Interview Advice

[Clinapp2017]

43 minutes ago, sassyyetclassy said:

so i know this question has been asked before, but i don't think anyone ever answered it: if a POI offered to answer any questions that you may have over email before the interview, what types of questions did you save for the interview and what did you ask over email? I just don't want to be presumptuous and act like I am entitled to all of his time and I don't want to put any of the other applicants at a disadvantage either. I also know that I should be proactive and seize the opportunity to show more interest but I am overthinking this wayyy too much and now it is almost time for my in person interview and I did not ask any questions over email even though the invite was extended mid-december because I felt like I was going to come off as entitled to his time and pushy. how did others in this situation navigate this??

I would say pre-interview questions should concern unresolved logistics (e.g., “who will i meet with in your lab?”) and not content. Save the actual content for your interview. 

 

Just my two cents as someone on the other side. 

[PsychedOutHopeful]

9 hours ago, Clinapp2017 said:

I would say pre-interview questions should concern unresolved logistics (e.g., “who will i meet with in your lab?”) and not content. Save the actual content for your interview. 

 

Just my two cents as someone on the other side. 

Ok building off of this, if a current grad student is friend of a friend, and that friend (unbeknownst to me) decided to email the student and cc me to introduce us- what do you guys think is the most appropriate way to handle it? I have an interview at the school in a few weeks. I panicked because the email was sent last night (I went to bed early) so I quickly sent a response this am thanking the friend for the intro and being like "I'd love to hear about your experiences at the program if you have the time and feel like it's appropriate"... but I'm stressing now as I worry that it's not appropriate, and that is in NO way my intent. 

AH. 

[dancedementia]

Ugh. So. Work schedule and flight plans mean I'm going to miss an optional student social at one of the programs I'm interviewing at. Does this put me at a distinct disadvantage?  It's one of my top programs and I SO desperately want to make a good impression, but there is also absolutely no way I can get out of work.

[Clinpsyc01]

38 minutes ago, dancedementia said:

Ugh. So. Work schedule and flight plans mean I'm going to miss an optional student social at one of the programs I'm interviewing at. Does this put me at a distinct disadvantage?  It's one of my top programs and I SO desperately want to make a good impression, but there is also absolutely no way I can get out of work.

I don’t think this will affect you too much since it’s out of your control and I’m assuming they know that. The social event is a good opportunity to interact with the grad students, but you’ll have plenty of time to make a good impression during the interview day. I think missing the social event is a bigger deal when it’s clear that the applicant is just uninterested, doesn’t want to socialize, etc. (which obviously isn’t the case here). 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Clinpsyc01

[Leafway]

Hello guys, I'm having an on-site interview in about a week in a Canadian university. I need some help!

1.  Could someone please share your group interview experience? 

2. How well do you need to know Non-POIs' research? I plan to read about 2 - 3 publications of the Non-POIs who will interview me, is this sufficient?

3. What should I expect in lab lunch? 

4. I'm a shy and introverted person; so I don't like socialize much. Is this going to be an issue? How could I overcome?

 

This is the only interview I get, so it's very important for me. Please please please help!!!

Thank you in advance!!!

[SendMeAnEmailPlz]

20 minutes ago, Leafway said:

Hello guys, I'm having an on-site interview in about a week in a Canadian university. I need some help!

1.  Could someone please share your group interview experience? 

2. How well do you need to know Non-POIs' research? I plan to read about 2 - 3 publications of the Non-POIs who will interview me, is this sufficient?

3. What should I expect in lab lunch? 

4. I'm a shy and introverted person; so I don't like socialize much. Is this going to be an issue? How could I overcome?

 

This is the only interview I get, so it's very important for me. Please please please help!!!

Thank you in advance!!!

1. Why X field, tell me about a clinical exp, what drew you to this program, etc. Nothing surprising. Each of the candidates answered one after the other in order. Not much back and forth between candidates.

2. Professor did not ask me about his research; I didn't ask him about it either. Didn't seem to matter.

3. Students and candidates eating in the same room. Opportunities to ask for the 'real' answers on questions you'd be uncomfortable asking faculty. Very valuable time.

4. Need to speak up. You're only there for a limited period of time. The current students obviously can share what they see during these periods. "X candidate sat alone eating" is not what you want them to say.

[psych5ever]

30 minutes ago, Leafway said:

Hello guys, I'm having an on-site interview in about a week in a Canadian university. I need some help!

1.  Could someone please share your group interview experience? 

2. How well do you need to know Non-POIs' research? I plan to read about 2 - 3 publications of the Non-POIs who will interview me, is this sufficient?

3. What should I expect in lab lunch? 

4. I'm a shy and introverted person; so I don't like socialize much. Is this going to be an issue? How could I overcome?

 

This is the only interview I get, so it's very important for me. Please please please help!!!

