by Elizabeth Hartley
Students who are competing for large merit scholarships will often be asked to sit through one, sometimes two, interviews before the final decision is made. The students who are fortunate enough to make it to the interviews must realize that the emphasis shifts slightly from their academic record to how they present themselves to the judges. Their record is what got them to that point but it is in the interview that the scholarships are won or lost.
Students will sometimes leave an interview and be dismayed that the judges did not ask about the things the student thought were important. What the students fail to realize is that it is up to each student to make sure they bring into the conversation the items that they think are most significant. It’s not up to the judges to ask all of the right questions.
So, what can the student do to take more control over the content of the interview and make sure they convey their most important information to the judges? There are a few steps that will make sure that they are equipped to do just this:
Prepare ahead of time - Identify main selling points
If you are competing for a scholarship that requires an interview, you have to ask yourself what would make you a valuable or wise choice for the scholarship judges. The most successful interviews involve students who can highlight their track record of being exceptional in some regard and who can also articulate some specific plans for the future.
Have you accomplished something unusual or remarkable? Do you have plans to be a Supreme Court judge or to develop new teaching methods for educating students with learning disabilities? You want to be clearly remembered by the judges once you leave the interview so you must make sure you give them memorable points. So, one student’s mental list of selling points might be:
Bryson Jackson’s selling points-
1. Earned Eagle Scout- Final project was creating an educational nature trail in a local state park, for use by schools and camps
2. Was a championship swimmer & volunteered summers teaching swimming at camp for underprivileged children
3. Plans to major in Political Science before going onto law school. Plans to specialize in Family Law, specifically the rights of children and the rights of mentally and physically handicapped adults
Another student’s list of selling points may be entirely different. Such as:
Nathaniel Rogers’ selling points-
1. Survived a life threatening illness as a child & how that made him appreciate his family and health
2. Has adapted to his lifelong challenges by finding things he can do, rather than regretting things he can’t do
3. Wants to be a pediatrician to have the same impact on the lives of children that his pediatrician had on his own life.
So, you see, it’s all about creating a memorable image to convey to the judges. Identify your selling points before you do any other scholarship preparation.
Practice integrating your selling points into your answers
While you hope that the judges will come right out and ask you about the things you hope to discuss, there is a fair chance that won’t happen. So, it is important that you figure out how to work your selling points into the most common interview questions. (See the separate article on the Top 50 Interview Questions, also on this site.)
For example, if you consider Nathaniel Rogers’ selling points above, he would practice working those items into the practice questions as shown below:
Q - If you had to spend one year working for a non-profit organization or charity, what would it be?
A - I would probably choose the Make a Wish Foundation. When I was eight, I was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer and underwent a variety of treatments and chemotherapy that made it a very tough time for me and my whole family. Once treatments were over and we weren’t sure how things would turn out, I was given a wish by Make a Wish. They were awesome. They sent my whole family to Disney World for a week and housed us at a special village just for Make a Wish kids. The week was such a great time of healing, of being away from all of the stress of the hospital and of being together as a family in a happy way. It also let me meet other kids who were much worse off than me and made me so grateful for all of my blessings. So, for that reason, I’d choose to work for Make a Wish.
See how that works? Now for an example from Bryson Rogers’ selling points, above.
Q - Tell us about a time when you demonstrated leadership.
A - Well, some people would assume leadership in high school comes mostly through serving as an officer of student government or some club. However, my leadership experience came in a different way. I’ve been a competitive swimmer since age 6 and seemed to have a knack for it. My coach convinced my parents to put me into a more rigorous year round program, just to see how far I could go. So, thanks to great coaching and parents who were willing to drive me to the pool at 5 a.m. four days a week, I became a very strong swimmer, ultimately winning my state championship in Fly and Breast Stroke. I know how swimming has made me more disciplined and focused, even outside of the pool so I wanted to pass that on to others. So, I became captain of my team and also volunteered all summer at the Boys and Girls club, teaching underprivileged kids how to swim and what it means to swim as part of a team. It was very rewarding and gave me a chance to show leadership in motivating and driving my own team as well as in befriending and serving kids who may not have strong, positive male role models in their lives.
See how it works? Identify what makes you memorable and unique and think of all of the ways you can work that into the interview. It is not the judges’ job to ask you all of the right questions but it is your job to make sure you provide them with the information they need to make the best decision possible.
Elizabeth Hartley is a college admissions and scholarship consultant. Visit her website @ www.CollegeScholarshipPlan.com for a comprehensive and current list of valuable internet resources.
As part of the site’s commitment to serving all high school students, a tremendous amount of resources are provided for free. Premium subscription gives deeper insight and more in-depth coaching. Utilize coupon code 606-0000 to receive an additional discount off your already affordable CSP Subscription.
For additional information on: Seminars and Workshops, Group Subscriptions, Fundraising Opportunities, as well as Corporate Benefit and Corporate Discount Programs, contact: mmatthews@CollegeScholarshipPlan.com.
