Uni Interview Prep

14 January 2024

The original article was written in 23 June 2020 and was written mainly based on my own opinion.

I will mainly discuss about NUS and NTU scholarships interviews. Other universities’ may go the same way.

Before we start, here are some useful links which I used for reference :
- Shu Ching Goh
- When Silence is No Longer Golden
- EasyForum

If you have finished the NUS and NTU UEE, then congratulations! I congratulate you again if it turns out you have already received an admission offer in either NTU or NUS (or even both, too imba). 😊

Basically, after the admission result email, you might receive another email about the scholarship interview. In this context, we are talking about the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship (AUS) interview.

Many of you have known the AUS before, but what to prepare for the AUS interview? Well, here is a list of possibly asked questions and my suggestion for your response, if exists. These questions will be based on what came through my mind at the moment of writing.

Where are you from? / Where is your school located? / What subjects do you like most and least?
The interviewer will likely start the whole interview with these kinds of questions. Just answer truthfully, and you’re safe. Since the answer is obvious, I won’t say much about this.
Tell us about yourself!
A very good chance to market yourself to the university! Be sure that your answer doesn’t take too much time, and I suggest talking about yourself outside the personal statement you have submitted to the university.
Why do you want to enter this university? (the university you picked)
The university wants you to seek what intrigues you most about them. Don’t say merely because of their global rankings in the QS University. It’s just not that engaging to them.
In order to do so, do research on the website of the university, like the NUS website and NTU website. The culture or the value of the university might be one factor to consider. Maybe, it’s the variety of students (from different countries) in the university. You need to provide a valid reason.
Why do you want to pick this major? (the major you picked)
Be sure to have a strong reason to justify your choice. Most people will enter a certain major because of their dreams, so you can start describing your dreams and goals in brief.
To make yourself look ready, explore the course curriculum and have a look at the list of modules that you’ll take in the major. You should know its sub-fields and which sub-field is your favorite etc..
Remark: NTU asked me this question in the first place, so I conclude they were pretty much to the point.
What can you contribute to the university? (What is your plan when you got into the university?)
My suggestion here is not to answer simply with “I’ll join A, B, and C”. Think about something pretty much anti-mainstream. This will increase the interviewer’s interest in you.
What is your plan after graduating?
You might be thinking of working in a company or running your own business. If the former is the one you’re thinking about, rephrase it into “working WITH” so that you seem to have the mixture between both options which seems balanced.
If you are mentioning a company, don’t forget to have the latest update of that company. This will make the interviewer see you as an up-to-date person. Also, don’t forget to make a Plan B as I was asked about this while I actually didn’t have one.
What would you change about your high school?
Small disclaimer. This is not your moment to tell the university what is bad about your school. Try to stay neutral on this, like saying that what you would change about your high school doesn’t mean the school is bad at it, but it’s more like what you expect from your high school in order to improve itself. Don’t forget to provide examples to strengthen your arguments.
Who do you admire and why?
As long as you know who is your role model and what makes you pick him/her as the role model, you should be fine.
In the case the interviewer only asks “Who”, you should answer the question with the reasons too since eventually you will be asked “Why”.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
A tricky question, since answering “My strength is A and B and my weakness is C dan D” is a generic idea. Try to describe when your strength is highlighted and how you struggle to overcome your weakness.
What’s your hobby?
Describe your hobby! That’s all. Don’t just say that your hobby is “…”. It is advisable for you to relate your strength with the major you’re going into. For example, teamwork is important if you are applying for a Sports major.
Why did you choose Singapore?
Have at least two reasons and describe them briefly.
Which one do you prefer, NTU or NUS? (What if you get 2 scholarships? You still have to choose between NTU or NUS)
Imagine if you’re having an interview with NTU and you answer this question with “NTU”. It’s like you’re flattering NTU and disfiguring NUS. In contrast, answering with “NUS” is also another big question mark to why did you even pick NTU if you prefer something not NTU.
Therefore, you have to provide super valid reasons (not just one reason) by at least comparing what the university has that you prefer and what the other one doesn’t have. Therefore, having plenty of time exploring both universities is pretty crucial, based on the questions you have seen.
Why do you think you need the scholarship?
Don’t say that your parents have a meager income, so that they might help you financially. This will make you look desperate. Since the COVID-19’s impact on the economy is very huge, regardless of how rich you are, try to relate your answers to it. Also, explain why you are in fact eligible for it.
Give an example of a time you overcame adversity! (Are you able to study under pressure?)
Both universities want you to be able to overcome culture shock, challenges, and pressure, compiled in one term called ADVERSITY. You just need to answer truthfully (and hopefully fluently) about this.
How do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
In my opinion, this question is not much different from Q1. Well, I think there are no restrictions for the answer to this question.
Do you want to be a citizen of Singapore?
“Interesting question!” You can literally say that to the interviewer. If you are unsure whether to say yes or no, leave them hanging by saying “I will discuss this matter with my parents first”. Well, by common sense, it’s not an easy decision, and therefore you won’t be deciding it on your own. Voilà!
Tell me your greatest achievements that you had achieved!
This is a straightforward question. I don’t suggest you make it up since they actually can seek it in your personal statements or your previously submitted supporting documents.
What will be your biggest challenge if you study in the university?
I would say the competitive environment is one, obviously, but you can think about something else.
Besides academic achievements, what else do you achieve? / What CCA (ekskul) did you join and what did you do there?
Both NUS and NTU want you to be well-rounded. In other words, they expect you to be good outside your already-excellent academic report, such as your social experience. Therefore, a CCA participation is important since you are required to tell them what experience you got from it.
What if you are late for joining a single CCA? Well, create impact in your school as existential as possible! I believe most readers will be 11^th or 12^th graders so be sure to take notes on what I just mentioned.
What if you fail to get the scholarship? (Which university will you pick given another university has a better offer)
This is the best question to apply the stay-neutral method. I would answer this question by choosing the university with the better offer and EXPLAIN that the reason why I chose it is solely because of financial matters, not because “that university better than this university”.
You can also mention that it is a struggle to obtain an admission in the major, if it is literally a struggle XD
What don’t you like about the university?
Euphemism is needed. Tell them that it’s actually not what you dislike from the university, but what you expect from the university to change. Pretty much like Q6, right?
What do you think a good student is like? / What do you seek from a good university?
The university seeks what you prioritize most regarding (personal) qualities. Well, I can’t say much about this, since the answer is not a true/false statement. Just provide a valid reason.
Are there any questions?
NEVER ANSWER NO. From now, think about a question that might mind-blow the interviewers, but be relatable. If possible, make sure if the question is major-related.
In addition, you can ask first whether you can ask more than one question or not, in case you have a lot of stunning questions in mind.