Thank you in advance!!!

this was for a counseling program so it may be a little different

1. be prepared for standard questions. we did not go in a specific order and I personally like to jump off another applicant when possible (like ___, I ____ (but then include my own experience/thoughts)). 3-4 applicants, 2 either student/faculty combos. Thought it'd be a lot worse or how others talk about trying to stand out/be more impressive. Just relax if you can and answer how you normally would if it weren't a group interview, but definitely throw in some of your highlights!

2. I also read some of their publications but it was never really discussed unless I guess you would want to ask them a question or two about their research. I thought about doing so but chose not to as we discussed other things and/or didn't really have the time during group interviews

3. opportunity to ask good questions but also take a breather. they were super nice and understood we might just want to chill. we had a social the day before so many interview questions were already asked then (unless we did not meet some of the students) or at least during my experience. many of us took the time to be ourselves and ask non-interview questions/"fun" questions to get to know the current students too.

4. Do your best to at least engage with some people and hopefully you will hit it off. That being the current students AND other applicants, hopefully they are friendly. Other posters have mentioned that you can tell when some programs are more cut-throat/competitive setting but I definitely think you should try to socialize so others don't get the impression that you may not be as friendly when its just that you are more shy (it could come across badly). You could wait until others come up to you but try getting into the habit of just introducing yourself and have some questions ready that you may want to ask current students, it'll get the ball rolling. My group of applicants were also very friendly so that helped and again we could just talk about non-interview things.

Good luck!

[Psyhopeful]

Holy crap you guys, I just got my schedule for my interview weekend this weekend and I have 8 interviews! Is this normal? I’m meeting with 4 grad students and 3 professors separately for 30 minutes each and my POI for an hour. All in one day! 

And did I mention I’m sick? ?

[xxxxxxxxxx]

32 minutes ago, Psyhopeful said:

Holy crap you guys, I just got my schedule for my interview weekend this weekend and I have 8 interviews! Is this normal? I’m meeting with 4 grad students and 3 professors separately for 30 minutes each and my POI for an hour. All in one day! 

And did I mention I’m sick? ?

This sounds insane. LOL I only interviewed with my PI last week, and some other faculty. 

I hope you’ve been taking lots of vitamins, drinking orange juice, DayQuil, NyQuil, and all in between. Being in and out of interviews all day is extremely exhausting, I can’t imagine doing that while sick ?

Edited January 29, 2019 by checkingmyemail

[Neurophilic]

32 minutes ago, Psyhopeful said:

Holy crap you guys, I just got my schedule for my interview weekend this weekend and I have 8 interviews! Is this normal? I’m meeting with 4 grad students and 3 professors separately for 30 minutes each and my POI for an hour. All in one day! 

And did I mention I’m sick? ?

I'm in a similar situation with meeting the program coordinator,  grad students, and the professor. What I've come to realize is that most of the time when meeting with graduate students, you are interviewing them. Take the opportunity to ask them questions about the program, the school, etc.  If you're meeting the 3 professors separately, there's a great chance you will be discussing similar points with each one. 

You got this! I hope you feel better in time for the interviews!  

[Keyz]

33 minutes ago, Psyhopeful said:

Holy crap you guys, I just got my schedule for my interview weekend this weekend and I have 8 interviews! Is this normal? I’m meeting with 4 grad students and 3 professors separately for 30 minutes each and my POI for an hour. All in one day! 

And did I mention I’m sick? ?

Depending on the program, this is very normal. You usually will meet with a majority of the other professors within the core faculty of the program you applied to, not just your POI. Interviewing with grad students is less normal but some programs see it as integral since these are people that you will be working with for multiple years to come, so they are also scouting out whether you are someone that would be a good addition or not. 

[Letitbedone]

Hi! Just wondering if it's normal to not get a schedule for the interview weekend! My first one is this Thursday and I am freaking out with uncertainty as I was not provided with any information except who is picking me up and who is housing me.

Also, is it typical to room with another applicant? How awkward it might be if we are interviewing for the same person...

[Psyhopeful]

28 minutes ago, Keyz said:

Depending on the program, this is very normal. You usually will meet with a majority of the other professors within the core faculty of the program you applied to, not just your POI. Interviewing with grad students is less normal but some programs see it as integral since these are people that you will be working with for multiple years to come, so they are also scouting out whether you are someone that would be a good addition or not. 

Yeah, my grad student host told me it’s not as stressful as it seems, that it’s mostly about seeing if I’m a good fit, but that was before she sent me the schedule! I have an exam the following Monday, and with the weather, I’m looking at 12 hour travel days on each side. I’m trying to get my vitamins, meds, and sleep in, but stressing about this is making it worse.

Thank you for all of your responses. I’m trying to remember that I was invited because they want me to be the right fit, no one is hoping I’ll fail!

[Psyhopeful]

4 minutes ago, Letitbedone said:

Hi! Just wondering if it's normal to not get a schedule for the interview weekend! My first one is this Thursday and I am freaking out with uncertainty as I was not provided with any information except who is picking me up and who is housing me.

