INTERVIEW

Preparation Interview Questions Mock Session

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Preparation
• First, tour the scholarship or university’s website. Click and click and click. Read the
mission statement. You’ll learn what the scholarship and/or the university stand for.
Knowing what is important to the scholarship committee/university will help you
communicate that you’re a good match and a worthy recipient of the scholarship funds.

• Next, prepare a response to “Tell me about yourself.” That’s probably the first thing an
interviewer will say to you in an individual interview. Begin with where you’re from.
Then go on to make a statement or two about your family. You might add why you want
to attend the university. Then share information about yourself that is not in your
scholarship application. What have you enjoyed about high school? What do you do for
fun? What part of college life are you looking forward to?
• Prepare a written response then run it by your favorite teacher. Ask for honest
feedback. Then, convert the paragraph to bullet points with simple words and
brief phrases you can remember without memorizing them. Limit your response
to two minutes. Practice, practice, practice until you are comfortable talking
about yourself

• Search online for typical scholarship interview questions. There are thousands! Have
your parents or a friend ask you question after question. It’s not enough to just look at
and think about questions. You need to hear yourself giving answers.

At least a week ahead of
time, plan what you’re
going to wear. Ladies,
interviews call for
dressing professionally
which doesn’t necessarily
mean “dressing up.” This
is not the time to add
extra jewelry or lace,
wear higher than usual
heels, or polish your nails
with a bright color. A
clean and well-pressed
suit or dress is fine.
Preparation
Arrive at least 20 minutes
The day of the interview:
early. Locate the building
Wake up in plenty of time.
where the interviews will take
Eat breakfast. Include
place. Talk to the student
protein. You don’t want to
waiting to interview after
crash from a coffee and
you. Drink water. Take deep
carbs start to the day.
breaths. Do something to
keep from adding to your
Talk to somebody! Your
anxiety while you wait.
mom or dad, the clerk at
. If it is online, then plan to
the convenience store,
set up your laptop or 3
anybody will do. Just don’t
smartphone 20 minutes
let the interview be the first
before the interview and have
time you’ve made a sound
another hotspot ready in case
that day.
your internet stops working.
Interview Questions
Be yourself. Be honest and be yourself. They want to get to know you. If you’re
from a tiny town or rural area, they don’t expect you to have the same high
school experiences that the student from a city has. Don’t just say what you
THINK the interviewer WANTS to hear.
“Yes” or “no” answers are rarely appropriate, but rambling answers make
interviewers uncomfortable. I can’t think of any answer that should take more
than 30 seconds. Avoid typical responses. If human trafficking is the trending
answer to “what social cause concerns you?” you should mention climate
change, water quality, or the foster system – anything other than human
trafficking. You don’t want your answers to be a “ditto” to the answers the
interviewers have already heard.
Think of responses to typical questions that will set you apart from other
applicants. Draw your responses from your personal experiences. This
takes reflection on your part and is the main reason you should prepare
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responses several days before the interview. Some students are
reflective by nature. Even if you aren’t, you can develop the reflective
way of thinking. “Why have you decided to major in American History?”
“History’s always been easy for me” is a quick answer. A more thoughtful
response that tells the interviewer something about you is: “I
volunteered in the local museum last summer. I enjoyed learning more
details about my town’s history, and I found out I was pretty good at
communicating my passion for history to others.”
 Interview Questions
• Why did you apply for this scholarship?
• What makes you stand out from other candidates?
• How will you contribute to your community?
• Tell us about one event or person in your life that
shaped you?
• Talk about your academic achievements/aspirations?
• Talk about your community involvement?
• Tell us about yourself.
• Tell us about your current educational and career
goals?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• How do you spend your free time outside of class?
• What is a skill or experience you don't possess now
but hope to leave college with?
• Tell me about a personal achievement that makes
you proud?
• Tell me about a mistake you made and what you
learned from it?
• Who has influenced your life and why?
• Why do you think you're an excellent candidate for
this scholarship?
• What are characteristics of a good leader?
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• Is there a leader that you are influenced by, why?
• Could you talk about the essay you wrote?
 Interview Questions
• 1. What extracurricular activities or community service
