How to Answer the 'Challenge You’ve Overcome and How You Handled It' Question in a College Interview

Written by Amanda, University of Pennsylvania

In a college interview, you might be asked, "Tell me about a challenge you’ve overcome and how you handled it." This question is your chance to show how you handle tough situations, develop important skills like problem-solving and resilience, and grow from challenges. 

An easy way to answer this is by using the STAR method, which helps organize your answer clearly and effectively! Here's how it works: 

What is the STAR Method? 

● S – Situation: What challenge did you face? Set the scene! 

● T – Task: What was your responsibility in this situation? 

● A – Action: What steps did you take to handle the challenge? 

● R – Result: What happened as a result? What did you learn? 

Example Answer Using the STAR Method 

Imagine you had trouble balancing schoolwork and a personal project. 

Situation: "In my junior year, I started a YouTube channel creating science experiment videos for kids. I was also taking two AP classes, and the workload became overwhelming." 

Task: "I needed to find a way to balance both my schoolwork and my YouTube channel without sacrificing either." 

Action: "I made a detailed schedule, splitting my time between studying, recording videos, and editing. I also asked my teachers for help when needed and changed my video uploads to once every two weeks." 

Result: "By the end of the year, I kept my grades up and my YouTube channel grew to over 1,000 subscribers. I learned how to manage my time better, which has helped me handle other responsibilities." 

Tips for Answering This Question 

1. Be Authentic and Relatable: It's important to choose a genuine challenge; something real, rather than an exaggerated or overly polished story designed to impress. Colleges appreciate authenticity! When sharing a challenge, it's okay to admit the emotions or difficulties you faced at the time. However, be sure to balance this with how you persevered and what you learned. 

2. Keep the Focus on Growth: Not every challenge has a happy ending, and that’s okay. Instead of trying to make everything sound perfect, focus on what you learned and how you grew. Even if things didn’t work out perfectly, colleges want to see that you’ve learned from the experience and are ready for the future. For example, you might talk about how you initially struggled but later realized the importance of asking for help or adjusting your approach. It’s about demonstrating your growth, not perfection.

3. Link the Challenge to College: Try to connect the lessons learned from the challenge to how you’ll apply them in college. Whether it's time management, learning to ask for help, or becoming more adaptable, showing how this challenge shaped you as a person will make your answer more compelling and relatable. 

Mistakes to Avoid 

1. Being too vague: Don’t just say, "I had trouble with school, but I worked harder." Be specific about what the challenge was and what actions you took. 

2. Skipping the result: Always explain what happened in the end. The result doesn’t have to be a big success, but it should show that you made progress or learned something. 3. Focusing too much on the problem: While it’s important to explain the challenge, spend more time talking about how you handled it and what you learned, rather than focusing too much on how hard the situation was. 

By preparing ahead of time, you'll be able to answer this question with confidence and show that you're ready to take on new challenges in college!

Discover the difference of The Ivy Institute—where if you can dream it, we can build it! At The Ivy Institute, we don’t just help students get accepted into top Ivy League and Ivy Plus colleges — we have the resources to develop students into the candidates top colleges and admissions officers seek, and transform your CommonApp college application and essays. Join us for a 30-minute information session on applying for college with an Ivy League expert and see how we can make your college dreams a reality. Schedule your consultation today!