One of the challenges most students applying to study abroad face is how to scale through international university admission via Skype interviews. Most students are afraid of failing the interviews because they have no knowledge of how to answer the Skype Interview Questions For International Students.

A student from a developing country shared his story about how he successfully applied for scholarships and got a response from a university in Hungary. An interview was scheduled by the university and he was informed that the interview will be an online Skype interview. If he passed, he would be granted admission into the University. While preparing for the interview, he searched for tips on the most common Interview Questions For International Students at Universities he could expect.

Here are 20 Most Common Questions Interview Questions For International Students he found on Study in Budapest Mobile app.

Check out: 10 Popular European Countries to Study Abroad Without IELTS

1.) Please introduce yourself in a few sentences.

This interview question often requires you to be concise, short, and not go into long stories about your life, the university just wants to know your personal and academic background in a few lines, a simple answer could be

“Hi my name is John Doe, I am 24 years old, from Germany and recently graduated from high school with a distinction and hoping to further my studies at your university”

2.) Why did you choose this particular program?

Don’t go answering about how you scored A(s) and B(s) in high school or had a first class in undergraduate studies, this is a question that requires your in-depth knowledge of the course of study or chosen program, your answer should reflect that you know and have passion for the program, a typical example could be:

Read: How to Study in the UK without IELTS?

“I have passion for Petroleum Engineering because i have always been fascinated with energy , and have always seen myself excel incredibly in energy related subjects at my undergraduate studies and will like to build a career path with a masters in Petroleum Engineering “

3.) What were your favorite subjects in high school, college, or university? Did you have subjects that you didn’t like at all? Why?

This an indication that firstly as a student you did attend college and you passed through your classes, not answering this question convincingly could mean that you either were a dull student or you never attended college, and at the same time the question is meant to access how strong your background interest in the program you have chosen is.

Read: 7 Common Goal-Setting Mistakes To Avoid This Year

A bad example could be you failing in mathematics and physics but intending to study mechanical engineering while on the other hand, a good answer could be

” As a student I strive to excel in all my subjects but i really do not have a favourite subject but if i could choose I will think that my favourite is Mathematics as i often see myself as a mechanical engineering student and want to build my career along this path”

Check out: How to Study in Germany Without IELTS For Free

4.) What do you expect to learn in your chosen program?

Your main purpose to study abroad is to learn about your chosen program, so you definitely need to be prepared to pick a few interesting things about the program that you will share with the interviewer, you can read about program descriptions.

“I have chosen to study digital marketing as i would learn more about the new marketing techniques in the digital age, with key focus on social and electronic media”

5.) How did you find our University?

We would think that this would be easy, as you most likely would have heard about the university through the Study in Budapest mobile app but if you did hear about the university from another source be sure to explain the source just for informative purpose, as this question may have little significance to your score.

6.) Which countries have you traveled to?

A first-time traveler’s motive is always considered to be naive, it an edge to have traveled around the world, if you have considered studying abroad, the interviewer may be curious to know if you are a frequent traveler or an economic migrant, let’s face it, some student applications can be viewed as economic migrant if you have insufficient funding to live and study in a country and have no history of ever traveling out of your country, so here is a good place to state those short vacation trips or any other time you have traveled abroad, a good answer could be:

“I recently traveled to Zimbabwe with my family and enjoyed my stay there for vacation, it’s a beautiful country and would definitely visit soon” OR
” I haven’t been a frequent traveler , even though i love to travel, but I consider studying abroad a strong reason for traveling out of my country”

7.) If you haven’t been abroad yet, where would you travel if you had the chance? and Why?

Simply state a country that you always wish to travel to, it shouldn’t necessarily be the same country you intend to study in but if by any chance, your dream country is the country you want to study in, in this case, Budapest, Hungary, then you can answer

“Budapest, Hungary, has a beautiful scenery and I have always been fascinated about the culture and the people” ( Note: you must be true to your descriptions and feeling as the answers in this article are only examples).

8.) What do you know about Hungary or Budapest?

You can’t want to travel to a country without knowing about the country, so this one is easy to guess but hard to answer as a simple answer like “Budapest is Beautiful” doesn’t do the magic, dig deeper, find out about the country you are traveling to, city guides, cost of living, security, culture and remember to keep this short and approach your answer from general to specific. you could answer.

Budapest, is the capital of Hungary with an estimated population of 1Million people, and the countries economic capital, the spoken language is Hungarian and the capital in divided by a river called the “Danube”, Hungarians often say hello with a local dialect called “Szia”

9.) Why did you decide to study in Europe or Budapest, Hungary?

Well, we promised to give you tips but definitely can’t answer all the specifics-related questions but since we are still on tips? you most definitely have a reason why you chose Europe, don’t go answering “I love Europe because I want to live there” that’s a No, No, red alert! switch you could go

“I love Europe because it has a huge cultural heritage and a good education system and has produced great scholars and above all Hungary is relatively cheaper and safe when compared to other parts of Europe for studies”

10.) How often would you travel back home during your studies?

If you truly love your country and your family, then there is a high chance that you would travel back home at least once, economic migrants often never consider travelling back home, though it is not all applicants that are economic migrants, remember that you are an international student and no matter how much you love your new country of study, you may at certain times visit your native country, so your ideal answer is this situation could be.

