AmCham BLP

It was sembreak last year when a classmate of mine posted in our fb group a message passed on by kuya Kurt Sabate about the AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) application. He encouraged our class to apply for the program because it is, as he said, a life-changing experience. What motivated me to apply was the rare opportunity of meeting the country's top CEOs and visiting the different firms (aside from the interesting discussions) and most of all, it's all fully-funded by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines! I immediately texted kuya Kurt that night that I'm interested in applying for the program and afterwards, he sent me the application kit.

The AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) aims to make tomorrow’s leaders aware of the contributions of multinational businesses to the country’s development. It is a week-long annual program for university students, consisting of company visits, meetings with CEOs, and a mentored business project. This year's BLP will be held on April 11-19, 2015.

(Read more about AmCham BLP here: http://www.amchamblp.com/about/history/)

The application process consists of 3 phases; afterall, it is a very competitive program, accepting only 30 students from hundreds of nominations from all over the nation's top universities.

First Phase:

For me, the first phase of the application process is the most tiresome one; this stage will test how determined you are to join. This phase involves completing the rigorous application form. Mind you, it's not merely a one-page basic information form, it also includes an essay consisting of two questions (p.s. It's not purely subjective, it requires thorough research and analysis too), a recommendation letter from the dean, a resume of extra-curricular activities with certifications as supporting evidences, a copy of the latest transcript of records (TOR), a certification of the latest GPA/QPI, and a student declaration contract.

Firstly, I have requested a copy of my TOR and certification of latest QPI at the registrar since this will take 2 weeks to process. After that, I made a list of my extra-curricular activities and took note of those which needed certifications and immediately started working on them. Then I started researching information for the questions in the essay. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish the entire application (from getting signatures to making essays). Two days before the deadline, I emailed the scanned copy of my application and mailed the original files to AmCham Office in Makati.

Second Phase:

It was last week of January when I received an email from Ms. Pinky (BLP Coordinator) that I passed the first phase. She told me to be ready for the next one and take note of the requirements needed. I was so happy and at the same time nervous because the next phase consisted of an interview and online exam. Furthermore, according to kuya Kurt, he didn't even finish the test which made more anxious.

I was scheduled for an assessment last February 11, but a problem arose, and it was then rescheduled to Feb. 13. (Note: Comply STRICTLY with the requirements given in the email. Especially the requirement wherein you must be at school premises and monitored by a proctor.)

Luckily, we (Ate Marion, a fellow applicant and a senior of mine in BSA) were allowed by Sir Pol Medina (Accountancy Program Chair & School Coordinator for BLP) to use the SBG computer laboratory for our assessment during the activity period with a laboratory assistant to monitor us.

The skype interview was conducted by a consultant from John Clements Inc, it was strictly in English, and was not so easy to answer. The questions were more about leadership and my opinion on different matters regarding national economic issues. It lasted for about an hour! Then, the online exam was given by another consultant. It was in 2 parts and timed at each part. The exam mainly assessed our general reasoning skills, oral, and analytical proficiency. Because of the unstable internet connection, my teamviewer kept crashing, and when I have logged-in again after several attempts, the time was almost up.

Final Phase

I was losing hope after the second phase since I'm not sure if I satisfactorily answered the questions during the interview and if I passed the tests I didn't even finish.. and so when I received an email that I passed and was scheduled for the final assessment, I can't contain my joy. It was indeed an unexpected one.

The final phase was a panel interview to be conducted by members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Davao. I was scheduled for Feb. 28 assessment at the Davao City Chamber of Commerce Building. 

I arrived earlier than the communications coordinator and changed to my formal corporate attire. Ms. Annie from AmCham Davao arrived later and told me that I was the only one from Davao who passed and is scheduled for an interview (contrary to the normal 5-6 students they annually interview) and because of this, only one member from the Chamber would conduct my interview.

The interview had a friendlier atmosphere than last time. Dr. Joy, a member of AmCham Davao, was very accomodating and non-threatening. She gave me adequate time to think and talk. She was also very responsive to my answers, frequently giving side comments and recommendations. The questions were also more on leadership especially in the business sector. Because I had various experiences in conducting activities because of my affiliations in many organizations,  answering the questions was not a problem at all.

The interview with Dr. Joy lasted for almost 2 hours. After the interview, she immediately told me that I passed the screening and that she expects for a great performance in the BLP and even after that.

I received the official email of acceptance from Ms. Pinky a week later. I was very blessed to be selected as one of the 30 student-participants from top universities in the whole nation.

Now, I'm beginning the countdown for this life-changing experience. Only two weeks left before I depart for the program which I have only dreamed of passing before.

I will also share my experiences after the program in this blog, but for now, all I can do is wait and prepare :)