Students who are competing for large merit scholarships will often be asked to sit through one, sometimes two, interviews before the final decision is made. The students who are fortunate enough to make it to the interviews must realize that the emphasis shifts slightly from their academic record to how they present themselves to the judges. Their record is what got them to that point but it is in the interview that the scholarships are won or lost.
Students will sometimes leave an interview and be dismayed that the judges did not ask about the things the student thought were important. What the students fail to realize is that it is up to each student to make sure they bring into the conversation the items that they think are most significant. It’s not up to the judges to ask all of the right questions.
So, what can the student do to take more control over the content of the interview and make sure they convey their most important information to the judges? There are a few steps that will make sure that they are equipped to do just this:
Prepare ahead of time - Identify main selling points
If you are competing for a scholarship that requires an interview, you have to ask yourself what would make you a valuable or wise choice for the scholarship judges. The most successful interviews involve students who can highlight their track record of being exceptional in some regard and who can also articulate some specific plans for the future.
Have you accomplished something unusual or remarkable? Do you have plans to be a Supreme Court judge or to develop new teaching methods for educating students with learning disabilities? You want to be clearly remembered by the judges once you leave the interview so you must make sure you give them memorable points. So, one student’s mental list of selling points might be:
Bryson Jackson’s selling points-
1. Earned Eagle Scout- Final project was creating an educational nature trail in a local state park, for use by schools and camps
2. Was a championship swimmer & volunteered summers teaching swimming at camp for underprivileged children
3. Plans to major in Political Science before going onto law school. Plans to specialize in Family Law, specifically the rights of children and the rights of mentally and physically handicapped adults
Another student’s list of selling points may be entirely different. Such as:
Nathaniel Rogers’ selling points-
1. Survived a life threatening illness as a child & how that made him appreciate his family and health
2. Has adapted to his lifelong challenges by finding things he can do, rather than regretting things he can’t do
3. Wants to be a pediatrician to have the same impact on the lives of children that his pediatrician had on his own life.
So, you see, it’s all about creating a memorable image to convey to the judges. Identify your selling points before you do any other scholarship preparation.
Practice integrating your selling points into your answers
While you hope that the judges will come right out and ask you about the things you hope to discuss, there is a fair chance that won’t happen. So, it is important that you figure out how to work your selling points into the most common interview questions. (See the separate article on the Top 50 Interview Questions, also on this site.)
For example, if you consider Nathaniel Rogers’ selling points above, he would practice working those items into the practice questions as shown below:
Q - If you had to spend one year working for a non-profit organization or charity, what would it be?
A - I would probably choose the Make a Wish Foundation. When I was eight, I was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer and underwent a variety of treatments and chemotherapy that made it a very tough time for me and my whole family. Once treatments were over and we weren’t sure how things would turn out, I was given a wish by Make a Wish. They were awesome. They sent my whole family to Disney World for a week and housed us at a special village just for Make a Wish kids. The week was such a great time of healing, of being away from all of the stress of the hospital and of being together as a family in a happy way. It also let me meet other kids who were much worse off than me and made me so grateful for all of my blessings. So, for that reason, I’d choose to work for Make a Wish.
See how that works? Now for an example from Bryson Rogers’ selling points, above.
Q - Tell us about a time when you demonstrated leadership.
A - Well, some people would assume leadership in high school comes mostly through serving as an officer of student government or some club. However, my leadership experience came in a different way. I’ve been a competitive swimmer since age 6 and seemed to have a knack for it. My coach convinced my parents to put me into a more rigorous year round program, just to see how far I could go. So, thanks to great coaching and parents who were willing to drive me to the pool at 5 a.m. four days a week, I became a very strong swimmer, ultimately winning my state championship in Fly and Breast Stroke. I know how swimming has made me more disciplined and focused, even outside of the pool so I wanted to pass that on to others. So, I became captain of my team and also volunteered all summer at the Boys and Girls club, teaching underprivileged kids how to swim and what it means to swim as part of a team. It was very rewarding and gave me a chance to show leadership in motivating and driving my own team as well as in befriending and serving kids who may not have strong, positive male role models in their lives.
See how it works? Identify what makes you memorable and unique and think of all of the ways you can work that into the interview. It is not the judges’ job to ask you all of the right questions but it is your job to make sure you provide them with the information they need to make the best decision possible.
Elizabeth Hartley is a college admissions and scholarship consultant. Visit her website @ www.CollegeScholarshipPlan.com for a comprehensive and current list of valuable internet resources.
As part of the site’s commitment to serving all high school students, a tremendous amount of resources are provided for free. Premium subscription gives deeper insight and more in-depth coaching. Utilize coupon code 606-0000 to receive an additional discount off your already affordable CSP Subscription.
For additional information on: Seminars and Workshops, Group Subscriptions, Fundraising Opportunities, as well as Corporate Benefit and Corporate Discount Programs, contact: mmatthews@CollegeScholarshipPlan.com.
