Preparing for the Interview
Many of the most competitive scholarship applications will require an in-person interview. Becoming comfortable with (or at least able to smoothly survive) public speaking is one of the best, most universally applicable skills you can develop. You will do yourself a favor if you start to develop that skill now.
To strengthen your speaking skills, you can:
- Take a public speaking class
- Read a lot to improve your vocabulary
- Join a debate group
- Join Toastmasters
- Seek public speaking opportunities (even something relatively simple like doing an extra-credit class presentation)
In addition to practicing your speaking skills, interviewers will also likely ask you questions about current affairs, about your interests, about how you spend your extra-curricular time…they could ask you just about anything.
It’s therefore in your interest to stay current:
- Learn about current affairs
- Read at least one national newspaper daily
- Actively discuss current events
- Read, generally (books, journals, magazines)
And finally, if you are invited for an interview, make sure to prepare:
- Review your application
- Review meaningful information
- Practice with mock interviews
- Be ready for demanding questions