Why did you study abroad in [Location Name]? What did you do there?

The formula for this question is simple: “Work hard, play hard.” Talk about some of the fun things you did as well as the academic side – you don’t want it to sound like you stayed in your room studying 24/7, nor do you want it to sound like you partied 24/7.

Many study abroad programs do, in fact, involve partying 24/7, but you don’t want to admit this.

You can mention something about the fun you had, trips you went on, and anything interesting you did (climbing Mt. Fuji, starring in a Korean soap opera, excavating ruins in Troy, etc.) but don’t over-do it and make them think you did nothing constructive while you were there.

Sample “Good” Answer: “I studied in Beijing for a semester for the life experience, to study Mandarin, and to attend the Chinese Business Studies program at Beijing

University.

The program was fantastic as we were given the opportunity to meet with various leaders of industry in Beijing, tour the Fortune 500 companies located in Beijing, and study the unprecedented economic growth in China from lectures by various speakers.

I also had the chance to tour the Great Wall, the Yangtze River, a water village, and many other interesting locations. It was a very eye-opening experience, and I learned a lot both from my classes and from the sights I saw.”

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Why It’s a Good Answer: The interviewee focuses his response on what he learned.

The key is that you “studied” abroad, not partied abroad.

Even if you spent most of your time sight-seeing, it’s better to focus on what you learned and/or accomplished. Nevertheless, the interviewee does not neglect to talk about the touristy things he did as well.

Talking about homestays can also be a good tactic because interviewers will always be curious about what it was like living with another family.

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“Failure” Questions & Example Answers

These questions are important if you have specific, notable problems such as a low GPA, having too much or too little experience, gaps on your resume, and so on.

They are tricky to answer because you need to sound realistic, but also acknowledge the problem and explain how you’ve grown or fixed it. Your responses have to be well-prepared since the specific words you use make a big difference in the quality of your answers.

Your grades in the first two years of university could have actually suffered because you spent too much time playing in a garage band that played some gigs.

In an interview, though, your grades in the first two years of college do not reflect your true academic ability because you were pursuing your musical passion by composing pieces and practicing for concerts, and you struggled to balance work, school, and music at first, but then developed superior time management skills that allowed you to do that.

“Hypothetical failure” questions are also common – what happens if you don’t get the job? Or what if you make a big mistake on the job?

These questions are important regardless of whether you have GPA or resume

problems as they test your judgment and give the interviewer a better idea of what kind of person you are.

So even if you don’t have any glaring problems or visible “failures,” you still need to plan out your responses to these questions – the last thing you want is to accidentally state that you’re planning to move to Asia and teach English if you don’t get a job during this recruiting cycle.

Preparing Examples in Advance

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The first step is taking an honest look at your resume / CV and background and assessing what they might ask you about. Here are a few common problems that are immediately obvious from your resume:

• Low GPA (Under 3.5 in the US or 2:1 in the UK, or equivalent elsewhere)

• Lesser-known school (i.e. any school that banks do not recruit at)

• Not enough work experience (irrelevant or nonexistent internships, or less than 3-5 years of work experience if you’re going for Associate roles)

• Too much work experience (late 20’s and beyond for Analyst roles or late 30’s and beyond for Associates)

• Gaps on your resume of more than 2-3 months

• Not receiving a return offer or promotion

• Why you’re applying to a new location when all your experience has been in a different region

Regardless of why these “problems” exist, you must spin them in a positive way:

• What else did you do in the first few years of college? Can you point to something else impressive you did that might counter-act your low GPA?

• Is there something notable about the university you went to, even if it was relatively unknown?

• Maybe you didn’t receive a return offer not because the boss didn’t like you, but because it wasn’t a good “cultural fit.”

If you really have nothing – e.g. you spent a year in

your Mom’s basement playing video games before college and did absolutely nothing else – then you have a problem. But you can often find ways to spin even unproductive periods into sounding “decent” by magnifying smaller experiences and making them sound more significant.

• How to Spin and BS Your Way to Success in Investment Banking Structuring Your Response

This varies from question to question, but here’s the general format you should follow:

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