There are variety of study programs, and millions of students attend them every year all around the world. Yet if you walked to any class at random and asked each student in the class why they are there, more than half won’t be able to come with a meaningful answer. Many study simply because that’s “what everyone does” at their age. And others because they like this or that subject, or their pals attend the same program, or because the program has a good reputation. However, you can believe me that this isn’t what the admission committee members want to read from you, when you face the very same question as a part of your application process to the program. But what do they want to here?
Well, you should try to connect the study program with your future. That’s what you want to gain–some future dream or goal. It can be a specific job in the field, it can be your own business, research work, whatever. The key is to ensure them that you do not apply only because your parents want you to, or because you do not know what better you’d do with your life at the moment. You do not necessarily have to be super original. At the end of day, when 100 young people study nursing, the vast majority of them hope to become a nurse one day–and that’s exactly what they want to gain from the program. And it is the same with every field.
What you should try to do, however, is to be specific. Sticking with my example with nursing, you can say that you hope to gain a job of a nurse in a specific department, city, hospital, or that you hope the program will prepare you for further studies, for a particular nursing specialization (think mental health nursing, pediatric nursing, ICU, etc).
Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to this interesting question. You will find on my list answers for different fields of study and perspectives of life (fitting for employees, entrepreneurs, future scientists). After reading the answers you should understand what to focus on, and come up with your own, authentic answer. I hope you will, and wish you best of luck with you application :).
7 sample answers to “What do you hope to gain from this program?” interview question
- I hope to gain the best starting position to my career in financial analysis. Loving the numbers and the stock market, this is my dream job, and something I’d love to do for a living, for many years to come. Your study program has a great reputation, and I personally know a few students who landed great jobs after completing it. I hope to follow in their footsteps.
- My dream is to work as a pediatric nurse, in the hospital in my town. It is not only a dream, but also a goal I pursue with my studies. Your nursing program is an excellent stepping stone, and I hope to gain from it the knowledge I need in order to eventually get that job of a nurse, and to eventually become a great pediatric nurse. I believe I have what it takes to make this dream come true.
- I hope to run my own business one day. Probably something in tourism, a small hotel, hostel, a restaurant. That’s my idea of a good life, doing something valuable, in some location that I like and enjoy being in. Your study program in tourism should help me gain the theoretical knowledge I need, so I can avoid making some mistakes that many people do in this field.
- I hope to gain a ticket to your research department. It is as simple as that. I have picked your program over other programs since I really like the research activity at this university, the facilities you have in place, and the subjects you work on in the research department. I’d love to stay here once I am done with the program, and belong to your research department. Of course, I understand it takes time, and I have to complete my studies first, and prove that I actually deserve the place in the team, and a chance to pursue my PhD here. But all good things in life take time and I am in no rush when it comes to my career goals.
- I just hope to gain a place at med school. It isn’t easy getting in, but students who complete your program have statistically a high acceptance rate. For me it means that you do something well here. And since I dream of becoming an eye surgeon one day, I cannot imagine a better study program to attend, at this stage of my professional career.
- To be honest, I do not think about my life in the way most people do. Nowadays, almost everyone sees everything just as a means to an end. They go to certain school to be able to later get to certain college, and then they go to such college to be able to gain some well paid job afterwards… Nothing wrong with it, but it isn’t my way of thinking. In my life, I focus mostly on what I can give, and not on what I can gain. Studying here, I want to bring a lot of creativeness and empathy to the classroom. And I also hope to represent your school in athletics, since it is something I excel in. Simply I will try my best to be a great student and classmate. No doubt if I achieve it, some great things will come back my way. Law of action and reaction cannot be broken.
- To be 100% honest with you, I have no idea. I know that I want to study, but I have not yet decided about my future–the job I want to have–if any, or perhaps a business I want to run, or, perhaps, becoming an artist. It is one of the reasons why I apply for a study program in management. It is more universal, and I believe that you learn here things one can benefit from in various walks of life. Perhaps that’s what I want to gain from this program at the end…
* Special Tip: This isn’t the only difficult question you will face while interviewing for any decent job or study program. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, dealing with ambiguity, and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to 10 premium answers to 50 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!
May also interest you:
- Why do you want to study finance?
- Why did you choose this university?
- Does your academic record accurately reflect your capabilities?
