RESOURCE MATERIALS FOR THE THREE MODALITIES OF LEARNING ENGLISH
3. During college, how did you spend your summer vacations?
The best answer is to have spent your summer productively such as working as an intern. Even if you did only one intern, the interviewer will like that. The worst answer is to say you didn't do anything. Or say you worked in the supermarket to get some money so you can party at night. So think of something productive, and if you don't have an intern experience, you can say that you spent your summer learning something new.
"My last two summers of college, I did an intern for a consulting firm.
I gained experience working on office solutions for large companies."
"I have a strong interest in traveling, so I used my summer to travel.
I went to Europe, Australia, Brazil, and China."
"Every summer, I took extra English classes. I also took some drawing classes because it's one of my hobbies. So I spent my summers learning more things."
"My first two summers, I had to work to save money for tuition. But after saving enough money, I had a free summer. I actually ended up taking some computer classes to prepare myself for the business world.
These days it's a requirement to know computers, so I prepared for that."
Although I said don't mention useless work, it is ok if it is for tuition.
It shows financial responsibility. Finally, taking some computer classes for the summer is a great way to prepare for work life and it was a summer well spent. Make sure you have an answer that shows productivity.
4. "Why did you choose your major?"
"Why did you choose to major in History?"
If you are a computer science major interviewing for a computer position, then they will not ask you this question. But if you are an English Literature major and interview for a computer position, then they might want to know why you chose to major in English Literature. To create an answer for English Literature, you can say things learning to be a better communicator, having better reading comprehension, and say how skills learned from English Literature can be applied towards many fields. But something like History is different. Unless you are going to be a Historian, it's hard to justify how your major is going to help you in your job.
Short Answers
"I majored in History because I enjoyed learning about the past. I always try to apply my history knowledge in many things I do. This knowledge allowed me to study many different experiences."
"I majored in English because it was a major that would make me more skilled in reading, writing, and communicating. I believe English is a tool that is used everywhere, so I thought it was the best major for me."
"I majored in Psychology because I was interested in seeing how the mind works. I also found it useful because it helped me to work with people better by understanding differences in everyone."
"I majored in Biology because I initially wanted to go to med school.
Although I decided not to go to med school, I still wanted to complete my bachelor's degree."
Long Answer
"I majored in History because I always had a strong interest in historical facts. I grew up very close to history and chose this major because I really enjoyed the subject. I planned on becoming a high school history teacher or even a professor, but then I started to get into computers. It's totally different from history but it really fascinated me.
Now, instead of looking in the past, I'm always looking into the future through all the technological changes."
It doesn't connect the major to the job but at least it gives an explanation. It's not bad to say you majored in something because you liked the subject. The only bad answer is to say you didn't know what else to do and you couldn't get into a better department.
During college, how did you spend your summer vacations?
The best answer is to have spent your summer productively such as working as an intern. Even if you did only one intern, the interviewer will like that. The worst answer is to say you didn't do anything. Or say you worked in the supermarket to get some money so you can party at night. So think of something productive, and if you don't have an intern experience, you can say that you spent your summer learning something new.
"My last two summers of college, I did an intern for a consulting firm. I gained experience working on office solutions for large companies."
"I have a strong interest in traveling, so I used my summer to travel.
I went to Europe, Australia, Brazil, and China."
"Every summer, I took extra English classes. I also took some drawing classes because it's one of my hobbies. So I spent my summers learning more things."
"My first two summers, I had to work to save money for tuition. But after saving enough money, I had a free summer. I actually ended up taking some computer classes to prepare myself for the business world.
These days it's a requirement to know computers, so I prepared for that."