Hey guys! So today we will be talking about admission interviews to universities and before we dive in I would like to start with a little story of mine. You know when I was applying for my master’s degree in business school I had not only to pass IELTSGMAT and finance and management internal tests but also to pass an admission interview.
And that score for the interview was a part of the general score for the whole admission process so it was something quite important and I tried to prepare myself but to be honest, I didn’t really do anything specific but right now I thought of all the questions.
that I was asked when I had my interview and decided to Share this Article for you to help you to prepare for your dream-university admission process! So let’s begin! Well, the first question is quite obvious it’s usually a “Tell us about yourself” question and here you must understand this is a perfect opportunity to tell people in front of you,
representatives of your dream university, something interesting and valuable about yourself. So think of some extracurricular activities for example, in your previous university that you liked particularly or think of your previous background.
Some people change their masters major. You might also tell something about your bachelor’s major, so make sure to bring some valuable information about you to the table, but this is not a great opportunity to start talking about your family,
your pets, your friends, your recent iPhone purchase, or a trip to Oklahoma, because you know, this is not something that the examiners would be interested in. However be sure you’re staying concise, you’re keeping your speech short and still quite interesting for people,
for your counterparts, to get to – you know – asking something further about you, because at this point you are here to make them interested in you. Then goes another obvious question: “Why did you apply for this university? “Well,
here you must talk about your previous background which is scientific this time, and talk about your bachelor thesis, for example, if you had one. Talk about your recent researches, talk about something that makes you passionate about your major and why did you choose that major.
And maybe try to name a couple of professors in the new university with whom you are likely to work with, or you want to work with – and this point is so crucial because, believe me, examiners will be so happy that you already know whom you want to work with,
whom you want to do your next research with. Like this describes you as a particularly aimed person for your future, you have goals, man, this is cool! And of course, this also shows that you’re highly motivated for the position and for the university.
Next goes: “What is your motivation to study this subject?” And here you must make your examiners understand that you have clear goals for your future findings, like where to implement those findings of your future research,
and you know I have some classmates that are highly determined to make breakthroughs with their master thesis and this is amazing! Like well, I also have something in mind with my master thesis, which I think will be very cool in the future like it’s on the verge of technology and finance,
it’s FinTech and you know you should make your examiners understand that you do not apply just to have fun and drink with your classmates, that you are here to study, to make researches, and to make the university even better with your contribution.
The next question is one of my favorite ones and it is “What are your biggest achievements or failures?” Here you must talk naturally about your previous remarkable experiences, but in a fashion that will not make you sound like a self-centered person or a loser.
Do practice at home some short speeches about something that makes you proud, but don’t forget to mention people who helped you along the way as well, and something that was not very fortunate (and here don’t forget to showcase how you learned and what you learned through it).
Next, next, next! “Tell us about your leadership experience”. Answering this question, you must show that you’re not only the person who achieves any target and who is a strong leader, but who also sees an ally in any person in the team,
like any member literally, who ensures that every standard is met along the way and that there is a healthy corporate culture in the team. Here you also can mention your previous leadership experiences, and I, for example,
had some of them if – you didn’t have any, which I don’t really believe, because how are you applying for the university like you are 20-something and you must have had some leadership experiences – but if you didn’t have any,
make something up. Because this is very important. Next up: “What can you bring to the university, really?” And this one invites you to sell yourself and it can be tempting to exaggerate, but do not go over the top and always back yourself up with some examples.
For instance, you can mention when you have been involved in some school activity, which made you contribute to the school’s community, for example, you organized an event or did something with a debating society or something like that.
What not to say here is that you can bring to the school fun, buzz, wicked sense of hum our, or your hamster.” Well young man, where do you see yourself in 10 years? “This question really irritates a lot of people and it’s a typical job interview question.
Why do they ask it on the admission interview? It’s simple because they want to see students who are determined and who see their and goals in life. And here the worst answer that you can give is something very general like making my family proud,
being happy, having a nice job, like things like that. This is very bad, do not say anything like that. But instead, think of something more specific, think of the next step that you will make and which will bring you to your end goal.
Something that you should not mention here is “in the future I will be travelling” or”I haven’t really given much thought”. No, do not answer like that!Next one: “What was an obstacle you faced and how did you get through it exactly? “Think of a time in your life where you faced a challenge, a real challenge and when you put in some significant effort to solve it.
It can be anything basically related to your problems in daily life, at school or maybe at home with your friends. Some extracurricular activities, anything, which showcases that you are a really nice problem-solver and that you do not panic when you see something is going on not how you planned it before.
Next, you might be asked,” to give an example of the time when you had to convince other people of your own point of view”. And here I recall some projects or some work experience that made me be very persuasive and that challenged me to persuade people to do something
that I wanted to do and again here this is a very narrow, specific subject, and I do not suggest you go general.If you don’t have anything at all, I dunno, in your daily life, with your family, with your friends, extracurricular activities,
anything that you have been up to – make it up! Do not try to make it up on the interview, but try to think about it before, so that you can bring up some ideas. And the last question we are going to discuss is: “What did you read on the train?” And although this seems a little bit weird in reality,
it is designed to spark discussion about your current interests and it requires a quick-fire answer, so you either have to name something that is connected to your subject of study, something maybe the opposite to show that you are a multilateral person, or something that is more broad and classic.
But do not name anything populist or discredited or something that you haven’t actually read, or something like “Twilight”, “The Daily Mail”, “Cosmopolitan”. No. So, that’s It! And doughnut forget that the overall impression is graded as well, so make sure you are smiley, open, positive, professional, thoughtful, concise: a person that they really want to see in their university.
Of course, you might be asked something completely new to you, something completely unexpected, but there is no need to be nervous because when you’re thinking,l when you’re professional and when you give detailed answers: very open, direct, straightforward answers – you will be good.
And if you want some additional preparation, definitely ask your friends to help you and to ask some questions, so that you can feel yourself in that interview environment. And maybe also ask them to give you grades.