This video is brought to you by Schotters, the most complete overseas education service. Nina, what do you want? I need your help. Look, I have a scholarship interview on Wednesday and I'm super nervous.
I need to pick your brain. Well, here's one advice. Make sure to bring all your paperwork with you to the interview and...
Don't make a fool out of yourself like I did. Because now I'm still waiting to hear back from them. So nerve-wracking.
Yeah, alright, but aside from the obvious stuff, look, I really want this scholarship. I want to prove to mom and dad that I could actually do it, okay? Alright, but you're treating me to sushi this weekend. Okay, deal.
Okay, before we get into the specifics, I'm going to tell you one advice that is super important, not to just all interviews, but also to life as well. Okay, so you have to know yourself in and out. Or in other words, you want to have a high level of self-awareness.
So any question they throw at you, you'll be able to answer it confidently and naturally. And also one thing, don't memorize your answers, but internalize. Don't memorize, but internalize.
What does that mean? So, tell me about yourself. I'm Alice.
I studied international relations and I want to... Oh god, no, no. You sound like a robot.
I could totally see that you memorized it. Look, again, don't memorize but internalize. Meaning that you know yourself so well, no one in this world knows you better than you do and you want to show that with confidence.
And also, when you answer questions, make sure that you don't give answers that are a bit too general, too mainstream. You want to personalize it a little bit. Okay, try again.
So, tell me about yourself. First of all, thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be here. My name is Alice and I'm a fourth year student studying international relations in the University of Indonesia. I am someone who is passionate about international development and I hope to make my own non-profit organization one day to make a dent in the world.
In my... I love to organize language exchange meetups in my campus so that I can give myself and of course a lot of other students a place to practice their foreign language skills. For me to practice my Spanish and Korean.
It's also a way for me to meet new people because I'm quite experienced. extroverted and I just love to socialize and meet new people. Like that?
There you go. Yes, that's a lot better. It's not too long that I would bore the interviewer, but it's not too short either.
So that's good. And also make sure you answer with confidence, including when they ask you about your weakness. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
I would say my greatest strength would be my organizational skills. For instance, in the foreign language club that I am in. Before I came to the picture, the club was a mess.
It was completely disorganized. There were no scheduled meetups. There were no events. There were no activities in the club.
And there were very few active members in the group. So after I joined, I implemented clear structure in the club. So I used online tools to keep track of the club's meeting schedule and projects. I also came up with marketing strategies to get more members in the club.
And I also used an event calendar to keep track of all the events that the club was hosting. As for my weakness What about my weakness? Well, you know, you want to show humility You want to show that you're aware of your flaws But you also want to paint it as something that you're still working on And as for my weakness I see that I sometimes take criticisms a little too personally. I know that my job, my academics, my career shouldn't define my worth, but that's what I find myself doing sometimes.
For instance, in the foreign language club, I was so sure that having a specific day to host events would be a good way to get new members in the club. However, it wasn't the case and I was wrong. At the time, I was criticized for my inflexibility and that really stuck with me for days.
I learned that just because I did something wrong or imperfectly, it's just a part of the learning process and I've improved a lot by seeing feedback as an opportunity to growth instead of seeing it as an attack to my identity. Like that? Approved.
That's really good because in both answers, you provided specific examples and that's That's good. Yes. Okay, so next advice.
You want to show that you have a clear goal. So what do you want to achieve by studying overseas? My goal is to contribute something positive to Indonesia.
No, not like that. That's just boring and unoriginal. Okay, look, thousands of other Indonesians are going to apply to this scholarship and they're going to say the exact same thing. So you're just going to be one of the people.
So make sure that you want to add something specific and even add a personal touch to your answer. Try again. What are your career goals? My ultimate career goal...
is to work on a humanitarian issue that affects Indonesia. Since last summer, I have developed great interest in the economic empowerment of women in rural areas in Indonesia. Last summer, I went on a trip to Nusa Tenggara Timur with my sister and I experienced rural tourism for the first time. That trip really made me aware of gender inequality issues and how rampant it is in Indonesia right now. So I have a shared dream with my sister to create a non-profit foundation to provide digital education to these women.
