How to write a winning scholarship essay - Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe 2018
Tip #2 from a scholarship winner
Real interview questions & answers
Brian C. Babcock, U.S. Military Academy
“One of the best things that I did was do a couple of practice interviews. The way we did it was that all of the Truman applicants at my school would meet over lunch with an expert on a topic and talk about it. For example, we’d have someone come in and we’d discuss the ’don’t ask don’t tell policy.’ We were able to get the former drug czar to sit down and talk to us for an hour and a half about the drug policy. Not a bad person to speak with about the drug policy.
“My advice is to go into the interview thinking that you’re just going to have a very fun discussion. I didn’t have an interview.
I had a talk with eight people around the table. They asked me difficult questions but it wasn’t hostile.”
Brian’s contributions reflect his own opinions, not those of the U.S. military.
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Both of these students make personal what could otherwise be a very general answer. Instead of recounting the history of education or statistics from the latest national survey on education, these students reveal how education has personally affected them. When you are answering this question ask yourself: What have you gained personally from education or what do you hope to gain? What benefits have you received from the educational system? Try to be specific. It’s not enough to say that you value education. Who doesn’t? Try to get to the root of why education is important. Give specific examples so that the judges will understand your personal reason for pursuing a degree.
Q: what has influenced you to get a college education?
a: I am the first person from my family to attend college.
My parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was a child. Without a college education my parents turned to what they knew, which was running a restaurant. I have also had to work in the family restaurant since I was a child so I know how difficult the work is. They said that their dream was for me to go to college so that I would have a wide choice of careers. They don’t regret their decision coming to the U.S. because they expect me to go to college and succeed. Attending college means that I will have opportunities that my parents never had and that I will reach not only my goals but the goals of my parents as well. They have sacrificed their lives for me to have a better one. I don’t plan on letting them down.
a: Since most of the students from my high school go to college, this seems like a strange question since it was almost assumed by my parents, teachers and friends that college was the next step after graduating. But, I look at going to college as my chance to pursue what I love—which is to design and build robots. I don’t know what the job market is for “robot builders” but I intend to find out, and the first step is to get a solid education. I am choosing which schools to apply to based on whether or not they offer classes in robotics. College represents the first step in my ultimate goal of merging what I love to do with a career.
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Both of these answers go beyond what’s expected. Almost everyone can say that they want to go to college because they think education is important. What makes these answers strong is that they are specific to the individual. Try to personalize your answer by explaining why you have been inspired to get a college degree. What specific incident or person motivated you? What do you hope to gain? Be as specific as possible to give the selection committee insight into what inspires you and to avoid relying on overused generalizations. Also, be sure to stay away from saying that you are going to college just to earn more moolah. On a practical level, earning a degree will enable you to earn more money, but you should focus on less-materialistic factors.
Q: why did you choose your college?
a: When I was researching colleges, I figured out that I had three priorities. First, I wanted a college with a strong program in biology and opportunities for doing hands-on
research as an undergraduate. This was important because I plan to become a researcher after graduating and want to get useful experience during my college years. Second, I wanted to attend a school in which classes were taught by professors and not graduate students. I learn best when I am inspired, and I knew that I would be best inspired by learning directly from professors who are shaping the field of biology. My third priority was to attend a school with diversity. I think that college is a place not only for book learning but for personal learning as well. It’s my chance to meet people with different ideas and from different backgrounds.
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This is an excellent example of how to reveal something about yourself through your answer. You don’t want to be a tour guide, describing the well-known assets of the college. Explain why the college’s features are important to you. Instead of saying that you chose the college because of its research facilities, explain how you plan to make use of the facilities. The more details and specifics you can give the better.
If appropriate, walk the judges through the thought process you went through when selecting the college. This will help them understand what is important to you and also show them how seriously you consider a college education.