COMEXUS Interview Questions
This post expands on my previous blog post: My COMEXUS Interview Experience
Naturally, each semi-finalist’s interview experience will vary depending on their program and field of study, from Fulbright scholars to Fulbright ETA and master’s students. As a classical pianist seeking an independent study grant in the performing arts, I received fairly specialized interview questions. Looking back over the questions I was asked, I would organize them into the following generic categories that likely apply to other fields beyond the arts:
Technical or academic questions relating to your field of work and research
Philosophical questions relating to your vision for your Fulbright year
Degree and career questions relating to your past accomplishments and how they relate to your Fulbright year
Logistical questions relating to how you will organize your time during your year abroad and how you will relate to your affiliate organization
Planning questions relating to how you will share your research and experience upon your return home
Across two years of applying for the Fulbright-García Robles grant to Mexico, I came to expect pointed - even blunt - questions (both at the fall campus interviews and the spring semi-finalist interviews). I was blindsided by this the first time around but eventually learned that such questions are purposeful and constructive. They force me to interrogate my ideas and assumptions about my project. Furthermore, they demonstrate my temperament to the panel: do I get flustered when I receive a complex question? Am I able to gather my thoughts and ask for clarification, if needed?
While they may not be enjoyable, tough questions are beneficial and help improve a project. My 2022 COMEXUS interview felt more difficult than the following year’s interview. This may have simply been due to the fact that I had prior experience and some idea of what to expect the second time around, though I do feel the questions were harder the first year.
If you find it helpful to read through my interview questions, you will likely also enjoy reading through my responses to these questions, which you can find at this post:
Now, let’s get to the questions! All questions were posed in Spanish, though I list them here in English:
2022 Interview
Your project involves studying music from around a century ago. How is this relevant to culture today?
As a white U.S. citizen studying and teaching Mexican music, how do you avoid cultural appropriation?
Do you consider your aspiration to bring Mexican music to the United States as a performer and teacher musical “colonialism”? How will you contribute to Mexico rather than simply taking from Mexico?
2023 Interview
Talk to us more about your vision for this project and its use in the music pedagogy world.
It has been one year since you first applied for a Fulbright grant to Mexico, and your project seems mostly the same. How have you strengthened your application since last time?
A technical question: what similarities and differences do you notice between Frédéric Chopin’s ballades for piano and Manuel M. Ponce’s Balada Mexicana?
How will you continue to develop and expand your relationship with your affiliate organization during your grant year?
How much do you really want this scholarship? Will you pursue this project in some form even if you don’t get the award?
Considering your relatively short stay in Mexico, how will you balance your time between research and performance?
Upon your return to the U.S., how do you plan to share your project and what you have learned about Mexican piano repertoire?
Thank you for reading! I hope these details are helpful and make their way to this year’s semi-finalists. If that is you, please drop a comment!👇 I would be thrilled to hear from you and am happy to address your questions about the COMEXUS interview process in a future blog post.
This blog (www.melissaterrallpiano.com/blog) is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.