university as non cegep kids? and is it mandatory to do cegep if you're a quebec student and want to attend university? (as i understand qc high school finishes at around our grade eleven but i'm assuming so)
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/6/2008
Posts: 184
Location: QC
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Well, it wasn't TOO expensive; McGill's just very cheap for me since I'm a Quebec student.
If you go to CEGEP, then it's a year less of uni (for engineering, 3.5 years instead of 4.5), but only for Quebec universities. For Waterloo, for example, I can skip a few classes, but not a whole year (maybe up to a semester), but for UofT I can't skip anything (so it's like a year wasted).
I think it is mandatory to do CEGEP if you're a Quebec student and want to go to a Quebec university. If you want to go somewhere outside of Quebec, either you do one year of CEGEP or go straight to uni from high school with a few extra pre-courses to help prepare you a bit.
Or something like that.
And yeah, Quebec high school finishes at grade 11, and CEGEP ends at the equivalent of grade 13.
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