- Please be concise and to-the-point in your answer. You might think that giving a long answer is good for you and it shows your command over the subject, but actually it doesn't reflect that well for you especially when you go on those tangents that had nothing to do with the original question.
- Do not try to hide your problems and shortcomings. No body is perfect. We understand that life is hard and you made some mistakes. We want to see what you learnt from such experiences.
- Never ever interrupt any member of the interview panel. Always be polite even if you don't like the line of questioning. It is the job of the interview panel to ask tough questions.
- Never ever lie about anything in your resume or during your interview. If the panel catches you lying about something, no matter how minor it is in your eyes, it is basically game over for you.
- Don't claim that this is the only scholarship opportunity that you ever considered. No body is going to believe you. Instead try to present a logical and reasonable argument about why you consider this scholarship as the best opportunity for you.
- Engineers! Please please work on your communication skills! You may be technically very competent, but we are looking for a balanced personality which includes soft skills as well.
- Recently Robotics and AI has sort of become a trendy and fashionable topic. While it is true that AI has resulted in a lot of opportunities and applications recently, but that doesn't mean that other disciplines aren't important anymore. If your skillset and studies aren't directly related to Robotics and AI, then please don't pretend to be an expert in these fields, and don't try to forcibly direct your research topic towards AI. People who try to do that are exposed within a couple of questions during the interview. Please stick to what you know best.
- Don't exaggerate your achievements. You aren't Einstein nor are you expected to win Nobel Prize anytime soon.
- Own up to your failures and mistakes. Don't blame others for it.
- Try to appear calm and collected (even if you don't feel like it internally). Body language matters a lot. Try to face and make eye contact with every member of the panel. Practice your smile. Everyone should get positive vibes from you.
Good luck!