ASEAN SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION INTERVIEW+ HOW TO PREPARE FOR IT

October 31, 2021

ASEAN SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION INTERVIEW+ HOW TO PREPARE FOR IT

Hi guys, welcome to my blog! (i know it has already been almost a year since my last blog post oops😬😬) Since many of you have started receiving the invitation email for the interview, I decided to write about my experience during the selection interview, some useful tips and experience from other scholars. If you are preparing for the interview, or just curious about how is the interview process, continue reading then!

*The interview process might change every year (especially when 2020 was a pandemic year) so be mentally prepared for your interview process to be different from mine !!!

My personal experience

On 24 Oct 2020, a girl who tried to wear as formal as possible walked into a hotel with her cold hands and frozen face. (although the hotel is not very cold) Yup, that is me! After waiting in front of the meeting room for 10++ minutes, my name was called and I nervously stepped into the room. All I could see in the meeting room is a table with a laptop, a headphone on it and of course a chair for me to sit. (Normally if there is no covid, there will be interviewers from Singapore to interview you physically). I sat on the chair, wore the headphone and was quite shocked to see 4-6 interviewers on the screen. (but not everyone is asking questions haha, don't worry)

The interview started with a short introduction of myself. In the first few minutes, I was very scared and nervous that I stammered but the interviewers were very friendly and smiled at me. This really calmed me down and I started talking more confidently as if I was talking with my friend. (of course, in a more formal tone). They asked further questions based on my short introduction and also questions that intended to get to know more about me (e.g: my ambition, independence, leadership skills etc.)

Some questions that I recalled they asked are:

1. What type of leaders are you/ how do you lead a group? (as I mentioned some leadership positions that I have done before in my introduction)

2. How many times have you been to Singapore/lived without your parents?

3. Do you think you can adapt to a new environment/ how do you adapt to the new environment?

4. Why do you want to apply for the scholarship? (I mentioned my ambition and passion in this question so they asked the following question)

5. What recent magazines/ articles have you read about (the industry I wish to pursue)?

6. What is your favourite subject?

...(there were more but these are the important ones that I recalled)

And I remember the last question was:

Do you have any questions for us?

The whole interview process took around 10 mins and I stepped out the room with relief while feeling drained haha...

How can you prepare for the interview

*it is just my personal opinion !!

Firstly, if you don't know how to start, you can start by searching for common interview questions on the internet and try to type out your answer in your document. (there are even some answer structures or even sample answers that you can learn from)

Some questions that I have prepared include:

1. Tell us about yourself

2. Why should you be selected? / Why do you deserve this scholarship?

3. What do you want to accomplish in your life?

4. What are your strength and weakness?

5. Who is your role model?

6. Favourite book / movie/song ?

7.Meaningful experience or class in school ?

8. How is your school ?

9. Education in Singapore / Why do you want to study in Singapore ?

10. What is your favourite quote?

When/ after preparing the questions, you can research more about the education system in Singapore (through Singapore MOE's youtube channel/ website or search on youtube about Singapore's education system) This not only can let the interviewers feel that you are really motivated to study in Singapore, you can also have the chance to actually think thoroughly again if you really want/like to study in Singapore. Some areas that can be researched are learning approach, differences compared to your home country's education system, ccas, exam system etc...You can also research the school you are applying if u r applying for a school-based scholarship.

Some tips that I find it useful:

When answering the questions, try to elaborate more, give some examples while showcasing your personality, passion and leadership skills.
You can ask your parents, friends or teachers to give you a mock interview so that you can be more used to the interview "feeling" and feel less nervous
try to be confident, maintain eye contact with the interviewers and treat them as familiar/ friendly people
just be yourself and be genuine so that it can give a more realistic feeling/impression to the interviewers
I believe there are more scholarships interview tips online that you can do future research if you have time!

Some other questions I heard from other scholars:

1.Describe your biggest mistake

2. How do you rate yourself?

3. What is the rate you think your friend will rate you?

4. Why do you want to be a (your ambition)? Who inspired you?

5. Were you involved in any activities at school or in your community?

6. Tell me about your leadership experience.

7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

8. Why do you think you deserve this scholarship?

9. What is your greatest achievement?

10. What makes you stand out among other candidates?

11. What is the greatest challenge faced by you now? How do you plan to overcome it?

12. How well do you think you did in the math/ English/ IQ test? Do you know that it’s a disadvantage?

13. What do you do during your free time/What are your hobbies?

14. How you manage your time during covid-19? How do you reflect on your life? How to prepare during a crisis like this?

15. Since living in Singapore, you will be living with a roommate, if your roommate is not cooperative, what will you do?

Some useful links:

Werid Questions:

**Disclaimer: If I had written anything wrong/ you have any updated info/ interview questions, kindly leave them in the comment below to help others who need it!

That's all for now and I hope it helps some of you! If you have any questions, kindly leave them in the comment below and I will try my best to answer your questions as soon as possible! :) Btw, You can also follow my Instagram (@zoe_teoh) to know more about me! see you all in my next post! 😉

Psst...I am going to upload some videos about my life in Singapore too on my Youtube Channel (click on the link to check it out!). Subscribe and turn on the notification button now so that you wouldn't miss any videos! 😆