What advice do you give a 17-year-old facing an interview panel of a millionaire businessman, a Nobel laureate, and a former Defence chief, while vying for a $100,000 university scholarship? Just be yourself.
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That's the tip from Graham Tuckwell, who heads a multibillion-dollar investment company, is worth hundreds of millions himself, and earlier this year set up the Tuckwell Scholarship with a $50 million grant to the Australian National University.
Mr Tuckwell is in Canberra for a weekend of interviews with 70 students who made the shortlist for a pool of 25, five-year, $100,000 scholarships. More than 650 applied.
The students, who come from all the states and territories, will face three individual interviews and a group interview before an ANU panel that includes Mr Tuckwell, Nobel laureate astronomer Professor Brian Schmidt, ANU deputy vice-chancellor Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington, and former Defence chief Admiral Chris Barrie.
If the candidates are worried, they can take solace in Mr Tuckwell's own mix of excitement and fear. ''This is not a well-worn path for me, so I'll be just as scared as they will be,'' he said.
''What we'll be telling them tonight is 'guys, just be yourself because there's no magic formula to what we're looking for','' he said.
''If you pitch yourself as one thing, but you're actually really somebody else, it's not going to work, you're going to fall away.''
Mr Tuckwell said he was looking for ''innate smartness'' and for students who would ultimately use the opportunity to make a difference in the community.
Queensland student Chloe Badger arrived in Canberra on Friday, and while the cold was a shock, she said she was excited to make it through the long application process.
''Some of the questions were quite abstract - they asked what's your favourite room, what's the best compliment you've ever received … they were quite unusual questions, but they were quite fun to answer,'' Ms Badger said.
Elisa Lu, a student from Sydney who, in her application, said she occasionally dabbled in sarcastic stand-up comedy, saw the scholarship advertised in a newspaper and applied with the support of her friends and teachers.
''I'm not sure if I'm expecting to make it in, I'm really happy to get to this round. I didn't really think I'd get through the first round to be honest,'' she said.
Canberra student James Russell, who just completed an international baccalaureate in French, said he was looking forward to the weekend, regardless of the outcome.
''Yes, of course, there is a $20,000-a-year scholarship riding on it, but I've just been really pleasantly surprised at the amazingness of the group atmosphere and how pleasant everyone's been to each other. It's been absolutely superb,'' he said.
Mr Tuckwell and Professor Hughes-Warrington said there were some amazing stories among the applicants, including a student who studied violin by Skype, another who attended multiple campuses each week, and some students who had stoically endured through tragic circumstances.
Despite just 25 scholarship places open, Professor Hughes-Warrington said the ANU would encourage the others to apply for other university grants or scholarships. ''My aim is to make sure as many of them come to ANU because I tell you what, they are so special,'' she said.
Recipients of the scholarships will be announced on July 12.