Interview Preparation
Your scholarship interview is an opportunity to introduce yourself to your review committee and to present your proposal or application in your own words. Review committees come away from the interview with a better sense of who you are and why they should consider your candidacy. In many cases, the interview also serves as a chance to have an engaging conversation about your ideas and to receive useful feedback on your application.
A bit of preparation for a scholarship interview can go a long way. The degree to which you prepare will speak volumes about your seriousness and your enthusiasm; it will boost your confidence and will help you give articulate answers to committee members’ questions. It’s normal to get nervous during an interview, but thoughtful preparation can help you to remain focused and grounded, and to present yourself confidently as a competitive candidate.
The Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships conducts campus interviews with faculty committees for certain awards. In all cases, you are welcome to request a mock interview through the office.
Below, you will find additional tips and guidelines for preparing for and excelling in your scholarship interview.
Ways to Prepare for a Scholarship Interview
- Have friends look at your application and grill you on its contents.
- Review the scholarship’s mission, vision, and history
- Review the scholarship criteria and think about specific ways you fulfill each.
- Read a good general news source such as the New York Times or the Guardian to stay abreast of relevant issues. If you are applying for an international award, read a newspaper or two of your potential host country so that you understand current events and issues there.
- Be early and turn off your cell phone.
Interview Strategies
- Think about what makes you unique and focus on that.
- Listen to the question that is asked and answer that question.
- It’s OK to pause to collect your thoughts for a moment before launching into a response.
- If you don’t know the answer to something you are asked, say so. Or ask for a clarification. Willingness to acknowledge your limits is an important component of a successful international experience.
- You might try to respond to such a question by talking about your understanding of the complexity of the issues raised.
- If you flub a question, try not to dwell on it. Move on to the next question at hand. Your ability to recover from distress is something the interviewers take note of
- Interviews are often short so don’t ramble – keep your answers fairly concise. If the committee wants additional information, they will ask for it.
- Be polite, professional, confident, reasonably humble.
- Enjoy the opportunity to talk to a room of people who are interested in you and your project.
- Have strategies ready for the moment right before you walk into an interview: take a deep breath, stand up straight, look interviewers in the eye, etc. Tell yourself you are prepared and ready. Smile.
LOOKING AHEAD TO MINES@150
As Colorado School of Mines prepares for our 150th anniversary in 2024, dynamic and disruptive change is all around us. MINES@150 is our plan to position Mines for future success.
It calls for change, but also to stay true to our timeless mission, pillars and core values. MINES@150 leverages our size, location, and history, ensuring that our graduates will continue to be distinctive and highly valued, placing Mines at the frontiers of STEM education, research and innovation, and elevating our status among the world’s top universities.