How to Prepare for Your College Scholarship Interview

November 19, 2022 at 7:00 AM

Congratulations, you've made it to the interview stage for your college scholarship! This is a huge accomplishment, and it means that the committee sees great potential in you as a candidate. The interview stage is your chance to show the scholarship committee who you are and why you deserve the scholarship. While this is incredibly exciting, it’s likely equal part anxiety inducing. The urge to take part in college scholarship interview preparation is a good one, but you may be unsure where to start.

At Educational Attainment Services we specialize in helping students like you ace their college interviews and everything that goes into getting into the school of your dreams. We’re an experienced college admissions advisory group dedicated to serving our students and their family’s faithfully. If you’re about to take part in a scholarship interview, below are a few things you can do to prepare so that you can make the best impression possible.

1. Know your audience

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for your interview is to know who your audience is. The college scholarship committee wants to get to know you, but they also want to see how you interact with other people. Knowing who your audience is will help you determine what kind of questions to expect and how best to answer them.

Every scholarship committee will be looking for something different, you’ll want to understand who specifically the committee is trying to reach, so you can appeal to them. Knowing your audience will help you not only anticipate potential questions, but posture yourself as an ideal candidate for your intended scholarship. Getting to know your audience is a key step in college scholarship interview preparation.

2. Do your research

In addition to knowing who your audience is, it's also essential that you do your research on the college scholarship process. This includes understanding what the scholarship is for and what the selection criteria are. By doing your research, you'll be able to tell a better story about why you deserve the scholarship and give specific examples when asked during the interview. The research process goes hand in hand with knowing your audience. It’s vital to show up to your interview, cool, calm, and informed.

3. Practice, practice, practice

The more prepared you are for your interview, the better off you'll be. One way to do this is by practicing with someone who can give you constructive feedback. This could be a friend, family member, or even a guidance counselor at school. Practice will help you feel more comfortable when it comes time for your actual interview. After doing some research, write out some potential questions and run through them with your practice interviewer. Going into an interview with adequate preparation will help you feel calm and collected during the actual scholarship interview process.

4. Be yourself

Finally, it's important that you be yourself during the interview process. This doesn't mean that you should avoid difficult questions or act like someone you're not—it just means that the committee wants to get to know the real you. So relax, be yourself, and let your personality shine through!

Get in touch with Education Attainment Services for college prep today!

Our team at Education Attainment Services wishes you the best of luck as you prepare for your upcoming college scholarship interview! After you’ve followed our advice, you can relax and go into the interview with ease. Trust us—if you follow these tips, we're confident that you'll do great! And don't forget—Educational Attainment Services offers a myriad of college prep services and is always here to help with all of your college prep needs!