The Interview
As stated before on this website, the application process for national
scholarships is an involved process. Oftentimes, national scholarship
competitions will require at least one face-to-face interview between
the candidate and the selection committee. Getting an interview
is a big step and a big deal. Not all applicants are invited to
an interview. So if you get an interview, this means that your
application has made it through the initial round of deliberations
and is now part of a smaller pool of applicants. Great! And yikes.
For while the competition pool is smaller, it is also stiffer.
More preparation will be needed.
If you get an interview, you should know that it is a great honor,
and you should be more excited and proud than stressed. But you will
also need to "train" for the experience. We at the National
Scholarship Resource Center are here to help you to prepare for the
interview. Be sure to get in touch with us as soon as you find out
so that, together, we can get you ready. Below you will find some
brief guidelines to get you started for the interview preparation.
- The Conversation -- The interviewing committee will be
interested in your capacity to engage in stimulating intellectual
dialogue that reveals your capacity to reflect on a variety of
topics and situations. The committee wants to see your mind working
and experience a unique and active intellectual curiosity, whether
it be about your topic of study, the country you propose to visit,
or current world political affairs. Study your personal essay and
be prepared to elaborate on what you've written in that essay.
Try to anticipate what kinds of questions you might be asked on
the basis of your personal statement. Know your current events
and be prepared to talk about national and international affairs.
The committee will not be interested in what view you hold, but
they will want to get a sense of you as an informed, engaged person.
Your views should be considered, measured, and well-thought-out.
If you have applied for a study-abroad grant and claim to have
proficiency in a language, be prepared to demonstrate that proficiency.
You may also be asked more general questions such as, "Who
was Cecil Rhodes?" "What are you currently reading?" or "Why
have you chosen to study chemistry at Stamford (and not, for example, MIT)?" Do
your best to anticipate what kinds of questions you might be asked.
- Your demeanor -- Your attitude should be positive and polite, although
you should not feel the need to temper your convictions and passion for your
studies and life goals. Your responses to questions should be relatively brief:
six to ten well-shaped sentences. If you find yourself drifting off into a
tangent, stop yourself, let the committee know that you could elaborate further
on the point later, and get back on track. You want to keep the committee interested
and your goal is to answer the question both substantively and directly. If
you are interrupted by an interviewer -- do not be thrown. Listen and
respond calmly. Interruptions can be good indicators of how you conduct
yourself in a high-level conversation, which is ultimately what the interview
is modeled after.
- Your dress and punctuality -- Wear understated, professional
dress and make sure you arrive with plenty of time to spare. Upon
arrival, find a bathroom and check your appearance in a mirror. Every
little detail counts and you do not want anything to detract from
your talents and accomplishments.
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