Scholarships are essential in the growth of a student. It could be considered as a monetary reward for a student’s hard work, perseverance, and exceptional academic achievements. No matter, if an individual is availing of the benefits of a scholarship at the middle, beginning, or even the later phase of his career, a scholarship is tough to avail amid a huge level of competition. Hence, it is necessary to prepare sincerely for a scholarship interview, which judges and examines your worthiness and credibility towards achieving a scholarship. Through this article, Prepmycareer provides you an expert guide as well as knowledge in relation to how you can ace your scholarship interview.
Best Tips To Ace Your Scholarship Interview
1. Dress Appropriately
The preparation for an interview session starts from your dress sense. If you are planning to wear a casual dress for your interview then you are in for some grave mistake. An improper dress, not only enables an interviewer to frame a negative opinion in your regard but also puts on display your utter lack of self-respect and low confidence level. By doing so, you will most certainly be out of the race, no matter how exceptional your academic achievements are or how valuable your work experience is. Hence, it is recommended from our side, that you always wear a proper business suit while attending a scholarship interview, which will reflect professionalism as well as your seriousness or commitment towards achieving success.
2. Control Anxiety Level
It is common for candidates to become nervous or anxious while attending an interview session. They may clamp, shiver or even behave awkwardly due to uncontrolled emotions of fear and anxiety. An interviewer completely understands and acknowledges your anxiety, but at the same time, he or she expects you to control it and deliver exceptional performance. You can control your anxiety and nervousness, by engaging yourself into:
- Consistent deep breathing exercises which will help you lower down your elevated breath rate
- Meditation, which will help you to stay away from negative thoughts. With consistent meditation you will begin focusing on the bright side, making you more optimistic.
- Positive or motivational self talk, which would increase your confidence level and will help you to deliver short,crisp and confident answers.
3. Don’t Just Eat Anything
A scholarship interview is a life-changing event in the journey of a student. If you are able to crack this interview, you are certainly bound to become successful and earn huge respect in life from family, friends, and certainly the entire world. Considering the importance and relevance of this session in the life of a student, we recommend you a list of foods, which must be avoided at all costs before appearing for a scholarship interview. These are explained in the table below:
| Particulars | Reason for avoidance |
| Onion | Onions are good for health and have the ability to reduce your body heat. But, these must be avoided before appearing for an interview session, because of their ability to create bad breath. Further, onions also contribute a lot in making your sweat a bit stinkier and smelly, which can go against you in an interview session. |
| Garlic | Cloves of Garlic are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, having the capacity to heal you quickly. But there is a major drawback with garlic. It can upset your guts which leads to the formation of excessive gas, giving you an urge to pass fart more frequently, accompanied by belching. This looks really awkward during an interview session and might be really embarrassing, making you lose focus and concentration. |
| High-Fat Foods | Avoid all the fat-rich foods such as burgers, pizzas, potato chips, french fries, cheese, etc. as due to their high-calorie content our body has to work very hard to digest them, making us feel sleepy and less attentive. In such a state, you will not be able to give crisp and to-the-point answers, putting your scholarship dreams at high stake. |
| Milk | In case you are lactose intolerant, please avoid consuming dietary products in any form. The last thing you want during an interview session is an upset stomach. Hence, avoid all the dietary items and prefer eating foods that are easier to digest. |
4. Practice Visualization
Visualization is a technique that is followed and implemented by some prominent celebrities, athletes, and other sportspeople to achieve success and recognition. Through this technique, they simply visualize the entire procedure that they are supposed to face, once they are in the middle of a field or at the stage. This not only helps them to control everything but also makes them better prepared for such an event. You can also use visualization to prepare for your scholarship interview. Just read and follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Imagine a foreign setting or place in which you are going to appear for your scholarship interview
- Imagine yourself going into the interview venue with high confidence and see yourself sitting besides the other candidates.
- Imagine yourself reading and revising the interview notes prepared by you.
- Visualize that your name has been called and you are entering the interview room
- Think that you are greeting your interviewer with a beaming smile reflecting confidence and positive attitude
- Visualize giving appropriate and crisp answers to every interview question asked by your interviewer
5. Attend Mock Interviews
Proper preparation not only gives you confidence but also improves the delivery of your answers. There are several online courses and websites that organize mock interviews for aspiring candidates. You can book your seat and prepare yourself more appropriately.
Some Common Questions Asked In Scholarship Interview
Like every interview, a scholarship interview also consists of some important questions that have the ability to examine your personality, attitude, and approach. However, there are a few questions that are quite relevant and important to this specific interview session. These questions are mentioned below for your better preparation and understanding:
1. Why You Need This Scholarship?
This is a common scholarship interview question and is asked in almost all such sessions. Financial issues and tough living conditions form the major part of this answer and since scholarship is nothing but a monetary reward, putting on display your strict financial position, is the best response to this question. Be confident and persuading while giving your answer as this will increase your chances of getting a scholarship considerably.
Sample Answer
Sir, since my childhood, I remember crawling with an injection in my hand, vaccinating all my family members and neighbors. I have always been interested in serving humanity and work towards the improvement and diagnosis of common illnesses and diseases. This along with my exceptional interest in Biology, urges me to become a doctor. However, as we all know, medical school is expensive, and given my current financial state, it is absolutely not feasible for me. This scholarship can open the gateway to my dreams and make me a better citizen, contributing to this world with medical skills and expertise.
2. Tell Me The Biggest Mistake That You Have Made Till Now.
This is a personality evaluating question and requires you to share any real-life event which embarrassed you or made you feel guilty. This way, an interviewer could be well aware of your body language as well as your approach to handling tricky situations.
Sample Answer
Sir, I remember when I was in high school, I missed an internship opportunity with a prominent business organization just because on the selection day, I wanted to watch my favorite baseball match. I still feel guilty over that missed opportunity, as almost all of my friends got admissions in some of the best colleges, as that internship provided them an edge over other candidates. This is the biggest mistake of my life, but we can not change the past, rather can learn from it. I have learned my lesson, and now I value almost every single opportunity, no matter big or small.
3. Where Do You See Yourself After Ten Years?
This is a common question asked repeatedly in a scholarship interview. Through this question an interviewer wants to judge, how good a visionary you are and do you have the capacity to fulfill your dreams and goals. Always share your realistic goals and ambitions, and any fancy answer must be strictly avoided.
Sample Answer
Sir, success does not come easy and I am completely aware of it. After ten years, I see myself in the senior management of an established business organization, making crucial business decisions while handling a staff of more than 20 employees. If I am able to obtain this scholarship, I will be able to complete my MBA with ease and will be able to fulfill my dreams and goals, with consistent hard work, perseverance, and commitment.
References
- https://meridian.allenpress.com/jgme/article-abstract/13/1/39/451600
- https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/jiuspa/article/view/32517
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
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