Scholarships Tips

24+ Interview Scholarship Questions to Tackle

Published on May 9, 2023

Common Scholarship Questions

A scholarship oral interview is usually an open-ended question that requires a longer response. This interview is done by a representative from the scholarship body.

Your response will determine if you are qualified or not and if your goals correspond with theirs. A lot of Scholarship schemes prepare interview questions to help them select the best candidate for the scholarship award.

So it’s important you know how these questions are asked and suitable answers to give as well to enable you qualify for the award. Haven discovered students challenge in terms of Scholarship interview questions, I decided to write on this, to give you a proper guide on how to answer Scholarship interview based questions.

Frequently asked Scholarship interview questions

1.Tell us about yourself

This question allows you to be in charge of the discussion. They want to know more about you and why you are outstanding. The interviewer wants something different that is unique about you and not a general notion.

You can begin by giving a general description of yourself, before going further to give a distinguishing characteristics about who you are, something peculiar about you alone. This question gives room for you to tell them about your creativity and potentials.

2.Why did you choose this school or program?

Let your answers give them points about your reason for choosing the program. Don’t go outside the scope, try to be convincing and your answers should sound direct and sincere.

3.Who is your role model?

This is a sensitive question that requires a critical and well composed answer because your response will tell them the kind of person you want to be in future. Your role model is someone you look up to and wish to be like that person in the future because that person inspires you.

The person might be a politician, family member, friend, a religious head or a guardian, whoever the person is, the main point here is you want to be like them because there is something about them you admire a lot.

So when giving your response, say exactly who the person is and reasons the person is your role model. Don’t copy someone else’s role model just talk about yours and be proud of it, you don’t need a specific role model to stand out. Your description about that person and the enthusiasm at which you say it will make them see the reality and sincerity in what you say.

4.What do you intend to do with your career?

You should be able to tell them your plans for your future and how you work earnestly with those plans to achieve your goals. You can also give reasons you chose a particular career and include what and who inspired you to focus on that field despite having different options.

Also state how the scholarship will assist you in pursuing your career and also what you intend to do and the impact you will create once you complete the program.

5.Why do you deserve this scholarship?

Take advantage of this question to win their heart. Truth is you actually applied for this scholarship for a reason, so state your reasons. Be sincere don’t twist or forge your answers. They want to know if you just want the scholarship as a means of earning extra cash or for selfish reasons.

6.What activities are you involved in?

To answer this question perfectly, state the activities you engage in outside your school activities. Talk about the creative work you do and some of the organization you belong to that has brought out the best in you.

7.What has been one of your greatest achievements?

Be real in your statement. Tell them about an important project you worked on and how accomplishing it changed your life and those around you positively. Let the interviewer feel how great you felt when you accomplished it.

8.How Would You Describe Yourself in Three Words?

Some interview questions will ask you to describe yourself in few words or lines. Your response will tell how concise and direct you will be if you are given a job to handle. On this note don’t answer beyond what you were asked.

9.Tell Us About Your Weaknesses and Plans To Overcome It?

When you’re asked about your weakness, it’s just the opposite of your strength. Don’t present yourself as being perfect. Apparently nobody is perfect and you can’t den you don’t have a weakness or weaknesses in fact no one doesn’t.

So when answering this question just come out plain, state that area or areas you are battling with and what you’re currently doing to handle it before it overwhelms you. It’s better to be truthful about yourself than cooking up a lie.

ALSO, READ How To Identify a Fake Scholarship

10.What Other Skills Do You Possess Excluding Academic Works?

Education is not the ultimate and will never be. If you want to stand out and be exceptional from others you must have other skills handy. Whatever you know you can learn in addition to your education do so. Tell them the skill you have, the interviewer from this question seeks to know how useful you can be outside the educational sector.

11.What Are Your Greatest Strengths?

This means that potentials in you that distinguishes you from others. You have to be precise with your answers tell them about your Strengths and how it has made your life easier and better. You must be true about your greatest strength, because it’s your distinguishing characteristics.

12.What Inspires You?

We are humans and certainly there must be something or someone who inspires us. Life has series of events both the bad and good events. In all we stand to learn one or two lessons from them and somehow these experiences inspires us to push further. So from what you have experienced or what you come across daily you can actually get something that inspires you.

13.What’s Your Dream Job?

Don’t be amazed when you are asked this question. Though you are a student still schooling. This question actually tells how focused you are and how you are planning for your future. The interviewer here wants to know your view in terms of jobs and why you chose that specific one.

14.What’s Your Biggest Mistake and Lesson Learned?

We all make mistakes at a certain point of our lives that doesn’t mean we are weak in nature, it only shows that we are humans. This mistakes gives us the opportunity to learn and plan better to prevent such thing from reoccurring.

Don’t be perturbed on their reactions when they hear your mistakes. They aren’t after your mistakes but they are interested in the lessons you have learnt from it and how it’s affecting your life presently.

Conclusion

These questions and many more are what you are likely to be asked in a scholarship interview. Go through them properly and draft your own answers as it concerns you. Don’t try to impress the interviewer, just be sincere in your response. These questions are not meant to scare you away or to make you fail but it’s to help you discover yourself and what you have in you.

They really want to know if the award you will be given won’t be in vain and it will not just help you achieve your dreams but you will be useful to the world at large. The scholarship is meant to help you build yourself in your career and other areas and also make you a creative and useful human in the society so they expect the best. Do want you can and be accurate in responding. Goodluck!