APPROX.

POSSE PROCESS TIMELINE

*Things may look a little different on this document then what you might experience
because my DAP process was virtual, compared there now being an in person format again.
If you want to know more about how the process is in person I suggest talking with
someone who went through DAP in the last 1-2 years*
SUMMER: Setting up your Posse Nominated portal
● Be sure to reflect your interests accurately
● Research schools that Posse teams up with that you are interested in
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER: Round I of DAP (Dynamic Assessment Process)
● Large group interview setting (in my first round there were about ~110 kids in my Zoom)
● The interview will be split into two parts
○ Part I: Facilitating Discussion (30-40min)
■ You will be put into smaller groups (I believe there were 6 students in my
group) and you will each take turns facilitating a discussion for 5 mins
each
■ Topics for discussion are deep and thoughtful for example “Discuss why
the issue of access to education is important in impoverished
communities”
■ Be mindful of involving everyone in the conversation to share their
thoughts when it is your turn to facilitate, ask someone to share their
thoughts if they are being a little more reserved, sometimes students
decide to read their topic and call on someone else to share their thoughts
before they speak their own
■ Remember when you are the one facilitating the discussion that you
control the atmosphere and flow of the discussion, facilitating does not
mean only you are sharing your opinion on the topic, but assisting the flow
for everyone to share their ideas
○ Part II: Short Essay Timed Write (20-25min)
■ You will be given a variety of prompts to choose from or you can make up
your own prompt (ex. I chose a prompt that was given that was something
along the lines of “Who is a leader that you look up to? Why? How do you
try to embody that leader?”
■ Write what truly your heart desires because that comes across on paper,
don’t choose a prompt that you feel like will stand out simply because it
will resonate with the judges, this is about you and your interests/passions
OCTOBER: Round II of DAP (No more than 30min)
● This is a 1 on 1 interview with someone from Posse and this is your time to shine!
○ Before this round on your portal you will be asked to rank the schools you would
like to be matched with and why, so before this not only will we be completing
 mock interviews, but also doing a more in depth research of schools (you will be
asked why those schools again in the interview)
● The interviewer is gonna want to know you, your story, and your goals
○ I know that people sometimes before will write out a list of like stuff that they felt
was most important in showing who they are, what they do, because they want to
make sure they are able to touch upon that with the interviewer
● Asked to rank the schools you would like to be matched with and why, you may be asked
to rank a minimum of 5 schools on the portal, but this time around only list the schools
you would truly be okay with going if you were to be matched with
○ In my portal I believe I listed Tulane, Northwestern, Middlebury, Pepperdine,
University of Wisconsin. However, during my interview I only listed Tulane,
Northwestern, and Middlebury because I knew those were the only ones I would
be comfortable attending should I match.
NOVEMBER: Application Drop Off
● After DAP Round II yay you did it and you matched with a school! Of course should you
be unhappy with the school you matched with and decide it is not for you, you can
decline and your journey with Posse will end here.
● If you decide to move forward you will now be asked to complete the Common App
application for the school that you matched with in about a week.
○ This includes getting your letters of recommendation, doing your personal
statement, and completing supplemental questions for the school. Because this is
very demanding and in a time crunch I recommend you get a head start on your
other applications, personal statement, and getting LOR as you will have to meet
this deadline and keep up with the demands of school.
○ DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION! You are simply completing it so you
are ready to press submit. For that reason, I say do not get a headstart on a full
application, only your personal statement since you don’t know what school you
are matched with yet, so you don’t know which supplemental questions you need
to work on. However, please, please, please do not procrastinate working on this
and show up to your assigned meeting time prepared.
● You will then meet with someone from Posse and you will go over your application in its
entirety. Yes, they will be going through your essays and just making sure they are the
best that they can be because they want you to succeed! By the end of this meeting you
will be submitting your Common App for your matched schools.
DECEMBER: Round III of DAP (~3hours)
● This interview is also in a group setting however, only with the 20 other finalists for your
same school. Representatives from Posse and the school that you matched with will be
overseeing this meeting. Don’t worry you will be getting a break halfway through
● Part I: MicroLabs
○ You are put into a breakout room with about 5 other students
 ○ A Posse and school rep will each ask you a question and you have 30 seconds to
respond and you cannot go over that allotted time once the person says “switch”
the next student then shares their response
○ So in a round 2 questions are asked, one from the Posse rep and one from the
school rep, and everyone answers each question. At the end the Posse rep and
school rep will then move to a new breakout room and a new Posse rep and
school rep will enter and again the cycle begins. This happens about 6 times.
● Part II: Scenario Workshop
○ Again you are put into a small group and this time given an on campus scenario
and figure out with your group, how would you approach such a scenario
○ An example of a scenario is a speaker is invited on campus but is known to be
anti LGBTQ. Some students feel that this speaker should not be allowed because
they do not reflect the morals of the school, however a conservative group on
campus says the speaker should be allowed because of freedom of speech. How
would you as a student leader approach this situation?
○ You are given 5 minutes to create a 2 min “presentation” of your group’s approach
Everyone in your group has to talk. You will then present your approach to the
whole group and will be asked by the group at least 2 further questions

*ATTN: Keep in mind in between there may be little worksheets or things Posse needs you to
complete in between the steps listed above*

SHECCID’S WORDS OF ADVICE

● Remember a lot goes into considering a school that is right for you, not just which one is
ranked the best on U.S. News! Personally for me, some large factors that I considered
were location, weather, school and social life balance, extra curriculars the school
offered, locations of study abroad, and a breadth of good programs that the school offers
that way I have flexibility in changing my major should I decide to do that. At the end of
the day the name of the school is irrelevant to what you actually get your degree in and
all Posse schools are amazing schools!
● Dress the part! Of course you are going to want to listen to this more if you are doing
DAP in person, but in my opinion you have nothing to lose from dressing professionally.
If anything it shows how seriously you are taking this process and people from Posse
want to see that! Even if you show up and see that maybe other people are dressed in
regular clothes, trust me it is never a wrong move to dress the part.
● Follow given deadlines! It is critical that you follow the given deadlines from Posse and
if you can’t make a deadline be sure to communicate that with Posse IN ADVANCE not
at the time of the deadline. I am just gonna be honest, it reflects poorly on you if you do
not meet the deadlines. Posse wants people that are all in and take this opportunity
 seriously. From something as big as showing up to an interview on time to turning in a
Posse consent form please please please do not slack.

PROS CONS

● Mentorship! Mentors are gonna be ● This scholarship is only full tuition not
your best friend and will be your full ride, meaning you will still have to
guiding lights cover room and board however room
● Support services! Not only do you get and board costs can be covered by
the support services of your school FAFSA if you qualify or other
like tutoring and career center, but you scholarships
get that within Posse as well! It is
amazing trust me
● PCT-Pre Collegiate Training! This
program once you are a scholar gets
you prepped for college, especially
college writing! This helps you feel
adequate in your skills and go into
college confident you will succeed
● The Posse Scholar Name! You get a
lot of perks just being a scholar, it
automatically makes you stand out on
your resume because that is how
highly viewed the posse name is! Also
you get perks being on campus for
example registering for your campus
before anyone else!
● Your Possemates! You are going to
this college with a group of other
students that you will grow a
relationship with during PCT and
beyond! You are not being alone and
will have people to depend on along
the way
● Other programs! Look into other
things that Posse offers such as the
Jeff Ubben Fellowship, Graduate
Partnerships, company partnerships,
and alumni network!