Q: Why Did You Choose The University?
Q: Why Did You Choose The University?
Q: Why Did You Choose The University?
Q: Why did you choose your course?
Studying marketing is my passion.
It will boost my level of interest as I am studying something which I am interested in.
Answer preparation: There may be many courses in the same subject area as the one you plan to
study at Sheffield. What is it specifically about the Sheffield course which you prefer and which suits
you over other course choices? Think about your decision process. Did you apply for other courses -
why did you choose Sheffield over them?
You’ll want to study something you’re interested in. Let the interviewer know how you’re
excited to take the course. You can say how essential it is to your dream career or say
how it’s the subject you enjoy studying.
A university won’t accept you if you’ve got nothing to contribute to it. This is the time to highlight
your traits which make you a student worth having.
Are you a good speaker? Creative in making presentations? Have good leadership skills? Show them
what you’ve got for them without sounding exaggerated.
Q: How do your studies fit into your career plans?
As I have told that management is my area of interest, I can implement my theoretical
knowledge into my professional field.
Answer preparation: Think about what your plans are after you graduate - how will the knowledge
and skills you gain from your course at Sheffield University help you with the type of work you hope
to do. Does your course lead to any professional exemptions or qualifications and are these
recognised in your country? Do you know what others graduating from the course you will be
following went on to do eg the types of roles and organisations they work for? If the course you plan
to study is at a similar academic level to previous studies, how does it represent progression and does
it have a vocational focus? If this is the case, be prepared to explain this.
Q: If the costs of pursuing your course of study are higher in the UK than in your home
country, why have you decided to incur the extra costs involved with studying in the UK?
I am financially stable, my family has sound income to support my accommodation and
university expanses.
It’s my vision to study abroad, which I am fulfilling coming abroad.
Answer preparation: Think about the advantages that a degree from the UK might give you and why
you and/or your family are prepared to make this investment. Have you made a realistic assessment
of all the costs involved and how you plan to pay for them? These costs include the course fees and
living costs, including accommodation.
Q: Do you plan to work in the UK?
I don’t have plans to work, because my ultimate focus is to obtain quality studies.
I will think on working in allowed working hours if I will get free time from my studies.
Answer preparation: You cannot rely on funds from working to pay your course fees and living costs
so you need to be aware of this. The main purpose for being in the UK is your studies, so if you do
hope to work, think about how this would enhance your academic studies. You also need to
demonstrate an understanding of the hours you are allowed to work and typical rates of pay.
This question – although one of the most common – can get you thinking for more than a minute.
Better know what your strengths and weaknesses through your life experiences.
What did you (or your colleagues) think about yourself during a project? How do you study? How do
you take criticisms inside the classroom? List down all your positive and negative traits that you can
think of and know the examples related to each.
For weaknesses, better share the traits you think are negative but doesn’t seem to be that bad. This
could include you being an overachiever or a glutton for ideas related to the course you want to take.
Talk about your most recent school achievement. You can also talk about that unforgettable moment
you’ve reached a non-academic goal. Share how these achievements affected you.
Don’t get stressed if you don’t have gold medals or trophies. Achievements can be big or small and it
depends on what made you feel great about your own efforts.
Prepare as early as you can for the interview. Of course, always expect the unexpected questions to
come in. These common university admission questions are good enough to get you started and think
of the best answers in advanced.
The whole point of the admission interview is to get to know you and your genuine interest in this
new chapter you want to get into. Do a mock interview with a friend or even by yourself to help you
gain more confidence in your upcoming interview.
What to say:
“I felt proud to be awarded first place in a poetry competition with a sonnet I
wrote about…” (if you’re applying for English)
“I recently won the Senior Challenge for the UK Mathematics Trust.”
“Achieving a 100% mark in my AS-level History and English exams – an
achievement I hope to emulate at A2.”
What to say:
This is a good opportunity to recap what you’ve highlighted already – your
strengths, career aims, what you can contribute and so on.
At the very end, if you judge that the interviewers would respond well, you
could also lighten the tone and end on a note that injects some of your
personality, by saying something like “Also, I’m told I bake a good cake!” (with
a grin).