"When I was in high school, I was in a terrible car accident right before my senior year. I spent much of my first semester in the hospital, going to physio, and attending physician's appointments. I had to work extra hard to complete my assignments on time, and perform research, with so many days missed. My teacher allowed my friends to take turns recording the class on their smartphone and they would text me the video, which was helpful. There is always a workaround when faced with a difficult situation. I truly believe that."

"During University I lost a paper when my computer crashed. I was putting the finishing touches on it when it was just gone. Mortified, I immediately called my professor to explain the situation and ask for a minor extension. I then took my laptop to the Apple store for a major troubleshoot and fix. Amazingly, they were able to recover my document! Had I not been persistent, and just threw my hands up in the air from frustration, I would have caused myself unnecessary work and stress."

"One of the most difficult situations that I have faced was not being accepted into my first school of choice. This situation taught me not to put my eggs in one basket, so to speak, but to diversify myself a bit better when it comes to my personal and professional goals. I believe that everything happens for a reason and am now so happy that I completed my marketing degree at University ABC versus my initial first choice."

"I have had some challenging experiences, but I would say that the most challenging was juggling my football commitment with school this past year. Our team was amazing which also came with high expectations. I needed to keep my GPA high while also dedicating an incredible amount of time to practice, games, and travel for tournaments. This experience taught me multi-tasking and gave me quite a good amount of resilience when it comes to managing a packed schedule!"

"My practicum was probably the most challenging experience I had in my academic career. The school I ended up in was in a very rough neighborhood where the kids were not disciplined or well cared for, to be frank. I found it hard not to address their situations and focus only on the education point. I am a caring person and was very sensitive to their situations. As a teacher, I plan to provide my students with the education they need but also want them to know that I am there for them if they need an ear when it comes to their other matters."

The interviewer would like to know how you deal with challenging or uncomfortable situations. If you're not sure about what type of example to give, you may want to think of cases from school, sports teams, volunteer or internships. Let's say you experienced a conflict with a member of your soccer team. Maybe they believed a rumor, or you had a situation of miscommunication. What did you do about it?

"My soccer teammate and I weren't getting along. We used to be best friends but we started to get into fights, and I think I hurt her feelings. I apologized and asked if there was anything I could do. We patched things up, and through this, I learned how important it is to have clear communication and to be humble and willing to take the initiative to solve conflicts."