I’ll quote a tip I found from WSINLG:

“More mistakes that should never be committed if you are applying for a scholarship not provided by your home country: Do not ever say that you want to go back to your home country ever so quickly, taking the lesson you learn from them to help other countries grow. I mean, it is their right to get us to work for them upon graduation because, well, education is not a cheap investment. Let’s say that we scholarship applicants are investments for the country providing the scholarship. If you know that the investment will not benefit you much but instead drains your knowledge for the benefit of other country, why would you want to pay for his/her education so that he/she can go back to where he/she came from and save the day?”

It is definitely possible that there might be questions other than these, but usually they are related directly to your answers in the previous questions. So, prepare your answers and how the interviewer will probably respond to the answer. For example, if you are applying for an engineering major, you might be asked “What does an engineer do?” or “What does a chemical engineer do?”, if you are applying for the Chemical Engineering major. Don’t worry since there won’t be questions based on academics in NTU/NUS.

Ah, forgot one thing. During the interview, SMILE. Don’t make yourself look nervous since it’s not professional to them. If the COVID-19 was eradicated, you would do the interview face-to-face, unlike me. Good luck for the interview! 😉

BONUS

In addition, before you attend the NUS AUS interview, you are required to submit another essay for the scholarship application. This is not the same as your personal statement which I believe you should’ve made before, and what is asked may vary every year.

I’m just going to put the question I got from NUS for the scholarship interview.

State, in less than 2000 characters, why you should be offered the NUS Scholarships. You may elaborate on how you have been enterprising and innovative, how you have shown integrity and commitment, and/or cite your most outstanding achievements.

Four paragraphs are enough to create a good essay. Here are the suggested outlines of each paragraph.

P1: Why you should be offered the NUS Scholarships. (your personal qualities in highlight)
P2: How you have shown integrity and commitment that resulted in outstanding achievements. (academic achievements, mainly)
P3: How you have been enterprising and innovative. (mention you CCAs if possible)
P4: Rephrase and conclude why you should be offered the NUS Scholarships.

[Taken from an external source]
However, since the question basically hints for you to market yourself rather explicitly to NUS, it helps to bear some of these ideas in mind while crafting your essay.

How can you contribute your experience and expertise to your team and CCA? Provide guidance to the new students?
How will you set an example for other students?
In what ways can you contribute to student life?
Can you bond the NUS team and lead them to bring glory back to NUS?
Talk about your biggest achievement and the sacrifices you made/challenges you faced.
A pivotal turning point in your CCA “career” and how it has changed you acutely in some way.
How some of your CCA projects have made an impact to society through charity, raising awareness etc
Various lessons you have learnt throughout your respective CCA journeys

That’s all, folks!