How to answer 'tell me about yourself' for college students?

I know that 'tell me about yourself' is a common question in interviews and college applications. Could you guys give me some pointers on how to answer it as a college student? What should I focus on and how much personal detail should I include?

When answering the "tell me about yourself" prompt, the key is to highlight your most relevant experiences and qualities that relate to your current position as a college student or the opportunity you're pursuing. This question is your opportunity to give a brief overview of yourself while emphasizing your achievements and strengths. Here's a structure you could follow:

1. Start with a brief introduction: Your name, year, and major. You could also mention where you're from if it adds to your story.

2. Focus on relevant experiences and achievements: Highlight academic achievements, major-related coursework or projects, and any internships or job experiences that showcase your skills and dedication to your chosen field. Be sure to link these experiences to the qualities you want to emphasize.

3. Provide context or a personal touch: If relevant, discuss how your background or personal experiences have contributed to your growth and self-development as a college student.

4. Connect to your goals for the future: Briefly mention your short-term and long-term goals related to college, career, or personal growth. Ideally, they'll be directly tied to the opportunity you're discussing.

5. Close with a summary: Recap the main points you touched on, and reiterate how these experiences and qualities make you a strong candidate or a valuable member of your college community.

Remember to keep your response concise and focused. It's essential to avoid going off on tangents and to remain on-topic. While you want to include some personal detail to make your response engaging and genuine, ensure it remains relevant and adds to your narrative.

For example, if you're an engineering student looking to secure an internship, you could talk about your passion for problem-solving, internships and projects you've worked on, and how these experiences have prepared you to excel in a professional setting. You might also touch on your future goals related to engineering and how the internship aligns with your objectives.

By structuring your response in this way, you'll provide the interviewer or application reader with a comprehensive view of who you are as a college student, making it easier for them to understand your goals, strengths, and suitability for the opportunity at hand.