Scene to read · Motivation, Resilience
Twelve months, guaranteed
You are a master's student who must choose your thesis project by the end of this meeting.
Your funding ends in fourteen months. In the research group's meeting room, your supervisor, Miriam, whose grant renewal next year depends partly on students finishing on time, and Hema, an undergraduate labmate, are reviewing your two outlines: analyzing the group's existing survey data, or building a new statistical model from scratch.
The scene
Miriam: The survey project reuses our data. You'd defend in twelve months, guaranteed.
Hema: You'd learn nothing new, though. The modeling one teaches skills you've never touched.
Miriam: And if the model fails in month ten, you're unfunded and unfinished.
Hema: Then plan for it. Otherwise you'll finish with exactly the skills you started with.
The two questions
- 1Which project would you choose, and what would you say to Miriam and Hema?
- 2Describe a time you chose between an option you knew you could do and one that would stretch you. What did you learn?
What raters look for
- Motivation
- Shows genuine, sustained drive and a clear reason for choices, including when work is unglamorous.
- Resilience
- Recovers from setbacks, manages stress constructively, and learns from failure.
Answer scenarios like this on the real timers
Answer both questions on the clock, and get each one scored 1–9 the way raters score. Your first set is free, no card.
Practice free
