The First 5 Minutes Count! Here's How to Conquer a Scholarship Interview with Confidence

Illustration of people doing an interview (Personal Source)

Talking about scholarship interviews, it is usually the second stage of scholarship selection after the administrative selection or submission. To find out about the scholarship administration selection, especially essay writing click here.

Prospective scholarship recipients will be asked several questions by the interviewer at this stage. However, this interview is not just an ordinary question-and-answer session! The interview can be said to be a crucial stage to convince the interviewer that you are the right candidate! So, how to face a scholarship interview with confidence? Check out these tips!

1. Recognize the Vision and Mission of the Scholarship

Vision and Mission Illustration (Personal Source)

Before the interview, make sure you understand the intricacies of the scholarship you are applying for. It wouldn't be funny if you're interviewed about a scholarship but you don't understand it. Here are some things you should research.

• The purpose of the scholarship. Is the scholarship provider looking for awardees who focus only on academic excellence? Or is it looking for awardees who have a leadership spirit? Or is it looking for young people who want to contribute to their environment?
• Who organizes the scholarship? Is it from the private sector, government, companies, or non-profit organizations?
• What programs do they provide for previous scholarship recepient

2. Get to Know Yourself

Know Your Self Illustration (Personal Source)

One of the questions usually asked in scholarship interviews is “tell me about yourself,” “what are you currently doing,” Here you should be able to tell:

• Your academic journey and experience
• Your motivation for choosing your major or field
• How this scholarship will help you realize your dreams

To make things easier, you can try using the STAR method (Situaton, Task, Action, Result) to make your answers more structured and memorable!

3. Beware of Basic Questions

Basic Question Ilustration (Personal Source)

Luckily, in this day and age, we can access all information easily. This includes examples of questions that are often asked in interviews. In just a few seconds of surfing social media, you'll find tons of examples of these questions. However, you need to be careful with common questions such as “how do you deal with challenges or failures?”, “what will you do after graduation”, “tell me about your best achievement/experience”.

Why is it dangerous? Because if we only answer with basic answers, it will not make you different from other candidates and the interviewer might doubt you. You can tell your experience concretely and start to try to construct the right answer sentences. The last method is practice, practice, practice!

4. Pay Attention to Gesture and Tone of Speech

Gesture and Tone of Speech Illustration (Personal Source)

When conducting an interview, it's not just your answers to questions that get noticed. However, your gesture, the look in your eyes, your tone of voice will also be noticed by the interviewer. You don't want to come across as nervous, hesitant, or lying too much. Therefore, you need to practice a lot as if you are taking part in a real scholarship interview. You can do it in front of a mirror or ask someone close to you to pretend to be an interviewer and ask a few questions. That way your speaking skills and confidence will be honed. 

So, those are some scholarship interview tips that you can try. Remember, scholarship interviews are not something to be afraid of, as long as you prepare well. Prepare carefully and confidently.

Good luck in your scholarship interview! 🎓✨

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*Some of visual elements in this article were created using the paid app, Canva.