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

Giving the right answers
Real interview questions & answers

In this chapter:

■ See what makes a great answer

■ Questions you’ll likely face in the scholarship interview

■ Interview tips from winners

Giving the right answers

Imagine that your professor gave you the questions to an exam before you took it. Your score would certainly be higher. In this chapter we give you precisely this advantage by sharing the questions you’re likely to be asked in scholarship interviews. Plus, we show examples of how to answer. You will be a fly on the wall, observing a typical scholarship interview.

Before the preview, we have a couple of caveats. Remember that these questions and answers are meant to be examples. Each of these is not the only acceptable way to answer a question. In fact, there are innu-merable ways to answer each question successfully.

Also, since your background and achievements are different, your answers will inevitably be different too. Don’t focus on the specific details of the answers. Instead, look at the overall message and impression that each answer conveys.

The comments that follow each question are based on interviews with actual scholarship judges as well as our own experience in competing for scholarships. To get the most out of this chapter, we suggest that you read a question first. Pause to think about how you would answer it. Then read the response and comments. Keeping the comments in mind, analyze how the judges might react to your response. Be tough on yourself and think of ways to strengthen your answers. If your parents or friends are helping you practice interviewing, ask them to read through a couple of the questions and answers to get a better idea of what kind of questions to ask and what to look for in responses.