SCHOLARSHIP INTERVIEW BANK OF

QUESTIONS

BEFORE YOU READ THIS MAKE SURE YOU

TYPE/WRITE YOUR OWN ANSWER, MEMORIZE ALL OF

YOUR ANSWERS AND PRACTICING TO TELL YOUR

ANSWERS IN FRONT OF YOUR FRIENDS AS IF YOU

WERE BEING INTERVIEWED BEFORE THE REAL

INTERVIEW HAPPEN

MEMORIZING ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS MIGHT HELP

YOU DURING YOUR INTERVIEW SINCE YOU DON’T

HAVE TO TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO THINK OF THE

ANSWERS TO SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY

PREPARED HERE

THE KEY FOR A SUCCESS SCHOLARSHIP INTERVIEW IS

PREPARATION. NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU ARE,

WITHOUT A PROPER PREPARATION YOU COULD

BLOW OFF YOUR SCHOLARSHIP INTERVIEW IN JUST 5

MINUTES

BE CALM AND CONFIDENT DURING YOUR INTERVIEW,

TAKE A LONG BREATH BEFORE YOU GO TO THE

INTERVIEW ROOM AND MAKE YOURSELF

COMFORTABLE. BEING NERVOUS WILL ONLY MAKE

YOU FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING, INCLUDING YOUR

FULL NAME AND WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO THERE

1.Sample Scholarship Interview Questions BANK A

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 XXX?

♦ 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 intent 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?

Current events or hot political topics--Read a good newspaper; listen to opinion discussion

shows.

♦ Do you think everyone in America deserves healthcare? How should we provide healthcare to

the poor? How specifically can we encourage private industry to participate?

♦ I recently read about ______. What can you tell me about this?

♦ What do you think is the big thing happening in ______ in the next ten years?

♦ Do you think that a financially powerful nation could effectively alter the cultural norms of

another nation?

♦ What are your thoughts on US interventionism?

♦ You have one minute to tell the Prime Minister of India how to end religious violence. What

do you say?

♦ What should the U.S. do about the War on Terrorism?

♦ Do you believe in state sponsored assassinations, and if not, what about in the case of Hitler?

♦ Welfare reform seems like a good thing. Lots of poor people are working now, when they

weren't before. What do you think?

♦ Name what you think are the top five diplomatic achievements in the past decade.

♦ What is the biggest change you would make in government to improve its ethics?

♦ If a patient with late stage Alzheimer's had written a document requesting that his life no

longer be supported, what would you do? Follow up: What level of abuse in the system would be

enough to stop euthanasia: 10 in 100 or 5 in 100?

♦ Explain the importance of basic science (or some other topic) as if you were talking to a group

of lawmakers.

♦ What can you tell me about globalization (or AIDS, unilateralism/multilateralism, U.S. foreign

policy, etc.)?

♦ If there is an attack on the embassy where you're serving, what would be your plan of action?

♦ The ambassador asks you to write a cable about human rights in country X. How would you

go about completing this task?

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?

2. Sample Scholarship Interview Questions BANK B

Remember to knock before you enter. Introduce yourself with a firm handshake.

Tell me about yourself : This is a question common to every interview. The

interviewer would expect you to introduce yourself by name, family information,

school, area of interest and your reason for being here. Be confident in answering

this question; interviewers expect a fluent answer.

What are your strengths and weaknesses? : Similar to the first one. List out

your strengths; be watchful while listing weaknesses. Working too hard can be listed

as a weakness.

Your inspiration : It is important to have an inspiration in a scholarship interview.

Interviewers expect you to be inspired by former presidents, sportspersons or war

heroes. This aspect also helps in preparing for the interview speech.

Who is your favorite president? Why? : This is a question to test

your knowledge about presidents and to verify information based on your

inspirations. A free to talk question.

Your biggest success : Interviewers get into the actual interview with this

question. This is a good time to talk about a school function you led and executed

successfully. Showcase any performance that you feel may impress the interviewer.

Restrict it to education and leadership related performances only.

Do you learn from mistakes? Give an example. : This is actually a tricky

question and certainly not a place to display your mistakes. Give an answer similar

to the weakness question. Quote a situation where you have proved that you have

learnt from the mistake.

Your favorite book : If you want to be a leader, you need to have a favorite book.

Lots of books are available in stores that contain inspirational values. Select one and

read it completely. Explain the gist of the book when asked.

You are in a bookshop containing personality development

books, investment related ad autobiographies. Pick two. : A tricky question.

Pick two books closely related to the major you have applied for in the university.

Tell us about your goals : Speak only about goals that are related to your study.

To become a doctor and serve the people or to eradicate a particular disease would

add shine to your speech.

How do you see yourself after 10 years? : Similar goals. You should see yourself

in a high position serving people. Receiving an award would be a great achievement.

What has made your principal give a reference letter favoring you? : Tell

about your qualities and performances that impressed him.

Why do you think you are the right candidate to receive scholarship? : Explain your ambitions and goals with faith and confidence.

3. Sample Scholarship Interview Questions BANK C

How have you been a leader or displayed leadership?

When you are asked to explain your leadership capabilities, you don't want to only list off a bunch of titles and positions. Instead focus on a specific leadership position or activity and give enough detail to show the depth of your commitment. Citing concrete accomplishments like getting half of the dorm to participate in a scavenger hunt or giving toys to more than 200 families also helps the interviewer

gauge the significance of your achievement. Remember that you don't have to hold an official title or elected position in order to show leadership. Describing how you organized something or motivated a group of people is just as impressive as any official title.

What is your greatest strength and weakness?

