How to write a winning scholarship essay - Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe 2018

Friendly & hostile interviews
Winning interview strategies

There are basically two types of interviews: 1) friendly and 2) less than friendly or even hostile. The friendly interview is fairly straight forward with the scholarship judges asking easy to answer questions that will help them get to know you better. While most interviews fall into the friendly camp, others especially for highly competitive and prestigious awards such as the Rhodes or Truman are far less pleasant. In these interviews the scholarship judges want to test you to see how you react to stressful and difficult questions. A hostile interview creates an environment for the judges to be able to evaluate how you react to pressure.

Whenever you encounter hostile judges or interview situations, keep in mind that they are not trying to personally attack you or diminish your accomplishments. Rather, they are observing how you respond to the situation. It is really a test of your ability to deal with difficult questions. Also, keep in mind that they will act the same toward all applicants.