Also, is it typical to room with another applicant? How awkward it might be if we are interviewing for the same person...

For my other interview, I was told in the invite that I would be staying in a hotel room with two other applicants. I think that’s probably normal when it comes to putting applicants up.

[Keyz]

1 hour ago, Psyhopeful said:

Yeah, my grad student host told me it’s not as stressful as it seems, that it’s mostly about seeing if I’m a good fit, but that was before she sent me the schedule! I have an exam the following Monday, and with the weather, I’m looking at 12 hour travel days on each side. I’m trying to get my vitamins, meds, and sleep in, but stressing about this is making it worse.

Thank you for all of your responses. I’m trying to remember that I was invited because they want me to be the right fit, no one is hoping I’ll fail!

Exactly, you are going there for a reason and that's because you have something that others don't. You are valuable and they see that in you and want to learn more. It does definitely suck being sick, having this terrible weather (the midwest is just... let's not even talk about it), and long days. Just remember that the stress is absolutely normal. Being apprehensive about such a big event in your life is bound to wreak havoc on you and it is simply helping you prepare to be the best that you can, so use it to it's full potential rather than allow it to consume you. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you start feeling better!

[psych5ever]

13 hours ago, Letitbedone said:

Hi! Just wondering if it's normal to not get a schedule for the interview weekend! My first one is this Thursday and I am freaking out with uncertainty as I was not provided with any information except who is picking me up and who is housing me.

Also, is it typical to room with another applicant? How awkward it might be if we are interviewing for the same person...

I got a schedule for the actual interview day during orientation on interview day. You can also ask what the schedule may look like if you want more specifics, like when the day will start if they didn't already tell you.

[JoyJoy]

I wonder whether it's appropriate to ask tips and advice from POI's graduate students from the interview?

[PsychedOutHopeful]

34 minutes ago, JoyJoy said:

I wonder whether it's appropriate to ask tips and advice from POI's graduate students from the interview?

I think it depends on the context? Like a grad student from my POIs lab sent me an email asking if I have any questions pre interview- and I just said something along the lines of “I’m doing x y and z to prep, but please let me know if you have any additional suggestions or input”

[Keyz]

29 minutes ago, FreudEgg said:

I think it depends on the context? Like a grad student from my POIs lab sent me an email asking if I have any questions pre interview- and I just said something along the lines of “I’m doing x y and z to prep, but please let me know if you have any additional suggestions or input”

Yeah I agree with this. The only thing you want to be weary of is the fact that those grad students are also essentially a part of the interview and it could come off and being unprepared if you ask them at the actual interview. Beforehand probably isn’t too big of a deal. 

[Neurophilic]

I'm really nervous about the dinner tomorrow with my POI and 2 grad students... This isn't in the interview itinerary but she invited me anyway. Should I take this as a more social environment or still an opportunity for questions? I will be meeting her and her lab the next day and the other grad students..

[Clinapp2017]

11 hours ago, Neurophilic said:

I'm really nervous about the dinner tomorrow with my POI and 2 grad students... This isn't in the interview itinerary but she invited me anyway. Should I take this as a more social environment or still an opportunity for questions? I will be meeting her and her lab the next day and the other grad students..

More social. Probably geared toward getting to know them in a more informal setting. You can ask questions about life in whatever city the uni is in, but I’d save the harder questions for interview day. 

[Leafway]

On 1/29/2019 at 7:37 PM, Keyz said:

Yeah I agree with this. The only thing you want to be weary of is the fact that those grad students are also essentially a part of the interview and it could come off and being unprepared if you ask them at the actual interview. Beforehand probably isn’t too big of a deal. 

 

On 1/29/2019 at 7:07 PM, FreudEgg said:

I think it depends on the context? Like a grad student from my POIs lab sent me an email asking if I have any questions pre interview- and I just said something along the lines of “I’m doing x y and z to prep, but please let me know if you have any additional suggestions or input”

Thank you so much!

[Leafway]

Thank you for the support everyone! 

I'm wondering whether you guys have ever asked your POI for interview tips? I want to do it, but I'm not sure whether is appropriate

[PsychedOutHopeful]

9 minutes ago, Leafway said:

Thank you for the support everyone! 

I'm wondering whether you guys have ever asked your POI for interview tips? I want to do it, but I'm not sure whether is appropriate

Oh interesting. I haven't, however I did read a tip about asking your POI to send their most recent articles/ submitted articles for review pre-interview. I'm kind of tempted by that, but also am unsure if it's appropriate (I'm also not currently a student so I don't have access to some of the larger academic search engines). IMO that would give a lot of insight into their lab.

Curious what other people think! My first thought is that I wouldn't ask for "tips" if I were going to ask... but maybe specific questions to help guide your prep? I also think it depends on if you've had previous contact with your POI. 

[PsychedOutHopeful]

Friends. How common is it to be asked about what you want to do for your dissertation or master's thesis etc? How much detail were  you asked about? Thanks!!