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

Advice from a Rhodes Scholar
Winning interview strategies

Kristin N. Javaras, Oxford University

The interview is one of last hurdles to becoming a prestigious Rhodes Scholar. Kristin, who is working on a doctorate in statistics at Oxford University, says about interviews, “The best advice I can offer is to be yourself, as trite as that may sound.”

But what happens when you are stumped for an answer? “If you just don’t know the answer to a question, don’t be afraid to admit it,” advises Kristin.

Regarding the type of questions that she was asked, Kristin recalls, “Almost every question was at least tangentially and often directly related to topics and experiences mentioned in my personal statement or included in my list of activities and jobs.”

Once you’ve done the detective work, think about how the information can help you. Let’s take a look at an example piece of information. Imagine you discovered that the organization offering the scholarship values leadership. In addition, you discover from reading the organization’s website that all of its members are invited to join only if they have led large companies. Knowing this you could guess that the interviewers will probably be business leaders and will be most impressed if you highlight leadership and entrepreneurial activities. If asked about your greatest achievement you can insightfully highlight being president of your school’s business club over anything else.

Knowing something about the interviewers beforehand will also help you think of appropriate and engaging questions. Most interviewers allow time to ask a few questions toward the end of the interview. By asking intelligent questions (i.e., not the ones that can be answered by simply reading the group’s website), you will hopefully be able to touch upon something the interviewer really cares about that will lead to further conversation.

Going back to the example, you might ask a question such as, “As the president of the business club one of my greatest challenges has been to get funding from businesses for new projects and ideas. What advice do you have for young business people to secure seed money from established businesses?”

This question not only demonstrates that you know the background of the interviewers but also poses a question that they can answer with their expertise, and it could start a new conversation about how to fund a business idea.