involvement have you participated in?
• Much like, “Tell me about yourself,” this question is almost
guaranteed to come up in your interview. The interviewer is
looking for a well-rounded applicant who will be active in and out
of the classroom. Discuss a meaningful activity you take part in
outside of academics. Then share what drew you to it and how it
adds fullness to your life and impacts others.
• 2. Discuss a time when you made a mistake.
• Life is full of challenges. Sometimes, you make mistakes. This
question analyzes how you deal with personal shortcomings. Are
you self aware, or do you deny responsibility? To impress the
interviewer, discuss when you messed up and share how you
solved the problem or made amends. Then, talk about what you
learned from it.
• Make sure you choose a mistake that is not too personal. For
instance, mentioning your failure to ask for help when taking on a
large project is more appropriate than talking about a mistake you
made in a romantic relationship.
• 3. What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest
weakness?
• This is another question that allows the interviewer to gauge your
level of self-awareness. You should discuss a strength that you can
demonstrate via a story or past activity. For instance, stating that
your strength is perseverance and then discussing how you rose
above many challenges and maintained a high GPA is powerful.
• When it comes to weaknesses, don’t pretend to be perfect. Select
a real weakness, then discuss how you’re addressing this
weakness. For more tips on discussing strengths and weaknesses,
search common scholarship interview questions.
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• 4. How would earning this scholarship impact your college
experience?
• Discuss why you are a deserving candidate for this scholarship.
Would this award allow you to pursue leadership positions on
campus rather than taking on a job to pay for school? Is there a
unique reason that you deserve this scholarship? Share an honest
and compelling answer with the interviewer.
 Interview Questions
• 1. What is your proudest accomplishment?
• Many students feel the need to be modest about what they’ve
achieved. While you don’t want to come across as cocky, it’s okay
to talk about your accomplishments and discuss why you are proud
of them. The interviewer wants to know about your work ethic and •
how you view success. Be sure to discuss why this achievement
means a lot to you and how you could reach it.
• 2. Tell me about a person who you look up to. Why do they inspire
you?
• Who you look up to says a lot about what you value in life.
Showcase who inspires you and provides clear examples of actions
this person has taken that you appreciate. This type of question is a •
great opportunity to tell a story that sticks in the interviewer’s
mind. If you select someone well-known, be sure that the person is
not in conflict with the college’s values or organization you’re
interviewing with.
• 3. Imagine yourself five years from now. What are you doing?
• This question might cause your heart rate to increase. Take a deep
breath. Interviewers understand that students are still figuring out
plans. The point of this question is to determine whether you have
a forward-looking mindset. Are you the type of person who floats
along in life or formulates goals and takes action?
4. Why do you deserve this scholarship?
• There’s a very high probability you’ll be asked this question. So why
not formulate a great answer ahead of time? In your answer:
• Include a reason that’s different from what others will likely say. For
example, “I am a hard worker” might be accurate, but it’s
unoriginal.
Explain how you connect to or embody the values of the award.
Pick one specific trait that you possess and demonstrate how it 7
aligns with the mission of the college.
• Discuss a challenge or hardship that you have overcome and how
that has prepared you for upcoming challenges.
• These are just a few of the ways you can approach this question.
Feel free to tailor your answer to showcase your unique points of
differentiation.
Criteria
Interview Questions Total Points
Interview Questions 80 80
Poise (comfortable, composed, confident, 5
eye contact)

Ability to communicate (clarity of thought, 5

articulation, and engaging to panel)

Appearance (neat, clean, well-groomed, 5 8

appropriately dressed)
Attitude (greets panel, no interruptions, says 5
"thank-you", interested, enthusiastic)
Dear [insert name],

I wanted to take a moment and say thank you for the

opportunity to interview for [insert scholarship name]
yesterday. It was wonderful hearing more about the scholarship
and organization [or school]. Discussing my goal [insert goal]
made me really enthusiastic and I look forward to hearing [the
panel’s] decision.

[Optional: write something personal that you connected on]

All the best,

[Your name]
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Relax! Enjoy! You
belong here! You’ve been
invited to interview
because you have the
characteristics and
accomplishments the
university/scholarship
committee wants to 10
acknowledge and honor.
Mock Session
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