<p>Has anyone ever sat for an interview for a scholarship? If so, what kinds of questions do they typically ask? Any pointers or advice? Thanks!</p>
<p>Read the purpose of the scholarship, and read about the sponsoring organization. Typically the scholarship interview is designed to see how much the applicant fits the sponsoring organization's mission.</p>
<p>Thus, if the scholarship is offered by a service organization, the questions will focus on things like your community service and/or whether you have financial need.</p>
<p>If the scholarship is sponsored by a corporation, the interview will focus on your interest and experience in the corporation's main field. For instance, newspapers sponsoring scholarships want to help students who want to be in newspaper journalism as reporters, photographers, editors, etc. They aren't interested in sponsoring aspiring med students who happen to like writing for their school newspapers.</p>
<p>I suggest dressing formally and bringing a resume. Don't, however, buy new clothes or wear designer clothes and expensive jewelry. Even if need isn't part of the qualifications for the scholarship, if you come in a Jaguar wearing a $1,000 suit, the committee is likely to find a reason to give the scholarship to someone else.</p>
<p>Collegekid: Do you have a particular one in mind? Perhaps the parents will know the specifics of the style for the college ones.</p>
<p>I had an interesting experience last week interviewing for a scholarship. I made a post about it:</p>
<p>I found out today that I got the maximum scholarship award I was interviewing for a few months ago from Wayne State, a full tuition presidential scholarship. It was a group interview and was basically a round-table discussion with 2 alums leading the discussion with questions. You should talk about how you are a good fit for the school you are interviewing at, even if the question is not directed at this response, you should be able to subtly add this in to your answer.</p>
<p>spydersport-- Congratulations!</p>
<p>interviews suck. </p>
<p>i did the same group interview at wayne state. its hard to remember now but i remember them asking questions about leadership, goals, why you chose xxxx, one about evaluating a gandi quote. everyone else seemed to have practiced sounding answers. </p>
<p>hey spyder are you accepting the presidential at wayne?</p>
<p>jeffreysan, i did an interview at a state university and had a gandhi quote question too!</p>
<p>It was pretty good. Since I'm pre-med, they asked a lot of tough questions about medical issues. Talked about family, culture, asked me things like "Who is a big inspiration to you?" I did well overall. It's okay if your answers aren't perfect. I was a little vague on a few points, but we had a good time so I think the interviewer got a good impression of me. I never panicked, though at times I thought to myself, "Damn, this is like being on the news and having to answer one sentence questions in drawn out answers." Then I also thought, "They're throwing the balls after me one after another, and I'm hitting them out of the park." Remember, you're just 17 or 18, so it's not like a med school interview.</p>
<p>Thank you Northstarmom!
Jeffrey- I'm not 100% sure about attending Wayne State yet. My parents want to look at the pros and cons of going there vs. Michigan State. I was named an alternate to the Michigan State Medical Scholars Program, so if I get accepted to that, I'll be going for sure. I'm leaning heavily on Wayne State as of now, however.</p>
<p>is that the program where you get guaranteed admittance into MSU's medical school? i know a girl that is doing that, she was ranked #1 in our class (real anal type)</p>
<p>im definately going to wayne though. $10k a yr at knox for tuition/board vs $0 tuition at wayne isnt really a decision for me, even though knox is without a doubt a better school. jw what area are you from?</p>
<p>I've gone to two scholarship interviews, one for Vanderbilt University and one for the University of Maryland. Both of them were very successful; I recieved the highest scholarship for both ("highest honor that Vanderbilt can bestow upon a freshman" - full-tuition scholarship and Banneker/Key (full ride) at Maryland). My advice only applies for intraschool scholarships. </p>
<p>Most of the questions asked are just to get a feeling of who you are and whether or not you're actually real and the things you wrote were real. It's REALLY important to show that you REALLY want to go to the school. If you sound like you aren't interested, then they won't want to give you money! Also, the interview is 1/2 getting to know you and 1/2 letting you know more about the school to interest you. They've already selected you as an awesome candidate for the college, and they REALLY want you to come. They'll ask you if you have any questions, MAKE SURE YOU ASK. It shows that you've not only researched about the college, but also that you're INTERESTED.</p>
<p>Most of the questions they asked me were about my activities or things specifically from my application. They'll ask what influences you and what you will bring to the college.</p>
<p>Don't stress too much. They've probably already decided how much money they want to give you at this point, they just want to make sure that they were right.</p>
<p>They will ask you what you like about that particular school</p>
<p>I have had 2 scholarship interviews so far and both schools asked me that. They want someone who is passionate for their school.</p>
<p>Jeff- I'm pretty sure I'm going to Wayne State now. I'm from Troy, where are you from? I also got $10.5K per year from Kalamazoo College which makes it about $22k per year to attend.haha. I think I'll take my free ride to Wayne State, thank you.lol. Maybe I'll see you on campus? (I assume you also got presidential, from your last post)</p>
<p>If you submitted an essay for the scholarship, your interviewer(s) will probably have it. Prepare to defend your positions vigorously.</p>
<p>clinton township. (17 / garfield)</p>
<p>jeffreysan,</p>
<p>I also hate interviews. They are so tiring, especially when there's 2 or 3 people interviewing you at the same time. For one of my "scholarship" interviews, I had to drive 40 miles out to the middle of nowhere. For two hours, the lady and her co-interviewer tediously grilled me with questions. It was so exhausting. The worst part was that I didn't even win the scholarship. I did all that for nothing!!</p>
<p>Scholarship interviews are generally two types and you can tell a lot about the program from the way they conduct the interviews.</p>
<p>The first type is the plain and simple interview. Nothing else involved, other than a tour of the campus and probably a catered lunch and dinner. Maybe even an overnight. The point is, the main thing you are evaluated on is the interview and the rest is entirely for your information. These interviews are usually just for monetary with little or nothing else attatched. Most questions are plain and simple with general topics or random things such as "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?" The key for these is to go beyond what they expect of you and expand your answers as best you can. Also, try to meet the interviewers outside of the interview at lunch perhaps to speak with them about the school since they're usually involved in it in some respect. </p>
<p>The second kind of interviews, though similar, involve usually an entire weekend in which interviewers and interviewees go through a series of tasks such as writing a timed essay, dining together, and participating in discussion groups in addition to the interview itself. In these you have to be careful to look busy at everytime and take the chance to speak with every person you meet. You never know if that person might be the deciding factor in the decision. The interviews themselves tend to focus more on specifics in your essays and topics the interviewers think you might be interested in; much more preparation goes into this kind of interview on the part of the interviewers. Usually, the scholarship involves not only money but perhaps some sort of living-learning arrangement and/or special group. </p>
<p>Of course, many fall into the middle spectrum between the two of these. Some general things to keep in mind:
- Sit up straight, look at each interviewer when he/she speaks, and basically project an air of confidence in your physical presence.
- Be sure to remember every part of your application since on these things, anything you wrote is fair game for contention.
- Be specific. Don't go off into vague generalities. Relate the question back to you and your experiences.
- Show the comittee why you are perfect for this school. Questions such as "What are you looking for in college?" can easily be turned into oppertunities to sell yourself. Mention specific aspects of the school such as programs, teachers, and/or institutes you would want to get involved in.</p>
<p>If the interview wants me to bring a recommendation letter, should I put have the letter sealed in an envelope, in the envelope just not sealed, or in a binder?</p>
<p>It doesn't matter how you bring the letter. If they wanted it presented in a special way, they'd tell you.</p>