Successful

Scholarship Interviews
Does the mere thought of participating in an interview send you into a cold sweat?
Don’t worry, you are not alone. Many students get nervous when it comes to those
face-to-face interactions, especially when there is significant college money on the
line.

1. Be Prepared
Would you go to an employment interview without doing some background
research on the company? Of course not, and the same should be true for your
scholarship interviews. Make sure to review the scholarship provider’s mission
statement, community involvement, and recent news. It also helps to check out the
people who will be interviewing you. LinkedIn is a great place to look up
professional profiles and see if you share any common interests. You’ll want to
review your application packet again and bring along extra copies of your résumé,
as well. Be sure to write down a few questions for the interviewer or panel, too.
Finally, take time to practice answering some of the typical questions you may be
asked during your interview. Here are a few that are commonly used:
• Tell us about yourself.
• What is your biggest weakness?
• Give an example of a time you overcame adversity.
• Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
• What three words would you use to describe yourself?
• Why do you think you deserve this scholarship?

The last one is always difficult to answer without sounding like a pompous you-
know-what, but don’t let it throw you. You should, however, avoid rattling off a
laundry list of accomplishments and awards. Instead, use something personal to
give the interviewer or panel insight into who you really are and why you would
be the best choice for the award. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to
handle just about any question thrown at you.

3. Be On Time
Before you attend your scholarship interview, be sure you add the scholarship
provider’s address to your GPS or look up the directions online. This will give you
an estimate of how long it will take to arrive at your destination. Give yourself
plenty of extra time to deal with unexpected situations, such as traffic or parking
issues, to ensure you do not arrive late. You should also jot down the name of your
interviewer and ask for him/her by name when you arrive. Nothing screams
"unprepared" like showing up for a meeting and not remembering who you are
supposed to meet. If you are running behind, please call ahead and let them know
you will be late. This will give the scholarship provider the option of pushing back
your interview or rescheduling it, if necessary. It’s never good to show up late, but
it’s even worse to do so without giving the provider fair warning.

4. Think Before You Speak
It’s important to listen during your interview and not anticipate questions, as this
could lead to some unfavorable results. Once a question has been asked, respond in
a clear and concise manner. Stay on topic and do not ramble. Be sure to make eye
contact and enunciate! Above all else, answer all questions honestly. Interviewers
can tell when you are embellishing or making up answers to impress them.

5. Be Yourself
It can be intimidating trying to impress complete strangers, but here’s something
you should know — you've already impressed them. If they didn't see something
remarkable or unique about you, you wouldn't have been selected for an interview.
Walk into your meeting with confidence, smile, and be yourself. You've worked
hard to get here, so enjoy the moment. It’s not always easy to judge whether or not
your interview has gone well. On more than one occasion, I have left an interview
certain that the scholarship committee was not interested in me, only to find out
later that I was selected for the award. Most interviewers will keep a stoic face and
not give away their true feelings. Don’t let this influence your responses or
behavior during the meeting. Always conduct yourself as though you are the best
candidate and deserving of the award.

General questions & plans for the future:
•How did you become interested in your major?
•What influenced your choice of this major?
•How did you become interested in your focus area?
•Have you traveled abroad before? If so, where? What have you learned in
your travels?
• What have you learned about yourself as you've been a student at BYU?
• What do you hope to accomplish while at graduate school?
• What are your educational/academic goals? What are your future career
plans? How do you plan to use your studies to achieve your future career
plans?
• What would you do if you didn't receive the fellowship?
• What do you envision yourself doing in 10 years?
• What will you do with your degree in the long run?
Why will this scholarship help you in your career goals?

Hooks from application--Know your application & review your
essays
• You wrote in your application that you read poetry. What kind of poetry do
you read? Who's your favorite poet?
• You said you like reading classics. What is one classical novel you recently
read and did not like?
• I see your transcript includes ______ (a low grade, an odd course, etc.). Tell
me about this.
• I see in your application that you're fluent in ______. Translate this statement
and tell me who said it.
• How would you be a good _______ as a ______ Scholar?
• What can you tell me about the person this scholarship is named for?

Questions about recommendations and choice of recommenders
• Your high school principal wrote one of your recommendations. I'm always
suspicious of applicants who need to go all the way back to high school to
 find someone who can say something good about them. What do you say to
that?
• Your adviser wrote that you did significant research on Dean Acheson and
three Ambassadors to Yugoslavia. After doing this research, do you think
people make history? And if so, discuss if history would have been different
if Stevenson had defeated Eisenhower in 1956, Nixon had defeated
Kennedy in 1960, and Dukakis had defeated Bush in 1988.
• One of your advisers has written a lot about health care policy. Do you agree
with his ideas, and if so, in one sentence, how should these ideas be
implemented?
• One of your letter writes uses B.C.E. and C.E. Please define B.C., A.D., B.C.E.,
and C.E. Which do you prefer and why?

Research/Topics in your field--Be prepared to talk about your
work and that of others
• I saw in your application that you intend to ______. Can you give us some
examples, outside of your own research, of some successful studies in this
field?
• Can you explain exactly what techniques or methods your propose to use in
your research?
• What do you think will be the big thing happening in your field in the next
ten years?
• Tell me about your honors thesis topic and describe the research methods
you propose to use in your research.
Is there anyone you would specifically like to work with?

Questions about a student's choice of university and degree
choice
• What graduate schools/programs have you been accepted into?
• Why do you want to do postgraduate study now, as opposed to in two or
three years?
• Is there anyone that you are specifically looking forward to working with?
• You say you want to study for a PhD in X, yet your university does not have
department of X. How are you qualified for this?
• You say you want to study for a PhD in X, yet the majority of your
preparation is in Y. How are you qualified?

Questions about your personality or how you spend your time
• What do you do for fun when you're not studying, doing research, or
performing community service?
• I see you've accomplished some amazing things in your short life. In what
areas do you think you can improve?
• I see you've done a lot of community service. Which service project are you
most proud of and why?
• I also assume you've been involved in some leadership experiences. Please
describe your most meaningful leadership experience and explain why it
was most meaningful.
• What kind of music do you listen to?
 • What is a novel or book that you've read for pleasure recently and like, and
why did you like it?
• How would you define life? And what is your position on abortion? What is
more important--someone agreeing with you on these issues or someone
figuring out their own stance on these issues?
• What is your "Top 5 " list for the following? Favorite novels, favorite non-
fiction books, favorite movies, favorite contemporary political leaders,
favorite historical political leaders.
• What would you do if you won a billion dollars in the lottery?
• You have a strong desire to give back to the world. Where does this desire
come from? Your family, religion or somewhere else?
• If someone was writing your obituary, what would you want it to say, and
what work of literature would it quote?
• What is your philosophy on service that keeps you dedicated to it?

They may give you an opportunity to say whatever you want, so
be ready.
• Do you have anything else to add?
• Why should you be one of the 10 people to get this scholarship?