At the moment, we're actively trying to raise awareness about gender inequality issues through Instagram. She does the marketing because she's an experienced social media marketer, and my role is more content creation and more advocacy. Though our effort might seem minor, I really would like to take part in promoting gender equality in Indonesia, and I'm really hoping going for a higher education will really increase my impact in my country. Great! Your goals were specific and clear, you seemed confident, and 10 points for adding me to your answer as well.
Okay, so you're ready for the next step. So far you're doing pretty well. You know yourself very well, you answer with confidence, and now you have to show that you know them as well. You know their mission, you know their values, you know their priorities, what they're looking for, and then from that knowledge you want to try to connect what they're looking for to your skills and experiences.
Okay, alright. It's really just a matter of matching, you know? It's just like dating.
Look, I'm your sister, and you know how you always cyberstalk a guy on Tinder before you meet them for a first date? I... I don't do that.
Well, you gotta do the same thing, okay? You want to know everything about the scholarship. Are they privately funded, government funded, or what are their missions and vision, their values?
whether or not they're a big company or a small company or whatever. You have to know them very well. I think I know what you mean, but can you give an example?
Like, right, for instance, I think there's a scholarship from the UK, Chevening, and then Fulbright for the US. Don't quote me on this, but I think they're looking for more global professionals, global leaders, you know? So that's why you want to show the more professional side of you when you answer their questions. Whatever it is, the bottom line is that you want to know what they're looking for and then craft your answer based on that. What are some activities you're involved in?
Well, the Foreign Language Club is my main extracurricular activity. I've been president in the club for the past two years and I've joined since my freshman year. But I'm also a part of the fundraising committee for the MU1 club in my university. And this summer, I interned at a climate change NGO in Jakarta. And because of my leadership experience and my organizational skills, I was elected as the team leader for the intern group after just one month of interning there.
Not bad. And also one thing, you also make sure that you know the universities that you're applying to. So you want to know their courses, their professors, faculties, what they offer, whatever. Why did you choose this university? There's a lot of reasons why I choose this university.
And one of them would be the wide selection of courses that I could take. One of the courses that piqued my interest is Digital Social Entrepreneurship. I've taken Social Entrepreneurship before in my bachelor's, but it only scratched the surface. I'm so sure that taking this course and learning about this topic more in-depth would really give me the specialized knowledge needed to reach my goals that I've mentioned before.
Great! So you've really shown that you've done your research. I think you're going to really like it. Oh yeah, what about a government-funded scholarship? Right.
There's this government-funded one, right? LPDP. As far as I know, their core mission is to serve the community. So, you know, how you can give back to the country. So when you answer questions from them, make sure that you highlight the more communitarian side of you, you know, how you have served the community, how you have created change, what your contribution is to the community.
So make sure to highlight that. Why do you deserve this scholarship? because I'm confident that I have high potential to be a good return on your investment. Throughout my academic careers, I have demonstrated excellence in academics because I have a 3.6 average GPA and I also have demonstrated strong leadership skills in various clubs that I have mentioned to you earlier. I believe I have what it takes to lead change in my community and hopefully in the future of my country.
For instance, with the Foreign Language Club, I have provided space for students who want to practice their speaking skills and Thinking that I have made just a small change for a small group of people really satisfies me. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to afford higher education in Bristol University where I can level up my academics and my leadership skills to eventually bring greater change in my community and in society in general. Oh my god, I am so proud.
I think with all the tips I gave you... you'll be able to ace it on Wednesday. Don't worry about it.
I've taken a lot of notes. Thank you so much and I'll get you sushi this weekend. Oh wait, no, no, no. Not so fast.
Look, they're gonna ask you if you have anything to add or if you have any questions. Never come to the interview empty-handed. Always have at least two or three questions to ask them because it shows that you've prepared, you've done your research and you're curious. You want to know more.
So make sure to do that. Do you have anything else to add? Yes, I do. What advice would you give me if I were to be selected as a recipient of this scholarship? Last but not least, make sure you dress well.
It's better to be overdressed to an interview than underdressed. Okay, so keep that in mind. I think you're all set for Wednesday.
Okay, great. I think I'm ready. Hi.
Thank you for having me. So, tell me about yourself.