Wildcat Way

Thanks Schizometric! I wish you the best of Luck down at Arizona State.
 

I Received an offer today from my POI at the University of South Alabama. I will be accepting the invitation and withdrawing my applications from Seattle Pacific, Rosemead School of Psychology (Biola), and the two master's programs. I am extremely excited to be a part this lab and I feel like I hit the lottery!

I have been practicing with one of my mentors and he has pointed out to be careful with closed body language such as crossing of arms. I do this automatically when I become nervous. Also, I need to focus on framing everything in a positive manner. I tend to be fairly frank and to the point. So I need to be sure that what I say does not come across as negative.
Another question to consider.
Can you tell me about a time when you have had to confront an ethical or moral dilemma? Maybe an issue within yourself or with others, and how did you handle it?

I have been practicing with one of my mentors and he has pointed out to be careful with closed body language such as crossing of arms. I do this automatically when I become nervous. Also, I need to focus on framing everything in a positive manner. I tend to be fairly frank and to the point. So I need to be sure that what I say does not come across as negative.
Another question to consider.
Can you tell me about a time when you have had to confront an ethical or moral dilemma? Maybe an issue within yourself or with others, and how did you handle it?

Boiler Maker

1) I don't know about everyone else, but my current PI asked me when I was interviewing–"What would you want to work on for your first year project?". I was not really expecting this and so it caught me off guard. I would recommend thinking about specific real-world projects/interests that you would want to work on with your POI; when they ask WHY you want to work on this project, don't just say "to help people". Give them a real reason for the importance of your topic of interest. 
2) If they are having you interview with multiple faculty members, make sure to get some understanding of what they work on. This can help a lot when interviewing. Also, other faculty members are oftentimes interested in hearing you defend why your research interests are important, so be prepared (like in #1 above) to talk about this. 

My first interview is in 2 days, getting pretty nervous...
I thought I'd share a list of questions that my current PI gave me to prepare with. I hope this is helpful!
-Why do you want to work with me? (research fit, ideas on mentorship)

-What are the questions you want to pursue in grad school? (you don’t have to KNOW your thesis plans but you should have a good sense of what you are excited about). SPEND THE MOST TIME HERE ON THIS

QUESTION -Tell me about your clinical experience (anything with humans, but prioritize the high-risk stuff)
-Tell me about your stats background (mention data comfort, programs, analysis experience, aspirations)


-What do you do for fun? (making sure you have a life) -What do you think your biggest challenge will be in our program?

-What do you think about our city? (can you handle snow, small towns, cost of living, etc)