So after applying for a very elusive scholarship in my community, I have been selected as a finalist. It is among 3 people, and the other 2 people have virtually the same stats as me (32 ACT and 3.98 GPA (my own), 32 ACT and 4.0 GPA, 33 ACT and 4.0 GPA). We have all taken multiple AP classes, I have taken 5 and the other two 5-7. However, I am attending a state school, due to financial restraints, and the other two top schools out of state (ie. Berkley). I also personally feel that the other finalist are very well qualified, more so than me because of their strong leadership roles in school, and am even friends with both of them. I am the only one of us 3 to have a job, and am a supervisor having worked their for 1 year and 7 months. I also have volunteered at a camp the past 2 summers and have attended there as a camper for the past 10 year, and this summer am working on staff. I want to use these job experiences to my advantage.
How can I ace my interview and convince the committee that I should be the recipient of the scholarship?
So many kids only focus on what they’ve done in high school – but at this point in the selection phase, that barely matters. Your stats and ECs qualified you to be a finalist. Now, they’re going to be looking for what’s ahead for you: what do you want to do at school? Have a good answer. None of this, “At [insert school name here], I will be able to explore my passions and realize my potential” vague stuff. What professors are doing research in your field? What is their research? Or, what lab opportunities are available? Which lab do you hope to work in on campus, and how are you going to get there? Note that there are writing “labs”, etc, at universities: there are opportunities like this in pretty much all fields. Know them. And be able to explain them to a lay audience (ie your interviewers). Convince them that you’re going to take full advantage of the resources your school has. Be able to point at specifically how.
Most kids are not able to do this. Make sure you can.
Source: won a bunch of highly competitive (“elusive”) scholarships in 2015
Okay, thank you! @CourtneyThurston! Is there anyway I can use my job this summer and passion for this camp to my advantage?
Of course you can. I’d focus on the skills you’ve learned managing the job you have, what you’ll usee this summer (I’m very good at working with people who need flexible hours, with some adults who have kids they need to meet off the scholarship bus so need the schedule to get them off by 3, with kids who have special needs, with different age groups)
Often questions are ‘name a project you worked on that required you to change the plan at the last minute’ or ‘how do you handle projects with the same deadline’. Try to think of some examples before the interview.
Thank you @twoinanddone! If anyone else has any more advice, it would be greatly appreciated!
This is not my original advice, it comes from @northernAZ
The two basic themes are likely to be: 1) Why us? and 2) Why you? For theme one, you need to have some specifics about unique features of this scholarship that appeal to you. For theme two, you need to articulate what you will add to the community. Prepare notes for each theme. Your strategy is to provide evidence that you and the scholarship are a great match for each other.
@ettphonehome First of all, I’m assuming you meant to say “exclusive” not “elusive” scholarship in your community. Here are some suggestions on how to most effectively present your case. 1) Research the founders/sponsors of the scholarship fully so that you have a very clear idea about what they care about. You cannot hit the target if you don’t know where the bullseye is. 2) Based on your understanding of the sponsors’ values and priorities, make an honest (i.e., not phony or exaggerated) inventory of your values, aspirations, character traits, talents, and accomplishments that are in alignment with the sponsor’s purpose in offering this scholarship. For each element in your inventory, have at least one solid illustration or story that provides evidence of your claim. 3) Make up some probing questions and follow-up questions that you can expect to be asked. Recruit a trusted friend to ask you these questions in person, and tweak your answers. Pay special attention to how you weave specific examples (i.e., stories) into your answers. 4) Keep in mind that in most cases, for high-value scholarships, the committee is not giving a “reward” for what you have done so far in life, but an investment in what you are likely to accomplish in the future. Of course, they have no way of knowing for sure, and past performance is all they have to go on. So slant your answers towards the future, describing not only your goals, the sources of those goals, and how you developed your passion for them, but also the steps you have taken and plan to take to accomplish them. Without saying so directly, convince them that you will provide a great return on their investment.
Rehearsing answers does not mean memorizing them as if they were scripted. The more you practice, the more confident you will be, and the more fully present you can be during the interview itself. Show up as your best true self. Researching what they care about does not mean pretending to be who you think they want you to be.
Use your paid and volunteer work experience to document how you have developed certain life skills that will help you succeed in college and career, like time management, leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills. If there is a need-based component to the scholarship and you have had to earn money instead of being more heavily involved in school activities, be sure to work that fact into your answers.
Finally, in your question you focused on your stats. Great stats are part of what has gotten you to this finalist stage. However, what will distinguish you from the other finalists is not your stats but your overall story. Focus on the aspects of your story that are unique and compelling.
Thank you @northernAZ and @NJRoadie!! I appreciate the advice:)