“I will at certain times visit my extended family, I love to travel and will most certainly consider traveling back home once a year”

11.) What other universities did you consider before applying?

Don’t be afraid to mention other universities you have considered ahead of the one that is interviewing you, as this will not score you low on points, this not only shows that you have a strong interest in studying abroad but also shows that you considered certain factors before selecting that particular university and the university will most certainly be happy to hear it, you can read about different universities, their strength, history, and courses on your Study in Budapest Mobile App, you can answer the question this way

“I considered ” University X” but after reading through their course descriptions and checking their tuition fees, I compared it with your university and yours presented me with a better price with exactly what I wanted to learn “

12.) Who would support you financially during your studies?

Now this particular question, you will have to face multiple times both at university interviews and at the embassy interview for your student visa, it is one of the most important questions throughout the course of your studying abroad even when you have arrived in the country and intend to renew your residence permit, so be sure to pay attention to this one. Now we believe that you want to study abroad because either you or your parent/guardian can afford the fees and living costs, do not at any time consider the cost of living and fees to be a one-time scale through the question, but for the purpose of this article we would explain why you need to take your time to answer this question, if you are sponsoring yourself then you have to state

“I will be sponsoring myself for my postgraduate or undergraduate studies as i have adequate savings during my full time work” but if you are sponsored by your parent or guardian you can answer elaborativelythat” My Father, is a doctor who works with the National Health institute in my country and he would be sponsoring my education and living expenses through out my studies”

If you do not have sufficient funds to study abroad, please do not bother applying for paid admission process, consider applying for a scholarship.

13.) Do you have a job? Are you satisfied with it? If so, why would you quit it?

If you have a job and you are not satisfied with it and would quit your job for your studies then there is totally nothing wrong with that but be wary of your answer as this can rub off as desperation to exit a complicated or low standard of living situation, but then again your answers should be truthful and honest at all times, so we would expect that you will most certainly be on the positive side of things, so you could go with an answer that looks like this

“My Job is interesting and challenging but I have decided to increase my value in the Job market my going for a Masters program and could if necessary consider returning to my old job , if the conditions are right”

14.) If not, would you like to work during your studies?

“I love challenges and if the opportunity presents itself it would be good way of learning new things but then again i may not need a Job as i have sufficient savings for my studies and cost of living.”

15.) What would you like to do after graduation? (what job, what position, which company)

It is important to be open about your future and be positive, giving a conclusive answer may not be the right approach but being on a positive outlook on things, here we go.

” I love entrepreneurship and always dreamt of owning my own company, but if I have the opportunity to work i will love to work for “Company x” because “Company X” has good corporate values and represent my view of a perfect working environment, I would go for a position in the company that is inline with my qualifications”

16.) Tell me 2 positive and 2 negative things about you.

Are you getting tired already? So are we, it’s lengthy, we told you before, but we promise, there are just 4 more questions left, now that’s a positive thing about me, Humour! what’s yours? every human has a positive side and also a negative side, the chances that you have a more negative side are high. and people want to see you admit it as it shows honesty, so feel free to give this question a go.

“Ehmm…. I think that my positive sides would be one 1) I love to help and 2.) I love learning new things and I am patient and my negative sides is that “I can be less sympathetic and selfish” ( now you can choose something else here cause I am sure you are like, oh no, I am not that bad ? and 2.) I am careless ( you are not that bad either)”.

17.) Where do you see yourself 7 years from now? and Why? again be positive, give it a try this way, this answer may depend on your age:

” 7 years from now i see myself as a CEO of a technology company or married with 2 kids and working for a big multinational company as a manager”

18.) How about your family? Are you married? Do you have children? If so, how do you plan to keep in touch with them? How often would you travel back home? or How often would they visit you? you already should know the answer to this from the answer to the number 10 question is this article, you could rephrase or simply re-state your earlier sentence so don’t sound like a robot who has crammed the pronunciation of “good morning”? take it away:

“I will at certain times visit my extended family, I love to travel and will most certainly consider traveling back home once a year”

19.) Have you seen any of our profiles on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)? Let’s help you out, it’s okay not to have checked the social media pages of the university especially if you first heard about the university but if you’re a social media enthusiast and have come across the university profile, simply state.

“Yes i have”

20.) What do you do in your free time? We can’t answer everything for you, if you can’t answer this one, then you sure are not yet ready to Study abroad, so “Figure it out yourself :-)”

It requires practice and concise answers, universities often conduct these interviews as an alternative to English Language tests such as TOEFL and SAT and they are always lengthy between 20-30 mins long and cover your personal background, the purpose of study, and knowledge of the country.

Now that you have read through feeling like, ” I nailed it”, do not expect that these questions and answers will be exactly as in this article because the university constantly updates or make changes to their questions, you need to always be prepared for tests whether English Test, Skype Interviews and Visa Interview as these are defining moments in your study abroad process and not just application and paying fees.

Without practice you could certainly find yourself murmuring answers to questions you already know, so we’ve put together sample questions and answers that could help you get prepared for Skype interviews with top universities in Budapest such as Metropolitan University, International Business School, or any other university.

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