It's easy to say that your strength is that you work hard. But what will really prove this to the judges is an example. Use a particular instance to illustrate your strength so that the judges can see what

you mean. It's not enough to say that you have leadership qualities. You must share incidents that show how you have led. What kind of results have come from your leadership? Why do you do it? Help the judges understand why you believe this to be your strength. When talking about a weakness, be honest—but realize that it's important to show what actions you

are taking to address what you consider to be a flaw. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging a failing, but it is very impressive to see that you are also taking steps to minimize and perhaps

overcome that weakness. Certainly, you want the interviewers to believe that your weakness will not keep you from being successful as a college student.

Who is a role model for you?

When interviewers ask this question, their intent is to learn something about you through your answer. In other words, whom you admire says something about you. So be careful to explain your

role model choice. If you just say that your role model is golfing superstar Tiger Woods but offer no explanation, you aren't sharing much about yourself. The judges won't know if Tiger is your role

model because he's a good golfer, a Stanford graduate or something else. No matter whom you choose as a hero, be sure to know enough about him or her to explain what specific quality you want to emulate. Also, know that person's shortcomings (and how he or she doesn't let it interfere with success) since you may be asked about that as a follow-up question.

What is your favorite book?

Don't give a book report when you answer this question. What the interviewer really wants to learn is who you are. What you say about the importance of reading the book is indicative of your interests,

beliefs, goals, likes and dislikes.

When thinking about which book to choose, ask yourself if your selection made you think differently or compelled you to take a certain action. Ask yourself what specifically made you relate to a

particular character. Also don't feel that you have to select a classic. It's fine to say that your favorite book isCharlotte's Web or Green Eggs and Ham. What's important is not your book choice but why it is meaningful to you.

Why did you choose this college?

This is an excellent opportunity to reveal something about yourself through your answer. You don't

want to be a tour guide, describing the well-known assets of the college. It is better to explain why

the college's features are important to you. Instead of saying that you chose the school because of its research facilities, explain how you plan to make use of the facilities. The more details and specifics you can give, the better. If it is applicable and appropriate, walk the interviewers through the thought process you went through when selecting the college. This will help them understand what is important to you and it will also show them how seriously you considered your choice of a college and the education you hope to attain there.

What is your favorite subject in school and why?

It would be easy just to name a favorite subject and leave it at that. But the interviewer is trying to understand why you like what you like. When answering a question like this, give reasons or examples for your selection. Don't state the obvious. If you are asked why English is your favorite subject, give more than "Because I like it" or "Because I'm good at it."

You can also use a question like this as an opportunity to talk about an achievement or award. If you say that your favorite subject is English, you can speak about a writing competition that you won or the reading marathon that you started. This is a good springboard question that you can expand to bring your impressive achievements into the conversation.

What's a meaningful academic class, project or other experience?

A question like this is a great opportunity to showcase an impressive project or achievement. Be sure to give a lot of detail and explain the significance of the experience. Use your answer to show a little more about you by stating why the project or class was meaningful to you and give examples of incidents that were memorable. If you can, select a subject or project that relates to the scholarship since it will help demonstrate why you deserve to win the award.

With what activities are you most involved?

Fight the urge to answer this question by spouting off a laundry list of activities. Instead of telling all 12 clubs that you are a member of, select a handful in which you've made significant contributions. This will be more meaningful to the selection committee and will better capture their attention. For scholarship interviews, be sure to highlight activities that match the goal of the awards. If you are

applying for a writing award, speak about your journalism experience. If you are applying for an award in medicine, speak about your medical-related experience, studies or volunteer work. Make the activities relevant to the interview committee.

Is there anything else you want to add?

Don't be shy about bringing up something important that the interviewer didn't ask you. If you've forgotten to speak about something or a topic never came up during the conversation, now is the

time to say so. Use this question to bring up a strong point or two that weren't discussed. The last impression you leave is often the strongest. If you think you've already left a strong impression, then you don't have to say anything. But if you think you need to reemphasize an important point, this is the time to make a final statement.

4. Sample Scholarship Interview Questions BANK D

It is impossible to predict exactly which questions you may be asked in a scholarship interview, but it is possible to prepare yourself by working out answers to some of the more common questions that get

asked in interviews, whether for scholarships or employment. Write down the answers to these

questions.

What are your greatest strengths?

What are your career goals?

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

Tell me about a personal achievement that makes you proud.

Tell me about a mistake that you made and what you learned from it.

Who has influenced your life and why?

Why would you be an excellent recipient of ___ scholarship?

These are the basics. Know these answers cold.

Next, think specifically about the scholarship award that you are seeking. Be sure you are very well informed about the organization.

What is the mission of the organization offering the award?

Who have they given the award to in the past and why?

Who are the judges?

What is it about your application that made you a finalist?

Use this information to develop responses that you may be able to introduce into the discussion to provide the content that you would like to be sure that the judges hear from you. For example, if you are

a finalist in a scholarship competition from an environmental group and you believe that your volunteer work on the local Conservation Commission was key to your selection as a finalist, consider finding

examples from that experience to highlight your strengths or describe lessons you have learned.

Finally, prepare yourself to make a good impression. If you need a haircut, get a haircut. If you are a nail

biter, invest in a professional manicure or even a set of acrylic nails. Select your interview outfit with care. It may or may not be advisable to wear a suit or dress, depending upon the specific situation.

However, it is always appropriate to make sure your clothes are clean, they fit correctly, and there are no

loose buttons or hanging threads. Familiarize yourself with the working of a steam iron and press your clothes even if the tag says they don't require ironing.