imonfire98

So I’m on a similar boat for one of the programs but I was able to apply to one of the fellowships that the university offers as a way to potentially get around that. I won’t hear till March 1st though. 
I would check if there are any options available like that for you. 

I think you are truly being selfish holding onto that many offers. You need to make a list and rank them and let go of something. You are holding onto spots that people are waiting for. People who don't have any accpetances and are waiting for your spots. 

What would you suggest wearing if interviewing in a state were it’s still snowing heavily? How about shoes?

I had interviews my first round and did not receive any acceptances. The feedback I got back was that I did not have as clear and concise academic/research ideas and theoretical perspectives as the other applicants - so I just felt happy that it was something I could easily develop, and that it wasn't my personality or interviewing skills that were horrible. ?
 
Everyone's experiences are different though. I know people who are still on their third or fourth attempt, while some people were accepted their first round! Good luck! ☺️

This is a great list of steps to take to prepare for interviews! I would add that one way to keep it all organized is to create a "guideline" or sorts. I did this on a word document where I included questions I would likely be asked (taken from TGC and other sources) with the response I would like to provide, questions I would like to ask (for this I made the longest list possible which really came in handy when I interviewed with one particular POI who had no structure during the interview and had me ask all the questions), and a review of all of the POIs research articles and interests. I then printed this and had it with me throughout the day- this was extremely helpful!! I also wrote a paragraph with my research interests and goals post grad school. I was asked this so often that I found it very helpful to "study it" until it became second nature. DO NOT MEMORIZE obviously as it will not sound natural but make sure that you can easily talk about it. 
Also, it's all about perspective! If you walk in thinking that you are going to learn about cool research and meet potential colleagues, as opposed to an interview where you will be drilled, you will go in more confident and relaxed. PS. I read this last advice from someone here on TGC and it truly helped me the day of.
Best of luck!

Hi! I've had a couple interviews and wanted to share some details that may be helpful to some. As far as dress goes, these were clinical psych phd interviews, and every single person in attendance was in a pantsuit. For women, most wore flats and a wide assortment of blouses.
One interview experience was full of more structured interview questions including:
1. Why should we pick you personally over other qualified candidates
2. What are your greatest strengths and room for improvement
3. Describe a time you had conflict at work and what you did, if anything, to resolve it
4. Describe what role you play in a team
as well as the usual questions to describe my research experiences, what I am interested in, and how I became interested in the field.
 
For the next interview day, nearly every single interview was almost entirely just a back-and-forth dialogue in which I asked most of the questions. 
Some of the few actual interview questions included:
1. What are my research experiences, and in what way do I think these tie into my mentor's research
2. What accomplishment am I most proud of
3. What do I do to cope when I am in over my head
4. What do I think would be the biggest challenge for me in graduate school
5. What would my dream project be if I did not have to worry about funding, resources, etc.
6. Why did I apply to this specific program
7. What experiences do I have with scientific writing (I do not have any publications, so they wanted to know about other experiences such as class papers)
 
 

individual invites

It's similar to a portfolio - it's a nice, thick case which typically holds a legal pad/notepad, pens, other papers. In my experience, padfolios seem to have more pockets and room to hold things (like pens, calculators, snacks...) than a portfolio. 

https://www.amazon.com/STYLIO-Padfolio-Resume-Portfolio-Folder/dp/B01FDZ5D94 
This is the first link I found for a padfolio that showed its inside, so know that they vary in color/shape/inside arrangements. It's basically a professional-looking folder with a zipper that most often comes with a lined notepad, pockets for business cards and papers, and places for pens. I recommend taking one because it's a handy place to take notes and store the many papers you often accumulate during interviews. I also placed copies of my CV in there for reference or in case someone asked to for a copy (which did happen!), knowing that I'd print out more before the next interview. Things that stayed in there the whole cycle was a printout of quick summaries of my past research experiences in case I forgot, an abbreviated list of questions I wanted to ask, and of course pens!

UGH i got a call from an NY area code and it was spam. 

tHANKS!!!

In a recent phone interview I had, I was asked to describe a potential thesis or dissertation project I would like to work on and how I would go about designing it (methods and everything). This question caught be by surprise and I hadn't prepared for it. So be ready to have a response in case something like this comes up!

I don't know if there are really a lot of rules in asking questions. Just make sure they are thoughtful and cannot be answered somewhere on the website or by reading any recent publications by the POI. Some good ones might be based on specifics of their current research project and directions the lab is moving, the culture of the lab and the POI's mentoring style. 
Although I only interviewed at 1 school last year, I did get in on my 1st cycle so I must have done something right. I made sure to be up to date on my POI's more recent publications and the project they lab was currently working on. I asked questions specific to those things during the interview. I asked cohort culture questions to the student interviewer. Make sure you are prepared to talk about your research interests and goals, as well as any information on your CV, in depth. Also, be friendly with your fellow interviewees. If the culture of the program is that everyone is supportive of each other, then they are also looking for people who would fit within that culture. If you're being competitive and rude with fellow applicants, that can look bad. 

Me at 6am this morning:
Okay folks, the holidays are over with. Let's get some interview invites in this inbox. Come on. 
I'm obsessed, sigh. 

Just received an invitation to the University of Florida's interview weekend! February 14-16!! 

School: Miami University of Ohio
Type: PhD PROGRAM
Date of invite: 12/19/2018
Type of invite: Phone call from POI
Interview date(s): FEB 4TH AND 8TH
 
I'm literally so excited! Praise JESUS!

School: Miami University of Ohio
Type: PhD PROGRAM
Date of invite: 12/19/2018
Type of invite: Phone call from POI
Interview date(s): FEB 4TH AND 8TH
 
I'm literally so excited! Praise JESUS!

i check every new email i get ahahaha