Give Amazing High School Scholarship Interview with These Tactics

You have impressive academic records. You do volunteer work, which looks great on your portfolio. You also play sports and happen to be a star athlete at school. That, or you accomplished a notable feat in one of your many extracurricular activities or classes. You have a lot of accomplishments, and you made sure to mention each one in your essay. You’re also reasonably sure that you aced the exam. Now what? If you just received an invitation for an interview with the scholarship committee, make sure you ace it. You might excel in your studies. 


You might know how to compute complex equations with blinding speed. You might even know how to run circles around other students when it comes to math or theoretical physics. But if you don’t know a thing about how to communicate correctly, you might lose your chance of getting that scholarship. Here are tips to make sure that won’t happen.

 

Start Now

For many programmes that offer a scholarship for secondary school students, the interview is the last stage. It is where students must shine the most. This is where the competition is fiercer. After this stage, the committee will debate over each applicant and announce a winner. Sometimes, the difference in the votes is vast, and sometimes, it’s just a very tiny margin. When it’s your turn to face them in that interview, you want that session to end with only one thought in their heads: that you are the right student for the grant. But if you genuinely want to have a solid chance at this, then start early. Could you give it a lot of time? Like most things in life, the more time you are willing to spend on this, the better the results.

 

Do Your Research

Learn more about the scholarship. Are you eligible? That’s one of the first questions you’ll want to ask. Check the details of the programme to make sure you qualify before you move forward with anything else. You wouldn’t want to spend a ton of effort on a scholarship that you might not even be qualified for. Also, find out more about the international school. What is its mission statement and goals? That will give you an idea about the school’s idea of what a good student must be. 

Factor that into your approach when you answer questions during the interview. You’ll want to find a way to provide answers that show them your values as a student and person, that drive home the point that you deserve that grant more than anyone else. With ample research, you can create the impression that will win the panel over.


Be Yourself

It can be tempting to try and be someone you’re not. But the teachers and school administrators who make up that panel are usually insightful. They will see right through any attempt you make, and that could compromise your chances. Trying to be someone you’re not is problematic in so many ways, mainly because it could lead you to lie about some things and that could backfire on you big time. It could send the message that you’re not trustworthy or that you might be dishonest. You might argue that those things have nothing to do with your test scores and that they shouldn’t affect your chances of staying in the programme. But keep in mind that you aren’t the only talented student they’ve seen over the years. They could afford to let you go if they find someone who might not be as good but who has the kind of personality that reflects the values and beliefs of the school. 


That’s because the best schools know that life is more than academics and grades. Education isn’t about teaching kids to get the highest scores or memorize their lessons. Every subject ever taught only serves one goal: to make us more human. If you end up lying because you want to win so badly, then you’ve missed the point of the lesson that your teachers have taught you for years. That could be enough to get you disqualified.

 

Practice

Anyone who’s ever been to a job interview will tell you that the experience is often nerve-wracking. It is quite similar to that. After all, you are essentially trying to convince the panel to take you on, to ‘hire you.’ You are walking into that interview, knowing that you need to do the utmost that you can to inspire them to trust you and believe in you. What will it take to make that happen? Practice. A lot of it. Start practicing by researching about the questions that generally get asked during these interviews. Once you know what those questions are, you can start putting together answers for each one. You don’t have to memorize a script word for word. Please think about a core idea for your replies. 

That way, even if you change the wording, you won’t have any problem answering the question because you know the point you want to make. With enough practice, you can overcome your shyness and self-consciousness. You’ll learn how to communicate your ideas in a way that won’t give you any trouble.


Dress Right

Even if the school tells you that it’s all right to come to the interview in casual attire, resist the urge to go to that interview in your jeans. Wear slacks or a skirt for girls and partner that up with a nice blouse. Be conservative in your attire. What you wear doesn’t and shouldn’t affect your chances of getting a scholarship. But if the panel spends more time talking about your outfit than listening to your answers, then that’s a waste of time. It’s also a waste of opportunity as the interview is supposed to send them the best possible impression of you. Any minute not spent on that, on the thought that you deserve to win the scholarship is a waste. 

Also, make sure to check if there are any strict dress codes sent by the school. You might overlook such instructions when you’re in a hurry or distracted. Don’t be both. Be present and right there at the moment.

 

Know Your Strengths

Know how to sell yourself, how to talk about your strengths without boasting. It usually all comes down to the tonal register. Know what you are capable of when the interview tosses a question to you about overcoming challenges, you know what your answer will be. Acknowledge your weaknesses and how you plan to improve them but play to your strengths. When you answer during the interview, show them that you are willing to work on your shyness or lack of communication skills. That you try hard to go beyond your limitations.


Do Your Best

Lastly, don’t forget to take your heart to that interview. Be passionate and engaged. Give it your best shot. Show what you’ve got and be courteous, polite, and respectful. Thank them for their time. Creating the best possible impression, taking steps to ensure that you are the best version of yourself, doesn’t always mean being the best student in that lineup. Sometimes, it just means knowing how to treat people right. That matters. The right school knows that.


Recent Blogs

ENQUIRE NOWBOOK A TOUR